As observed during August 2008
1/8/2008
A budding delight
Growing as a tall perennial herb, Cephalaria procera was collected as seed from the Black Sea area of north-east Anatolia in Turkey. Growing on the roadside margin beside the River Ovita at 1,614 metres, this has developed into a showy plant of merit. It can be found through Turkey and Iran.
It has a tall, lank stem to 1.8 metres, with a pair of opposite leaves developing at the nodes. Despite the height to which it grows, it is still standing without support following the torrential downpours of the previous few days. It develops into a multiple auxiliary stemmed flower head, all with terminal flower buds.
The terminal flower is button shaped, more attractive in development than later when the tubular corollas extend and give a creamy yellow appearance to the globose head. Initially the complementary colours of the black green pointed calyx and creamy green tightly held petals are seen in a complex pattern. There is a definite spiky feel when a finger is run across the bud. The head is equally attractive once the flower parts have pollinated and dropped leaving the deeply indented moon crater pattern seed heads.
5/7/2008
Angelica gigas, a stately umbel
This biennial flowers in its second growing season at a height in excess of two metres. The leaves are deeply divided and fresh green in colour. As flowering height is reached, the upper leaves form a purple sheath around the flower bud. Forming a cupped shape on opening, these act as a catchment vessel for rainwater.
Growing in deep moisture retentive soil in sun or partial shade, Angelica gigas makes a stately architectural plant. The globose flower head can be 150mm across and are full of multiple florets. These purple florets are loved by pollinating insects becoming speckled with white as the anthers ripen.
Specimens can be seen in the copse where the gold keyhole of the Jim Lambie Secret Affair collection (until 31st August 2008) is placed as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival.
8/8/2008
Arable beauties
Wild flower meadows are very much in vogue nowadays, but not many feature the Shetland Cabbage! This variety of Brassica oleracea is reputed to have been cultivated in the Shetland Islands since the 1600's. Traditionally grown in planticrubs or crubs, small drystane enclosures to protect the crop from the wind and grazing sheep, these plants were essential as winter feed for dairy cattle and as a spring vegetable. Latterly the area under cultivation has fallen as feed supplements for cattle replace the growing crop. 
There are two arable plots in the garden; the one described above is in the demonstration garden. The second is in the nursery. are; Blue Cornflower, Centaurea cyanus; Corn Marigold, Chrysanthemum segetum; Common Poppy, Papaver rhoeas; Long headed Poppy, Papaver dubium; Scentless Mayweed, Tripleurospermum inodorum
Sown in April 2008 this is now a floral masterpiece. A mass of bright colours attracting pollinating insects to ensure a good seed set for the following years colour.
13/8/2008
Soft scoop in a cone
The difference in flower shape arrived at through selection and breeding is well illustrated by comparing Hydrangea paniculataand the cultivar H. p.'Tardiva' where the panicles can exceed 250mm in length.
Both the species, seed of which was collected in Japan, and the large flowered cultivar 'Tardiva' can be seen growing in the Garden. Logan Botanic Garden also grows several of this species' other named cultivars. 
In H. p. 'Tardiva' the terminal panicles of separate male and female flowers are shaped to resemble ice cream in a cone. Those of the species are similarly borne at the end of the current year's growth but have no shape of merit. The leaf shape, with denoted serrate edge and red petiole colour are prominent in the species, but these characters less obvious in the cultivar.
The terminal panicles are composed of two types of flower; the showy ray floret of 4 or 5 flat petals which are sterile and the smaller round buds opening to reveal flower parts, both male and female. Colour change is from light green on development through showy white to pink on fading. The whole exudes a musty, not unpleasant scent.
19/8/2008
Seed source
A member of the family Sapindaceae, native to C. and W. China laden with seed capsules, Dipteronia sinensis is a deciduous small tree found in Gansu and Sichuan provinces at 1800 metres in mixed forest cover.
The seed capsules are prolific this year each containing one swollen seed held between flat, translucent, papery carpels. These are in multiples and hang heavily from the ends of the branches. Highly decorative these are eye catching with a reddish tinge just now. 
Young growth, of which there is a little at this time of year, is bi coloured at its youngest stage. The furthest points of the leaflets green, with the remainder a red shade. The deeply divided leaf has six opposite leaflets and a terminal one. The basal leaflets themselves occasionally sub divide. This gives a lush, oriental, appearance to the tree.
22/8/2008
A bright spot in a dreich August
This August to date we have had 194.0mm of rain. The average August rainfall in Edinburgh over the past 18 years is 54.9mm. The wettest day was Tuesday 5th when 63.6mm was collected in the Gardens rain gauge. The wettest month we have recorded prior to today was November of 1963 with 184.4mm. With one third of August remaining and no settled spell predicted I believe the record will rise yet.
All this water is weighing heavily on vegetation in the garden. The benefit of staking and supporting herbaceous plantings early in the year is now paying dividends.
The clump of Crocosmia pottsii collected by the late Bill Burtt in Temperate South Africa, in the southern Drakensberg Mountains of Natal Province is a colour splash amongst green foliage.
The linear leaf growth hangs slightly with the flower shoots supported above growing to 850mm. Multiple deep orange tubular perianths are presented opening sequentially to the tip of the shoot. These are narrow at the base widening and dividing apart at the mouth. There are delicate yellow blotches on the underside which are usually overlooked. On petal fall the embryo seed pods are visible. When ripe these divide and split into three shedding many seeds.
26/8/2008
Form and function
Itea ilicifolia is an expansive evergreen shrub collected by Ernest Wilson in Hubei Province at the relatively low altitude of 300 - 900 metres. Initially it was not thought to be hardy, other than in the most favoured parts of the British Isles. Our plant is now 2.5 metres high and at least 4 m wide. Thriving in a south east sheltered corner by Inverleith House. Indeed the glossy leaves with a spiked edge are the picture of health. The leaves resemble those of Holly, but are not as thick or leathery.
Flowering profusely from the shoot ends, the individual flowers are held on pendulous racemes many drooping down 350mm in length. These are a green colour in bud, opening white. To the naked eye the colour seems to reflect off the stamens but through a hand lens the 5 or 6 narrow petals are visible, white in colour.
Above the doorway in the wall is the horizontal striped sandstone form; Paul Nesbitt, Curator of Exhibitions at Inverleith House provided the additional information:
Alan Johnston - Haus Wittgenstein/Inverleith House', (1995)
Beeswax, charcoal and varnish on stone
On permanent loan from the artist
Made to accompany the award-winning exhibition of the same name held at Inverleith House during the 1995 Edinburgh Festival, this sculpture by the Scottish artist Alan Johnston (b.1945) related directly to two major philosophical figures; Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) and David Hume (1711-1776). The upper edge of the work incorporates a detail from the circular tomb of David Hume, located in the Calton Burial Ground in Edinburgh, whilst the lower edge refers to the raising of the ceiling (by 3cms) of the House Wittgenstein built in Vienna (1928), where Johnston made an exhibition in counterpart to the one at Inverleith House, during the previous year (1994).
29/8/2008
The cat's whiskers
Definitively formed and with no regard for spatial awareness the stamens on Clerodendrum trichotomum var. fargesii are a delight to observe.
The red flower buds (calyx) are segmented into 5 sections developing to reveal white petals. There is a sweet scent from the open flowers which contrasts with the pungent odour emitting from the leaves when crushed. The base of the leaf petioles are touched with purple pigment.
Native to Eastern Asia, collections have been made of the species in China and Korea.
In Yunnan province it was growing on a hillside of open shrub and cut over forest at 2800metres. Here forming a tall shrub or small tree to 4m.
In the republic of South Korea it is found growing in full sun on the plain of Mount Sori at 100 - 600metres. In this area the average annual temperature is 11.4°C with a yearly 1446mm of rainfall.
For previous years' highlights during this month, see the August Garden Highlights Archive page.