As observed during August 2007
8/8/2007
Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva' beauty indeed! Medium sized shrub with a stunning display of white flowers arranged in panicles. The blooms look fresh on the shrub for a long time. Even after they've faded, they look like white moths dancing around the shrub. The bed to the west of the Fern & Fossils Glasshouse.
Tilia tomentosa The Silver Lime/Linden named because of the silvery underside of its leaves. Currently blooming, the heady honey scented flowers are a favourite of bees. This pyramidal tree becomes more oval as it ages and reaches up to 70' in height. On the edge of the road just before the lower west entrance of the Chinese Hillside
13/8/07
Prunus armeniaca 'Early Moorpark' is bearing ripe Apricots in Edinburgh. A combination of climatic effects probably allowed these fruits to fully develop; the warm autumn of 2006 to ripen the wood; the warm temperatures of March / April when the blossom was self fertilised. Growing on a south west facing wall the root zone is in a rain shadow area in the lea of the roof.
Prunus persica c.v. As you cross the Tay in Aberfeldy look down from the bridge to the north west bank. A peach stone tossed down probably 20 - 25 years ago is producing a prolific crop of ripening fruit. Again a sheltered spot for this Chinese native to thrive.
17/8/07
Agapanthus campanulatus ssp. patens. A Hilliard
and Burtt collection from Temperate South Africa. The strong stems
holding a mass of blue flowers. Look up and across the boundary wall of
this Alpine House border, to appreciate the slender formed and slightly windswept Eucryphia x nymansensis covered in white blossom.
Berberidopsis corallina Growing against the south facing wall in the alpine area, collected in 1996. Originally thought to be almost extinct but the ICE expedition to Chile firstly identified the habitat in which likely to grow and then using this information identified sites where plants did actually grow. Seed and cutting material were collected to establish an ex situ conservation collection of living plants of which this is a very successful example.
Producing arching growth with sturdy holly like leaves, chlorotic look to the mid rib and laterals, the red petals are waxy in appearance, and attract wasps.
21/8/07
Rhododendron auriculatum A native to Central China, growing in F15, a focal position at the top of the stove brae. Large trusses of pure white flowers with a slight scent. The buds are sheathed in vermillion red sepals. A species that is always late into growth but successfully extends the flowering season of the genus Rhododendron into late summer.
28/8/07
Species Dahlias and cultivars growing to the south of the front range, T borders.
- Dahlia coccinea a Gardner and Knees collection from Mexico in 1993. Bright orange flowers held on a strong purple stem growing to 2 metres +. This is one of the parents of many hybrids and cultivars
- Dahlia merckii also from Mexico, purple petals with yellow anthers, held above light green foliage
- If you are looking for mass colour then D.'Bishop of Llandaff' is in full bloom. As with all Dahlias, the key to prolonged flowering is deadheading.
31/8/07
- Native to the Southern Hemisphere the Eucryphia are a mass of white this year. In the border south of the herbarium E. glutinosa shows a delicate wave to the petal formation. Initially the anthers are red oxide colour gradually fading. Planted next to this is E. glutinosa Plena Group, multi petalled, each white petal reduced in size
- A wild collected specimen of E. glutinosa is growing to the north of the front range collected by Martin Gardner and Sabina Knees at 850m in dry forest in Chile
- The less vigorous multi-stemmed E. cordifolia is in the upper woodland garden. Single leaves light shade to the reverse. Also with white petals, the flowers are less prolific in this species and tend to hang down so are not as showy as E. glutinosa
- The hybrid E. x nymansensis 'Nymansay' has parentage of cordifolia x glutinosa, E. cordifolia evergreen and E. glutinosa deciduous. Showing variable leaf characteristics it remains evergreen throughout the winter. Specimens of these are at Inverleith House, towering and in scale with the building and a mass planting to the west of the peat walls.