As observed during December 2007
4/12/07
A woody member of the family Violaceae, Melicytus angustifolius has beautifully coloured berries. Partially white and partially grey, they have the appearance of the Chinese Yin and Yang symbol. To add to the illusion when picked a black eye is evident at the abscission point. Squeezing will produce a purple juice that stains the skin and release the singular black seed. This plant has grey stems on which the berries are closely held, the leaves also tightly held to the stem are mid green in colour and sparsely produced giving a depleted appearance at the shoot tips.
Heading from the Chilean area where M. angustifolia is planted, also from New Zealand is M. crassifolius growing at the south east corner of the Temperate Palm House. Much leafier than M. angustifolius, the leaves are a glossy dark green with a more rounded shape. It holds a generous crop of berries which are in the main white with a little grey coloration.
For those inspired by the genus, mention should be made of M. alpinus and its cultivar 'Pygmaea' both growing on the New Zealand bed in the Rock Garden. Neither carry berries and would not be attractive to anyone but the most devoted plantsman, both with a prickly topping of defoliated spines, of which 'Pygmaea' has the softer spines.
6/12/07
Look at the seed of Euptelia polyandra, the distinctive hook in the samara gives it the appearance of a bottle opener. A native to Japan, growing in the upper Woodland Garden to the west of the Rock Garden. Here the seed is not as profusely produced as in the wild where it grows as a pioneer plant. One seed is held in each papery coat, known as a samara. Distinctly green where it is held, the samara is shaped to allow the wind to catch and disperse the seed as it ripens and falls.
Individual leaves are as wide as long (150mm x 150mm) with a pronounced tip and serrated edges. These produce reddish brown autumn shades but our specimen does not stand out as a tree with notable autumn colour.
The trunk and older branch network are pitted with a multitude of horizontal rust like lesions adding character to this vigorous young tree.
11/12/07
Awarded a preliminary commendation from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1957, followed by an Award of Garden Merit and a First Class Certificate, Mahonia x media 'Charity' is an evergreen flowering shrub that provides colour to the garden in the lead-up to Christmas. The leaves can be composed of up to 19 glossy green, spiny leaflets depending on the health of the plant.
It is a vigorous hybrid between the pollen parent M. japonica, from which it inherited the very faint fragrance and the length of the individual racemes, and the seed parent M. lomariifolia, from which it inherited its stature. The upright setting of the flower stalks within the raceme is also present in this parent.
This shrub adds interest to shaded areas, or in spots where a shaft of winter sun will catch these yellow flowers for greatest effect. With age it becomes a leggy specimen, easily reaching four meters. This is soon remedied with a pair of loppers in late March just before growth starts. New growth is produced from pruned shoots which will flower at the seasons end.
M. japonica is a smaller growing, less vigorous specimen. The racemes have a flattened formation, long and gracefully held. The globular buds are a glaucous green, attached by a short stalk, and open to a light yellow colour and with a hint of fragrance.
M. lomariifolia also reaches four meters in height and has long leaves composed of up to 37 leaflets. The flowers are a buttercup yellow and although Bean, in his book Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles, states they have scent, I could not detect any.
Take a walk on a winter's day to appreciate all three growing in the Garden:
- M.x media 'Charity' in the Demonstration Garden.
- M. japonica to the south of the Queen Mother Memorial Garden, with another specimen of 'Charity' growing nearby.
- M. lomariifolia in the cultivated area to the north of Inverleith House, very shy to flower and almost over.
17/12/07
A plant of seasonal interest, Ilex aquifolium has a wide geographical distribution ranging through South West Europe, North Africa, to South West Asia. Cultivated in Britain for centuries.
Long associated with mystic power, sprigs of Holly have been used in wreaths since Roman times. These beliefs were adopted by Christianity and Holly is now firmly associated with Christmas. As Ilex aquifolium is dioecious, that is male and female flowers produced on separate plants, one point to remember when bringing holly into the house as decoration is that equal amounts of berried and non berried, (male), sprigs should be used. If not, this will determine the dominant sex of the household.
Through exploring and explaining the world of plants, we grow and conserve plants and appreciate their form in a garden setting. At the garden are huge stands of Ilex, containing a mixture of both male and female plants leading to good pollination and in most years a decent crop of berries.
Botanically these are referred to as drupes containing nutlets. Similar to a plum, a drupe is a fleshy fruit containing seeds, each seed surrounded by a hard, stony layer.
The glossy evergreen leaves vary in their shape, shade and prickliness, some devoid of teeth and totally smooth in outline. Once established these strong growing plants make first class hedges and where room allows solid windbreaks.
Two yellow variegated cultivars of note are 'Golden Queen', a male flowered c.v. growing as a mature specimen north of the copse. The leaves are edged with sharp teeth whereas 'Golden King', has mainly smooth leaves. It is conversely a female flowered and berrying c.v. Seen growing as a young specimen in the Queen Mother Memorial Garden.
21/12/07
Mistletoe, (Viscum album), has a place in British social history. The custom of kissing beneath the Mistletoe dates from a long forgotten fertility rite, possibly linked to the Druids who especially prized Mistletoe that was hosted on Oak trees. As Viscum album remains green throughout the year it was thought to maintain the life of deciduous trees through the winter months. The most common host is the orchard apple with Tilia and Crataegus also popular.
During the 1890's a local botanist, William Paxton introduced Mistletoe to several locations in Edinburgh, notably the Dean Cemetery. Naturally spread by birds, the Mistle Thrush is the primary vector spreading the seed by defecating partially digested seed and the viscous jelly on host branches. Other birds spread the seed by beak wiping on host branches. The attached image of the white berry shows the strands of viscous gunge that conceals the individual seed. This stringing allows the seed to stick to a host branch. Germinating in spring a hooked hypocotyle locks into the bark surface. Gradually penetrating to the cambium layer it becomes parasitic linking into the xylem of the vascular system to obtain water and soluble nutrients. Through photosynthesis it converts sunlight into growth energy. It is thus not a true parasite but a hemiparasite.
Much of the Mistletoe sold in Britain originates from France where it is prolific.
In November and December an annual Mistletoe auction takes place in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire. Extracts from the plant are used in medicine and herbal remedies.
The inconspicuous flowers open during the winter and are pollinated by insects. The plant in the garden is growing on Aesculus flava and was introduced as seed from East Lothian in 2000. Viscum album is a dioecious plant and the one we grow is male.
Looking at the attached image the sturdiest parent stalk can be seen at the top of the Aesculus branch. There are two other stalks, one slightly less vigorous and another barely visible as a peg. Once established the mother plant sends these shoots up from subterranean haustorial strands and so the colony develops. Trees hosting colonies of Viscum album may show a loss of vigour and yield but rarely will an infestation kill the tree.
31/12/07
Grass cutting commenced on 1st February after a very mild, wet winter. Irrigation was much needed for the Rhododendron collection as growth flushed in the spring and flowering commenced.
The sunshine and warmth at Easter, the cool wet summer and the extended dry autumn provided the climate for plant growth in 2007. Autumn colour was average but what did surpass all expectations was the extended flowering of many South African natives cultivated in the Garden.
This month has illustrated how changeable our weather patterns have become, two days of frost, a mild twenty four hours and then a return to freezing temperatures. Ideally this spell needed continuous freezing temperatures to reduce the population build up of pests and diseases, some of which were previously only found in the banana belt or under glass.
Favourite plant of the year? For me a close call between the aristocratic Agapanthus caulescens and Lapageria rosea, which incidentally is continuing to bloom.
A first flowering from a collecting trip to Iran in 2005 has been identified as Iris pseudocaucasica. Collected by the intrepid trio Mitchell, Rae and Miller on the journey between Tabriz and Jolfa at 1462 metres. It can be seen in the alpine house. The petals are lemon yellow with longitudinal black striations. There is a pronounced deeper yellow marking on the fall of the outer petals. Arched leaves with a distinct silver edge and silvery sheen grow out from the brown remnants of the sheathing leaves held at the base.
Finally, be aware that if the soil sticks in clumps to the soles of your boots as you work it: Don't; you will ruin the structure and impede drainage. Take the time instead to visit the Garden here or one of our regional gardens; Dawyck from 1st February, Benmore and Logan from 1st March for ideas and inspiration.
The attached image shows the sun setting over the garden on 2007. A Happy New Year and successful cultivating and growing throughout 2008.