the botanics

Issue 52 | SPRING 2013

The Year of Natural ScotlandIntroducing a home grown celebration

Science FestivalAn exciting programme of events for all

Teaching green fingersExtending the reach of our Certificate in Horticulture

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Important though such considerations are, I hope most of all that the year of celebration will entice us all to seek out and enjoy new places and new experiences in Scotland. If you haven’t yet seen all four of our Gardens why not include them in a tour that takes in the best of Scottish gardens, so often set amongst and contrasting with dramatic scenery. If you have never 'bagged' a munro, make this the year when you do! And if something gentler is called for, head for the lochs. Loch Katrine, in my opinion, is as remote and beautiful as any and yet highly accessible in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Personally, I am already poring over my maps in anticipation of exploring some fine peaks in Knoydart.

So let this be the year of enjoying what is around us and celebrating our good fortune. As John Muir, the Scot who gave the world the concept of the national park, said in an account of his childhood, “When I was a boy in Scotland I was fond of everything that was wild, and all my life I have been growing fonder and fonder of wild places and wild creatures.”

Stephen Blackmore CBE FRSERegius Keeper and Queen's Botanist

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a Charity registered in Scotland (number SC007983) and is supported by the Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services (RESAS).

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh20A Inverleith RowEdinburgh EH3 5LRTel: 0131 552 7171Fax: 0131 248 2901Web: www.rbge.org.uk

Enquiries regarding circulation of the Botanics should be addressed to Hamish Adamson.

In this issue...

4 Introducing the Year of Natural ScotlandA look at plans for a big year, including the Big 5, and RBGE science initiatives

8 Winter at BenmoreDevelopments at Benmore for the new season

10 ConferencesA round-up of events at RBGE

11 Images of a Green PlanetAn exhibition of the International Garden Photographer of the Year Competition

12 Events and exhibitions at RBGEDerek Roberts: Northern Paintings Conference of the Birds Jalan Jati A Microscopic Voyage

14 Kids’ ZonePlant collectors and their work

15 Getting Scotland gardeningExtending the reach of our CPH course

16 Touching woodThe relationship between RBGE and Tim Stead

17 Postcard from Creag MeagaidhHorticulturist Kate Barnard’s conservation fieldwork

18 Membership and DevelopmentBotanic Cottage appeal update Reciprocal entry arrangements Dates for your diary Bench adoption Friends of RBGE

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EditorHamish AdamsonEmail: [email protected] Production EditorAlice YoungEmail: [email protected] MuirEmail: [email protected]

Opinions expressed within the Botanics are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

All information correct at time of going to press.

Printed by Potts Print (UK) – an ISO14001, FSC and PEFC certified printing company –using vegetable-based inks and eco- friendly varnish.

Cover image: Cirsium heterophyllum (melancholy thistle) by Gavin Harris.

ForewordContents

The Year of Natural Scotland promises much to look forward to, including a varied programme of events and activities at all four of our Gardens. Launching the associated advertising campaign in the Caledonian Hall at the Botanics, Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, emphasised the vital contribution that Scotland’s green spaces and wild places make to the Scottish economy. Visitors invariably mention the scenery and wild landscapes of Scotland among the main reasons for choosing to take a holiday here. Enormous though the financial value of Scotland’s Natural Heritage is in underpinning the economy, its true value goes far beyond this. The word priceless seems appropriate, but it remains an understatement, given that it is nature that meets all of our basic needs for survival. We may imagine that modern agriculture has broken our dependency upon nature but we still depend on a food chain that traces back to plants. The concept of 'natural capital' works well as a way of thinking about the value of our natural heritage. It helps us to remember the importance of investing for the future, of achieving growth rather than bankruptcy and of handing on a good inheritance to future generations.

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Catering awardThe Prestige catering team in partnership with RBGE were awarded the Gold Award for Corporate Responsibility at the 2012 Eventia Awards in November. The team, based at the Edinburgh Garden, have been acknowledged for a host of activities aimed at reducing their, and the Garden’s, carbon footprint whilst also raising awareness of this hugely important issue. Amongst the activities recognised by the judges were the introduction of an electric vehicle to aid distribution of goods around the site; working with the Edible Gardening Project to use more Garden produce in restaurant and events menus; and the introduction of a programme to compost all food waste. The team were also involved with RBGE’s 2012 Science Festival programme, aimed at raising awareness of food sustainability. The award recognises the considerable effort made by the Prestige team to support RBGE’s environmental goals.

NewsFive-star status


Conservation recognitionOver the past four years a series of PhD students from Brazil have visited RBGE in order to benefit from interacting with RBGE’s scientists. These visits have been sponsored by the Brazilian government through a scheme that allows post-graduate students to study overseas. The first student, João Iganci, has recently won a prestigious prize in Brazil for research work he initiated at RBGE in 2009–2010. The Roberto Miguel Klein prize is awarded annually for work that promotes conservation in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. João received this prize in a ceremony in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, in December 2012. João’s study shows that the subtropical grasslands of the far south of Brazil merit much more attention from conservationists.

RBGE is celebrating after being awarded five-star visitor attraction status by national tourism organisationVisitScotland. The Edinburgh Garden is only the second garden in Scotland to achieve this, Dawyck being the other in possession of this status. Everything, including visitor welcome, signage, decor, menu, merchandise and cleanliness, was judged and graded to give the final scoring. VisitScotland Chairman Mike Cantlay said, “The five-star award denotes world-class status and is testament to the hard work by all staff and the ongoing investment that has made the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh what it is today.”

The Duke of Rothesay extends patronageThe Duke of Rothesay has confirmed that he will remain as Patron of RBGE until 2017. The news comes after His Royal Highness visited the Garden last year to meet staff and volunteers undertaking massive clean-up and planting operations following the devastating gales of early January. The Regius Keeper commented, “His Royal Highness has provided tremendous support to the Garden, both in the wake of this year’s storm damage and on his many other visits to our flagship site in Edinburgh and to our Regional

MBE for RBGE scientistRBGE scientist Martin Gardner has been named on the Queen’s New Year Honours list. He received an MBE for services to horticultural conservation. Martin is an expert in conifer conservation and part of the ICONic Project which brings together RBGE and Perthshire Big Tree Country in a mission to save conifers around the world. The team is set to travel to Chile this year to help save three endangered species. Martin said, “I’m absolutely delighted, for myself but also for the Royal Botanic Garden, where I have worked for 22 years. I was surprised and shocked to receive it. The award is as much for the institution I work for and for conservation itself.”

Gardens. We benefit enormously from his support and engagement.” His Royal Highness has been Patron of RBGE since 2002, when he succeeded Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

Above: Tiago F. Carlet.


landscapes; natural built heritage; natural larder; sustainable tourism; natural playground; flora and fauna; art in nature; and nature in cities.

We have already kicked off the Year of Natural Scotland 2013, which is all about getting every man, woman and child appreciating Scotland’s great natural icons and we are ready to grasp this with both hands and ensure that everyone else in Scotland does the same. I want to make this the year that everyone in Scotland gets out and about and explores not just what is on their doorstep but also the amazing natural environment across the country, not least at the four Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh, Benmore, Dawyck and Logan.

Scotland boasts some of the most stunning landscapes in the world, and our natural

environment is the number one reason why people want to spend their leisure time in our glorious country.

Research shows that nature-based activities make up nearly 40 per cent of all tourism spend in Scotland and with the value of wildlife tourism being estimated at over £270 million, this is certainly worth shouting about. Scotland’s tourist industry supports 270,000 people, all of whom are waiting to welcome visitors to show what our country has to offer.

In 2013, the Year of Natural Scotland will be celebrated across the country with the aim of enhancing Scotland’s reputation as a place of outstanding natural beauty and the location of choice for sustainable active pursuits, outdoor events and festivals.

The Year is part of Scotland’s ‘Winning Years’, which have included the Year of Creative Scotland 2012, the Year of Active Scotland 2011 and the Year of Food & Drink 2010. These Winning Years will then culminate in Homecoming Scotland 2014, the year that will also see the country play host to the Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games – two of the world’s biggest showcase events. It is thanks to activities such as these, as well as those that took place in 2012 such as the launch of Disney Pixar’s Brave, that the Winning Years are proving momentous for Scottish tourism. The benefits are already being seen, with a 4 per cent increase in visitors and a 14 per cent increase in spend from June

2011 to June 2012 compared to the previous 12-month period. It’s tough out there for the tourism industry with a stark economic backdrop, but many of the 200 countries we compete with are looking on with envy at the highlights we have ahead.

The Year of Natural Scotland, like the other focus years, is a partnership between the Scottish Government and VisitScotland with other key partners such as Scottish Natural Heritage and more than 20 further organisations pulling together to create a year-long programme of events and activities to encourage people to enjoy the natural beauty of Scotland. The activities will focus on eight key themes – natural

Introducing the Year of

NaturalScotlandby Chairman of VisitScotland Mike Cantlay


The Year of Natural Scotland is well underway and, as part of a year of exciting projects,

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is undertaking a poll to identify Scotland’s favourite wildlife.

The project is called Scotland's Big 5. Experts at SNH will imminently reveal which they think are Scotland’s five favourite wildlife species. SNH hasten to add that the experts’ choice might not be everyone’s choice and so the public will be invited to vote for their favourite too.

SNH will also invite the public to join in the Big 5 debate – to share just why their favourite should top the poll! The public choice will be revealed later in the year.

So, what will the Big 5 be? Will it include the red squirrel, a welcome and much loved visitor to Benmore and Dawyck Botanic Gardens? Or, our nation’s much loved Scots pine tree, one of only three conifers native to Scotland? Maybe the golden eagle, sometimes spotted overhead at Benmore?

Marion Mulholland, campaigns manager at SNH, says, “We will announce Scotland’s Big 5 during March and invite people to consider our choice and tell us if they agree or not. We really hope that people will join in the fun and help us name Scotland’s favourite wildlife.”

The campaign, which is run in association with VisitScotland, will seek to highlight to tourists the wealth of wildlife in Scotland, and where best to spot the nation’s most iconic animals and birds.

Chris Ellis, Head of the Cryptogam section, selected these lichens, mosses and liverworts as his Big 5:n Usnea dasypogan Sphagnum spp.n Anastrophyllum donnianumn Degelia cyanoloma n Fulgensia bracteata

Conservation Officer Heather McHaffie, for example, picked the following as her Big 5:

n Scottish primrose Primula scotica n Newman’s lady fern Athyrium distentifolium var. flexilen Woolly willow Salix lanatan One-flowered wintergreen Moneses unifloran Herb Paris Paris quadrifolia

RBGE’s Arboriculture Supervisor Martyn Dickson picked these five trees and plants:n Scots pine Pinus sylvestrisn Silver birch Betula pendulan Wych elm Ulmus glabran Mountain ash or rowan Sorbus aucuparian Ling or Scotch heather Calluna vulgaris

Inspired by SNH’s campaign, RBGE has decided to champion biodiversity and launch its own vote for Scotland’s Big 5 plants, trees and shrubs. Over the next few months, we shall be asking our Members and visitors to place

Big 5 plants and treestheir votes and tell us what they think is Scotland’s favourite plant, tree or shrub.

No doubt it will be a contentious issue. Just asking around RBGE, it seems that everyone has differing opinions.

So look out for news of our Big 5 plants and trees poll, which will be featured in RBGE’s April newsletter and on our website as well as on our Facebook and Google+ social media pages. RBGE’s scientists and horticultural experts will be revealing their favourites but we want to hear from our Friends and visitors too.

The more feedback we can receive, the more representative our survey will be, enabling us to build up a real picture of the Scottish trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants that we all hold dear. RBGE’s results will be shared with SNH; in turn, we will also report back on their Big 5 species poll and the species that will be revealed as the nation’s favourite.

What willthe Big 5 be?

Image: Peter Clarke.

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Talking Science

radish and wild cabbage and all three are ancestors of important crop plants. Volunteers and community groups will be able to participate in growing trials that will include the crop’s wild ancestors, heritage varieties and modern cultivars. The trials will measure performance and include taste testing. The latter is inevitably subjective, but the fun of a science experiment that can be eaten is not to be missed.To find out more about this Talking Science project or to offer ideas for public engagement, please contact Science Communicator Simon Duffy at [email protected]

Because of their popular appeal trees and gardens are an ideal starting point for broadening

public engagement with the diverse scientific issues that impinge upon them. During 2013 scientists from the Garden and from partner research institutes will embark on an ambitious plan to engage people across Scotland with the science behind trees and gardens through attending and organising public events. Partners already signed up to contribute include Forest Research and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology.

The idea behind the project is that geographic and social factors do, for some people, present barriers to engagement with science. By visiting places that are away from the central belt and finding new audiences to engage with, the aim is to extend the debate across the country on important scientific issues concerning Scotland’s trees and gardens.

The project will be launched on 21 April at all four Gardens with a focus on the many champion trees in the Living Collection. As a major addition to an already busy exhibitions and events programme, this project has been made possible through grant aid from the Scottish Government’s Talking Science fund.

At the heart of the project is the aim to take science out to people. Achieving this will require scientists to get on the

road and be innovative in their approach. The details of the programme of events are still under development, but the ambition is to see scientists engaging with audiences at flower shows, music festivals and other events where science is not the main focus. A key part of successful engagement is helping people to see how science can be relevant to daily life and decisions. Building on mainstream media stories such as ash die-back will therefore be part of the mix of issues addressed.

Involving people in science is another approach that will be a part of the project. Building on the success of the Edible Gardening Project, there will be a focus on the wild plants from which some of our crops are derived. Scotland’s coasts are home to sea beet, sea


RBGE has always played a key part in the Edinburgh International Science Festival,

and 2013 will be no exception. Family visitors will get to take part in the ‘Expedition Botanics’ adventure trail through the Glasshouses and Garden, whilst adults can choose from a range of early morning walks, evening experiences and taster courses.

The Science Festival will take place over Easter and will offer the chance to explore the work of RBGE and other environmental research organisations by meeting the experts in person.

The daily family events programme will take place from 29 March to 7 April and will include both the expedition trail across the Garden and Glasshouses, and a changing programme of activities in the John Hope Gateway – many of which relate to DNA in honour of the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA. Expedition Botanics (supported by Tourism Malaysia) will give families the opportunity to experience the adventure of 21st-century plant-hunting in Malaysia, which is one of the countries RBGE staff are currently working in. Botanics staff and students will man different ‘stations’ and help young explorers plan what to pack for an expedition, practise how to collect plant samples, identify their finds and grow their own plants from seed. Families can fuel up for their journey with lunchboxes from the Terrace Café and a range of Malaysian-themed dishes available in the Gateway Restaurant.

Other environmental organisations from around Scotland will also be sharing their specialist knowledge with families from the Real Life Science Studio within the John Hope Gateway. Forest Research will be showcasing some of their DNA analysis work, the RSPB will be profiling migratory birds and the James Hutton Institute will be explaining how plant DNA can be used in police forensics. Researchers from Scotland’s Rural College and the Moredun Research Institute will be exploring plants and animal diseases, and the team from the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute will help families test what food would be best to pack for an expedition. The family events programme will be complemented by a set of screenings of the popular Disney Pixar film Wall-E.

Adult audiences can gain an insight into the Jalan Jati (Teak Road) project and exhibition through a special talk with geneticist Dr Stephen Cavers and visual artist Lucy Davis. There will also be a unique opportunity to hear Professor Stephen Blackmore in conversation with fashion designer Professor Helen Storey who will be exploring the theme ‘Designed By Nature’ together.

Another evening experience not to be missed is the ‘Eating Aliens’ dinner –which will involve the discussion and sampling of invasive species – and an evening stargazing session with

Science Festivalat the Botanics

broadcaster Mark Thompson, who hosted BBC Stargazing LIVE with Brian Cox back in January. Early birds can enjoy Songs at Sunrise walks with an RSPB expert and an experienced RBGE Garden Guide and walks around the Garden with foraging expert and author Miles Irving, which will be followed by a breakfast of wild delights at Earthy Canonmills.

Two taster courses will be on offer at the Botanics for the first time as part of the Science Festival. A Herbal Medicine First Aid afternoon will reveal how to prepare a herbal first aid box, and an Introduction to Plant Identification session led by RBGE’s Phil Lusby will include a take-home copy of Francis Rose’s popular The Wild Flower Key.Expedition Botanics tickets are free for RBGE Members, while non-members can buy a family ticket for two adults and up to four children for £10. All tickets include entry to the Glasshouses. Find out more at www.sciencefestival.co.uk

Above: Learning in the Glasshouses © Helen Pugh. Right: Glasshouse Supervisor Louise Galloway and Senior Horticulturist Sadie Barber on a plant-collecting expedition in the Arfak Mountains of West Papua.


The Golden GatesThe metalwork of the Grade A listed gates and lanterns has been restored by blacksmiths G. H. Currie of Sandbank. They underwent various undercoat paint treatments prior to commencement of the gilding process. The solid marble pillars have been cleaned and the erection of new railings is near complete. The gates when gilded and re-erected should look like part of the landscape and become an attraction to the southern part of the Garden in their own right. The landscaping is in its very early stages. Grading of the ground has started and drains will be added; in addition, the paths will be upgraded.

WinterBenmore Curator Peter Baxter updates us on what has been happening at Benmore while the Garden has been closed.

at Benmore


This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Redwood Avenue. The Sequoiadendron giganteum Avenue was planted in 1863 when Benmore was owned by Piers Patrick. Fifty trees were planted; these were then interplanted with firs, possibly Abies procera (noble fir). The firs may have been planted as a result of little being known about Sequoiadendron giganteum as they were only introduced into Britain from California in late 1853. Few Europeans will have had knowledge about their cultivation requirements and how well they would perform in the Scottish climate. The firs were removed after approximately thirty years. The avenue formed the main drive from the North Lodge to Benmore House with a gravel track running up its centre. The track was removed

The Bhutan PavilionThis pavilion is to be sited halfway up the Bhutanese Glade on a small level plateau. Clearing of the site started in late autumn 2012, involving the removal of Rhododendron ponticum and other natural regenerated material, and the dismantling of some mature trees. The fabrication of the oak structure started in November 2012 at Guy Elder’s workshop near Ardentinny, Argyll. The structure has a footprint of three metres square, and has seating on three of its sides. It has an oak shingle roof and is made from approximately eight tonnes of oak in total.

The erection on site took place in February 2013. Over one hundred linear metres of path has to be constructed in order to access the pavilion. When it is complete, visitors will be able to enjoy fine views to the Bhutanese Glade and the Massan Valley.

and grassed down in the 1970s to help preserve the root systems of these magnificent trees. Forty-nine of the fifty trees remain; some were measured in June 2010, the tallest being 51.6 metres with a diameter of 192 centimetres. The avenue is arguably described as one of the finest entrances to any botanic garden.

The Giant Redwood Avenue

Fernery gulley landscaping and plantingThe lower part of the gulley leading up to the restored Fernery has had additional boulders and topsoil added. Drains have been put in and the soil has been decompacted and cultivated, which is being followed by the planting of large drifts of Argyll known origin Osmunda regalis (royal fern) to the gulley and lower areas. Arriving at this area of the Garden there will be no doubt that ferns are the main focus.

James Duncan owned the Benmore estate between 1870 and 1889 and is responsible for much of the Garden’s current shape. Learn more about Duncan and his influence in James Duncan: An Enlightened Victorian, by Andrew M Watson.Buy this book for £8 at the Botanics shops or at www.rbgeshop.org.uk


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Conferences

In 2007, Scottish Natural Heritage set up a five-year Species Action Framework for a range of native plants and animals that would benefit from additional funding, also including action for some invasive non-native species. The ‘Managing Species in a Challenging Climate’ conference was held at RBGE in November 2012 to celebrate the successes of the initiative. RBGE has been involved with several species. There was survey work for the fungus Hypocreopsis rhododendri (hazel gloves), a funded PhD on Melampyrum sylvaticum

Rhododendron conferenceOn 20 and 21 April 2013 Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), the Rhododendron Species Conservation Group and RBGE are organising a conference at RBGE as a follow-up to the work carried out for the 2011 BGCI publication The Red

List of Rhododendrons. The hope is that the conference will allow priorities and an action plan to be established. Speakers from China, India, Indonesia and Britain will give their perspective on the world’s 1,157 species of Rhododendron and the current estimate that 25 per cent are in danger of becoming extinct in their natural habitat.

The Species Action Framework conference

A round-up of events at RBGE

(small cow-wheat), molecular confirmationof non-flowering populations of Pyrola

media (intermediate wintergreen) and an extensive programme of propagation and planting for population expansion of Salix lanata (woolly willow). A series of talks highlighted some of the work, and posters were on display for all the species. A radio programme for the Saving Species series was recorded during the conference and included an item on Salix lanata. This can be heard at www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01p3k5z/

celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Balanced Scorecard, the widely used performance management tool. Two of the world’s top business thinkers, Professor Robert Kaplan and Dr David Norton, creators of The Balanced Scorecard, were guests of honour at the event attended by 200 of Scotland’s finance professionals, businesses and government members.

The event took place at John Hope Gateway where guests were greeted not only by Professor Kaplan and Dr Norton (both from the USA), but also by CIMA President Gulzari Babber; Charles Tilley, CIMA Chief Executive; Sir Muir Russell, Chairman of RBGE;

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the world’s largest professional body of management accountants, hosted an evening reception at RBGE on 5 November 2012 to

CIMA conference and Dr Alasdair MacNab, Director of Corporate Services at RBGE.

Professor Kaplan and Dr Norton received CIMA Honorary Fellowships and were presented with a cake to celebrate the anniversary. The evening finished with champagne and fireworks viewed from the Gateway Restaurant.

Over 180 of the guests had previously attended the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) afternoon conference ‘A contemporary performance’ at the University of Edinburgh. The conference launched several new reports and updated Scotland’s finance professionals on the latest developments in performance management. For further information please see www.cgma.org

Above: The Woolly Willow Steering Group on a site visit to Corrie Sharroch in April 2009.

Below: Rhododendron lowndesii.

Left: CIMA President Gulzari Babber (second from left) cuts a cake for the honoured guests. Photo: Amy Fokinther.

RBGE is delighted to be hosting the exhibition of prizewinners from the 2013 International

Garden Photographer of the Year competition at the Edinburgh and Benmore Botanic Gardens. The UK premiere of the exhibition, entitled Images of a Green Planet, will be held on the spring equinox, 21 March, and will run through to the May Bank Holiday on 27 May, with the exhibition then moving to Benmore for June and July.

The garden photography competition was the brainchild of photographer

Philip Smith and now in its sixth year it has grown into a truly international event involving landscape, nature, urban wildlife and trees, as well as gardens and flowers. The resulting exhibition is a vivid and exciting visual showcase of the outstanding diversity that occurs at every level within the natural world, making it the perfect outdoor exhibition for the Year of Natural Scotland.

This exhibition was made possible thanks to support from garden designer Carolyn Grohmann and landscape and water feature specialist Water Gems, who designed and built the outdoor

Ian Edwards, Head of Events &Exhibitions, introduces the International Garden Photographer of the Year Exhibition

Images of aGreenPlanet

exhibition display system which complements the exhibition and Garden with its elegant yet sensitive style.Images of a Green Planet will be at the John Hope Gateway decking from 22 March to 27 May and in the Formal Garden at Benmore Botanic Garden from 1 June until 28 July. A book of the prizewinning photographs will be available from the Botanics Shop, priced at £18.

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Above: Alan Price, Wildlife in the Garden, The Great Escape. Third Place. Main: Dennis Frates, Penstemon Sunrise, International Garden Photographer of the Year. Go to www.igpoty.com for more information about International Garden Photographer of the Year.


In 1979, Douglas Hall, then Keeper of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, hung a newly

purchased painting by the Scottish artist Derek Roberts in the entrance hall of Inverleith House, the Gallery’s founding home. This spring, visitors to Inverleith House can see a major exhibition of new and recent paintings by the artist, the first to be held in 15 years.

Born in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Roberts attended Edinburgh College of Art from 1966 to 1971, where his studio in the College’s Postgraduate School overlooked the Garden and Temperate Palm House from Inverleith Place. He presented solo exhibitions in Edinburgh’s public galleries between 1977 and 1985 (the New 57 Gallery, the Talbot Rice Gallery and the City Art Centre), in 1988 at Newcastle’s Laing Art Gallery and, over the next ten years, four exhibitions in Francis Graham-Dixon’s London Gallery. His most recent major exhibition was held at Berwick Gymnasium Gallery in 1998.

Although Roberts decided to stop exhibiting at that time, he continued to work from his studio in the Pentland Hills and, as Northern Paintings demonstrates, paintings completed over a considerable period of time also often incorporate collaged elements from earlier works. The painting illustrated here, from 2006 to 2007, uses part of a drawing made in 1985 as its starting point.

Twenty-five years ago, the Dovecot Studio invited Roberts and other leading Scottish artists (including Elizabeth Blackadder and John Bellany) to collaborate on a celebration of its 75th anniversary. Roberts’ painting (‘Blue on Yellow’) and the tapestry which was

woven from it in 1988 (by Fred Mann and Douglas Grierson) for the Scottish Collection can also be seen, in the lower ground floor gallery. On loan from the Bute Collection at Mount Stuart, they point to Dovecot’s pioneering engagement with the contemporary art of its time, one that continues to flourish today.

Edinburgh University Music in the Community students return to RBGE from 6 to 9 March

with a new show called Conference

of the Birds. The audience will follow wise owl and his company of birds through the Garden and Glasshouses to experience a magical retelling of Farid ud-din Attar’s epic poem in music, words and images. The evening

Derek Roberts:Northern Paintings

The Derek Roberts exhibition in Inverleith House runs from 10 February to 14 April 2013. Professor Martin Hammer will give a talk on Derek Roberts and his work on 23 March at 2 pm in Inverleith House.

Conference of the Birdspromenade performance, directed by Roxana Vilk, features an original score composed by Dee Isaacs and words written by Elspeth Murray. Prepare to be enchanted and captivated by students, professional performers and children from Gilmerton Primary School. Places are limited and any remaining tickets (£12/£6) will be available from www.brownpapertickets.co.uk

Below: Derek Roberts, Untitled: Painting with Ink Collage, 2006-2007 (drawing, April-May 1985), 91.5 x 81.5 cm, oil and paper on canvas, courtesy of the artist. © Fogbank Projects.


A Microscopic Voyage

The invention and development of the microscope has had a phenomenal impact on

our understanding of the plant cell and in turn the evolution of life. A new exhibition of spectacular microscopic images taken from the recent publication Green Universe:

A Microscopic Voyage into the Plant

Cell by Professor Stephen Blackmore, published in 2012 by Papadakis Publisher (www.papadakis.net) in collaboration with RBGE, opens this month. It will explore this evolutionary journey, illustrating the beauty and diversity of plant cells and the complex stories they can reveal to us. To coincide with this exhibition and Edinburgh International Science Festival, Professor Stephen Blackmore will be in conversation with fashion designer Professor Helen Storey on 26 March in an event entitled ‘Designed by Nature’.The Green Universe exhibition runs from 2 March to 7 May in the Gateway Gallery. Designed by Nature will be held on 26 March at 7 pm. Tickets (£6/£4) are available from the Science Festival Box Office www.sciencefestival.co.uk

Jalan Jati is a fascinating journey which starts with an old teak bed found in a junk shop in Singapore

and ends with an exploration of the woodcuts, animation and photography of an island off the coast of Sulawesi, where the timber for the bed was grown. The artists, Lucy Davis and Shannon Castleman, were able to reverse the path taken by the bed using a new system of DNA tracking developed by the University of Adelaide. DNA fingerprinting of tropical timber has

Jalan Jati: The Secret Life of Rainforest Products

been created to enable timber merchants to trace the origin of timber in order to make sure it meets the sustainability criteria of accreditation schemes. This bed was traced to Muna Island, Sulawesi, which over the past century has witnessed a cycle of historic deforestation and replanting with non-native teak, followed by the boom-and-bust of a major teak-based furniture industry.

The artists have described their project as ‘part magic, part science, part eco-historical investigation’. They have used stop-motion animation, woodcuts and photographs to give an extraordinary insight into the diverse worlds of timber workers, furniture makers and Dunken (magicians), each offering unique perspectives on the ecology of an island in which the balance between nature and the impact of human land use is in continual flux.The Jalan Jati exhibition takes place in the John Hope Gateway from 22 March to 7 July and will be accompanied by a fully illustrated hardback publication, Jalan Jati, available in the Botanics Shop for £20.

Above: Lucy Davis A Teak Bed Remembers an Island, 2012, animation still, charcoal, papercuts and woodprint collage from a teak bed on paper.

Below: Lucy Davis, ‘Ranjang Jati: The Teak Bed that Got Four Humans from Singapore to Travel to Muna Island, Southeast Sulawesi and Back Again’, 2009–2012, Wilton Close, Singapore. 84 x 60 cm. Photograph by Shannon Lee Castleman 2009.


To find out more about being a plant hunter here are two dates for your diary:n Plant Hunt in the John Hope Gateway from 1 pm to 4 pm on 16 and 17 March Find out what collecting plants involves. Have a go for yourself and identify your find.n ExPEdition Botanics –29 March to 7 aprilJoin us for a special day out with your friends and family as part of Edinburgh International Science Festival! Follow in the footsteps of RBGE’s plant hunters as you follow an adventure across the Glasshouses and Garden learning new skills as you go (see page 7 for more details). Family tickets (two adults and up to four children) cost £10, additional adults £5, concessions £4, additional children (age 5–16) £1.10, and under 5s go free.

Plant explorers Unknown plants are discovered every year by botanists who explore the planet. Each year about 2,000 new plants are discovered. Many of them come from less explored tropical countries, but three new plants were discovered in Scotland during 2012!

n Choose a plant to collect and check with the owner if you can pick some.

n Carefully use the scissors to cut your plant, making sure you don’t

uproot the whole plant as you need to get permission to do this.

n Write some notes about your plant such as when and where it was collected and any features you think might be useful (such as what colour the flowers are).

n At home, arrange your plant specimen in between sheets of folded newspaper. Make sure that some leaves show the upper

surface and some show the lower surface, as this will be important later when you want to study your specimen. n Place the folded newspaper with the specimen inside on a flat surface and put a heavy book on top. Check daily and change the newspaper as moisture in the plant is drawn into the newspaper. When the specimen is dry you can glue it to a piece of thin card and add the details you recorded when you collected it.

Discovering new plants involves comparing samples with specially dried and pressed plant specimens in order to see if they match or not. You can create your own pressed plants and start your own collection.

You will need:n Newspaper n Scissorsn Notebook n Heavy books

Press a plant

Dates for your diary

Illustrations: Ryoko Tamura.


The RBGE Certificate in Practical Horticulture (CPH) really took off in Scotland in 2012, with

courses being taught not only at RBGE but, for the first time, at other centres across the country.

This has been possible thanks to the adaptable nature of the CPH, a ten-day course comprised of eight teaching days, a revision day and a practical assessment day. The CPH was first developed by Leigh Morris in 2006 when he recognised the need for an internationally standardised practical qualification. Each teaching day is a discrete unit, covering a topic that can be modified to suit different settings. Students are taught the key practical skills needed for growing, maintaining and propagating plants. As well as continuing to be taught at RBGE, in Istanbul and at the Eden Project, the course has now also been taught in Oman, Laos and Thailand.

In April this year staff from Benmore joined Johanna Lausen-Higgins (RBGE tutor) and me to deliver the course at Benmore over two weeks. This was a great opportunity to reach out to

locals who are unable to get to the Edinburgh Garden. We were also joined by five Omanis, making for interesting discussions during the Feeding & Watering class on annual rainfall and the need for water conservation! Two horticulture staff from Chester Zoo, Mark Sparrow and Paul Shipsides, came to Benmore as instructor/assessor interns. They helped with set-up, delivery and assessment of the course and are now qualified to teach it. They are particularly keen to deliver the CPH to their conservation partners in Mauritius to help with plant, and therefore animal, conservation.

At the same time, in St Andrews Botanic Garden, Lesley Cunningham started delivering the course over ten weeks. Lesley had followed the CPH as an intern in summer 2011 then spent the year planning the delivery of the course. It was great to see the garden being used to enable people to take the course in their local area.

An old council car park in Hamilton was the unusual setting for the first course to be delivered outside a botanic garden. Pamela Smith and Chris Walsh from South Lanarkshire Council ran the first of many CPH courses on their Big Lottery-funded Grass Routes programme that offers alternative training and qualifications

for 16–19 year olds. In Pamela’s words, “the guys were mega impressed with themselves when they received their certificates!”

We have had highly diverse classes with students from France, Germany and Sweden as well as from across Scotland. Many of the locals who do the CPH are involved with community growing projects and want to develop their own growing skills in order to share them with their fellow volunteers. Some students already have an established gardening business when they join the course while others set up after the course. Each year a few students progress on to the HND/BSc in Horticulture with Plantsmanship, which is always rewarding.

Looking ahead, the former curator of Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Paul Matthews, has been shadowing the ten-month course at RBGE and is ready to deliver the CPH in Glasgow from April 2013. A big change at RBGE is the use of PropaGate, RBGE’s Virtual Learning Environment, to support both students and tutors; the plan is to extend this to other centres in the future. For more details please visit the CPH pages on the website and the CPH Facebook page. www.rbge.org.uk/certphwww.facebook.com/certph

Certificate in Practical Horticulture Coordinator Laura Cohen reports on extending the course across Scotland.

Getting Scotland

Top: Pamela Smith (left) with students in South Lanarkshire and fellow tutor Chris Walsh (far right). Main: Students at Benmore Botanic Garden taking in the view on their plant identification walkround, with tutors Johanna (6th from right) and Mark and Paul (1st and 2nd from right).


In 1993 RBGE staged a remarkable exhibition in which the entire fabric of a 180-year-old ash tree (Fraxinus

excelsior) that had been felled at Inverleith the previous winter was crafted and displayed in the Caledonian Hall. As with so much of Tim Stead’s work, the Botanic Ash exhibition was strikingly original and proved an inspiration for visitors of all ages with its endearing ‘Please Touch’ endorsement. Thus began a fascinating 20-year partnership with RBGE that comes to a poignant end this summer.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Rothesay wrote in the foreword to the book With the Grain about Tim’s life and work that “he was a true and gifted artist who created wonderful furniture and sculptures. He had a unique understanding of the sustainable management of woodlands and the use of indigenous hardwoods and he did so much to encourage local sourcing and to educate people about wood and woodcraftsmanship.”

Born in Cheshire, Tim studied sculpture at Trent Polytechnic, where he developed his lifelong passion for using wood. He came to Scotland to study for a postgraduate diploma at Glasgow School of Art, where he met his future wife, Maggy Lenert, and began to develop his skills as a furniture maker, based at Harestanes in the Scottish Borders. Tim and Maggy acquired a farmhouse in nearby Blainslie, appropriately known as The Steading. The house and workshop became his creative playground as it evolved into an artwork in itself.

After a decade of using wood to make sculpture and furniture, Tim was determined to put something back into the landscape, and through his Axes for Trees project, for which he made a sculpted wooden axe head from different trees each day for a year, he helped to raise the funds to set up Wooplaw Community Woodland – the first of its kind in Scotland and a role model for

others as a natural backdrop to community involvement and activities.

Tim’s work spread around Scotland and beyond in the 20th century, with commissions including a fabulous oak throne for the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1982 and the furnishing of St John’s Chapel as a memorial to North Sea oilmen at St Nicholas Kirk in Aberdeen in 1989. His final project before his untimely death from cancer in 2000 was the fabric of the Millennium Clock that remains on display at the National Museum of Scotland.

Since then, his legacy has been sustained by Maggy and a small team of skilled craftsmen, who had each been apprenticed with Tim, as the Workshop of Tim Stead continued to produce his beautiful and practical designs for furniture. In summer 2005, RBGE had the privilege of staging the major retrospective exhibition With the

Grain, celebrating the life, work and enduring legacy of one of Scotland’s

most inspirational artist-craftsmen and pioneers in the establishment of Community Woodlands and the reforestation of the Scottish Borders.

The collaboration also inspired the acquisition of a series of works that adorn each of the RBGE sites, including furnishings for both the Dawyck Visitor Centre and the Studio Gallery at Logan, as well as a growing collection of wooden books, recycled from felled timber in each of the four Gardens.

In 2013, the Workshop of Tim Stead will be closing, and the Steading will be sold as Maggy retires, but we have managed to arrange one final showing of With the Grain – appropriately back where it all started in Scotland, at Harestanes. Exhibition open daily 23 March to 27 May, 10 am to 5 pm, Harestanes Gallery, Harestanes Countryside Visitor Centre, Ancrum, near Jedburghwww.scotborders.gov.uk/harestanes

Alan Bennell, RBGE Head of Interpretation, looks back at the exhibitions of Tim Stead over the years at RBGE.

Above and left: The With the Grain exhibition at RBGE. Skeletal chair, © Maggy Stead.


Meeting Wayne Fitter, the reserve officer, Scottish Natural Heritage, and Ian and

Marion Moir, two volunteers helping RBGE Scottish Plants Officer Heather McHaffie with fieldwork, we set off up the path through the regenerating birch woods. The still, midge-filled air of the car park is replaced by wilder weather higher up. Reaching the wind-whipped lochan surrounded by an amphitheatre of cliffs, we strike off the path, heading for the base of the massive rocky buttresses lining the corrie.

Following an indistinct path we continue under the dripping black rocks, one of which chooses to come bouncing down, thankfully behind us! Above our heads rocky ledges create a series of miniature hanging gardens. Solid yellow goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea) spikes stand tall between bobbing purple pincushions of devil’s bit scabious (Succisa pratensis). The glaucous foliage of Sibbaldia procumbens, featured on RBGE’s logo, twines through lower vegetation and the smell of crushed thyme accompanies our progress.

We frequently stop for photos, to work out the best route to follow and to collect some common species for the National Botanic Garden of Wales’ DNA barcoding project. Although deer

and sheep are now controlled on this site there are still obvious contrasts between these richly vegetated ledges and areas that had previously been heavily grazed.

Our main target for today is Highland cudweed

Postcard fromCreag Meagaidh

Hi, I’m out in the hills

today, locating threatened

Scottish native plants

for the Target 8 project

of the Global Strategy

for Plant Conservation.

Learning more about

vulnerable species

through propagation

and cultivation provides

information for

conservation efforts.

Kate Barnard,

Horticulturalistcr

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(Gnaphalium norvegicum), a nationally scarce plant in the UK. Although common in Europe, long-term climate change and grazing pressures have left only a handful of isolated communities in Scottish mountain habitats. On an exposed rocky bulge we find the first distinctive flower spikes of Highland cudweed. Closer inspection reveals numerous non-flowering rosettes on nearby ledges, the leaves covered with white woolly hairs. Taking photos of the plants is made tricky by the swirling wind. We finally get a decent shot, DNA samples and a small amount of seed.

Tucked in amongst the rocks we have a quick lunch before setting off across a large unstable scree slope. This is a route more frequently used by climbers in winter and a rusted ice axe and ice screws are our next discoveries! Looking for a large flowered Cerastium previously recorded on this side of the corrie we head up into a rocky gully, clearly a stream bed in wetter weather, and scramble as high as we can until our way is blocked by slimy slabs. No sign of any white flowers but on our way down we gather fertile fronds of alpine lady

fern (Athyrium distentifolium) to add to RBGE’s spore bank.

Descending the steep slopes brings us quickly down to the edge of the lochan. Looking back up to our day’s route the cliffs are even more impressive, a real holdfast for some of Scotland’s special mountain plants. The next challenge is to try to propagate these species, to learn more about them in cultivation.

Top: Vegetated rocky ledges at Creag Meagaidh.Below: Flower spike of Gnaphalium norvegicum.



Don’t forget to add to your diary the dates of this year’s much anticipated plant sales, organised by the Friends of RBGE. This is your chance to search through an enviable collection of plants to find something new for your garden. As always, plants are available at truly wonderful prices and all profits go towards supporting the work of the Garden. Last year, the events raised over £13,000!

Annual Plant Sale, Dawyck Botanic Garden, Sunday 5 May, 11 am to 4 pm

Members’ Plant Sale, The Nursery, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh,Sunday 12 May, 2 pm to 4 pm

Open Day, Benmore Botanic Garden,Sunday 2 June, 12 noon to 5 pm

Our Members and many other supporters were sent information about the Botanic Cottage appeal in November. The appeal is seeking funds

Use your Membership card to visit the world’s finest gardens

n University of British Columbia Botanical Garden

n Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney

n Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan

n Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah

All you need to do is show your RBGE Membership card on entry and enjoy!

Botanic Cottage appeal update

The benefits of being a Member of RBGE extend far beyond Scotland. As a Friend, Companion or Patron, our reciprocal entry arrangements offer you free admission to some of the world’s leading botanic gardens. In the UK, RBGE Members can gain free entry to the following gardens:

n Bedgebury National Pinetum

n Harcourt Arboretum

n National Botanic Garden of Wales

n Ness Botanic Gardens

n Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

n University of Oxford Botanic Garden

n Wakehurst Place

n Westonbirt Arboretum

Overseas, Members receive free entry to:

n New York Botanical Garden

n Missouri Botanical Garden

Design andimage by

erz Ltd

to rebuild the Botanic Cottage in the Demonstration Garden as a much-needed facility to expand education and community-engagement programmes in this area. The response to the appeal has been overwhelming – the total stands at an amazing £35,000 at the time of going to press. A big thank you to all who donated and made this our most successful appeal to date! We are awaiting the decision of our Heritage Lottery Fund application which is due towards the end of March and will update donors further after this. In the meantime, there is still time to donate to the project, so please visit www.rbge.org.uk/botaniccottage or call 0131 248 2855 to contribute.

Dates for your diary

We are delighted to announce that our new bench adoption scheme has now launched and is in full swing at the Edinburgh Garden. There has been keen demand over the years and we have been working hard to find the right bench design, which will be a traditional design made from Scottish oak, and ensure that the mechanics of the scheme will run smoothly. All those on our waiting list have been contacted and the orders have been flooding in. There is still an opportunity to adopt a bench to commemorate a special person or event, with benches available at £2,000 for a ten-year adoption period. If you would like to find out more, please visit celebratelife.rbge.org.uk or call us on 0131 248 2855.

Bench adoption

T H E B O T A N I C S 5 2 S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 | 1 9T H E B O T A N I C S 5 2 S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 | 1 9

Shiona Mackie, Convener, writes: I have now been at the helm of the Edinburgh Friends Committee for almost two years. It has been a steep learning curve, but one which has been enormously exciting and much assisted by the Edinburgh Committee, the Dawyck and Benmore Conveners, and all the staff with whom I have had the privilege of working over the past 18 months.

Small Project FundAll the funds raised by the Friends Committees go into the Small Project Fund. I am delighted to share with the Membership that we have received an increased number of applications this year. Inevitably, this will make decision-making difficult for the Conveners and the Committees! The successful projects will be announced at the Edinburgh Friends AGM which is being held on Thursday 25 April in the Conference Room at 20A Inverleith Row. The staff of RBGE do appreciate our support. Richard Baines, Curator of Logan Botanic Garden, provided a striking photograph of the fountain we funded this year.

Lecture seriesOn 31 October 2012, the Edinburgh Friends celebrated their 21st birthday. Following the lecture on ferns on 1 November, delivered by Professor Wardlaw, a cake was provided for the audience, which the Convener and Peter Tothill (at 90, our oldest ex-Committee member) duly did the honours of cutting and blowing out the candles! In December, our Christmas lecture was to be the final Friends lecture to be delivered in the Lecture Theatre prior to its refurbishment. We are now considering our lecture series for 2013–2014 and have therefore decided to seek our members’ views on content, timing and venues with a view to encouraging larger audiences.

Photography competitionThe popularity of the competition has encouraged the Friends to run an enlarged event this year. A few changes are being introduced first: the timing – the competition will run from March through to August, thus allowing all four Gardens to be accessed throughout the period. Two new categories are also being introduced, the latter to encourage our young folk to view the garden through a different lens – that of the camera!

The Friends Committee directs a lively programme of Member events and raises funds for the Gardens. To find out more contact the Membership Office on 0131 552 5339 or [email protected]

Friendsof RBGE

GlasshousesOne of the benefits of RBGE Membership is free entry to the range of Glasshouses at the Edinburgh Garden. Strolling from pleasantly warm to tropically hot, there is no better trip on a winter’s day to banish the cold outdoors and enter the many different worlds of this astonishing indoor plant display. With most of the world’s flora coming from temperate, desert and tropical parts of the world, the Glasshouses present a selection of the world’s most beautiful and exotic specimens.

VolunteersFinally, given that I am keen to introduce new events to the Friends calendar, we do need to have a few more members on our Committee. The complexities of some of our events such as organising day visits and tours does require a degree of internship to ensure that we can carry on these popular events into the future. I can guarantee that membership of the Committee is rewarding, interesting and above all good fun! Please contact the Membership Office if you would like to discuss joining the Committee on 0131 552 5339 or at [email protected]

Left: The slate fountain in Logan Botanic Garden, funded by the Small Project Fund.Right: Celebration of the 21st birthday of the Friends of RBGE.


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Framed and mounted prints available from the RBGE photographic collectionMounted prints £20Oak framed prints £40Black gloss frames £35

Order through the Publications Department Email [email protected] 0131 248 2991www.rbge.org.uk/photography

NEW

Photography Competition 2013Capture the beauty of our treasured gardens

In association with

To p p r i z eA day spent at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh with RBGE’s professional photographer

Winning photographs will be published in The Scotsman and the Botanics magazine.

Read the details and download an entry form from www.rbge.org.uk/photo-comp

Closing date 31 August 2013Organised by the Friends of RBGE

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Open Sundays only in FebruaryOpen daily 15 March to 31 October

Port Logan, Dumfries and Galloway, DG9 9NDTel: 01776 860231 • Email: [email protected]

Admission charge applies.

Open daily 1 February to 30 NovemberStobo, Scottish Borders, EH45 9JU

Tel: 01721 760254 • Email: [email protected] charge applies.

Open daily 1 March to 31 OctoberDunoon, Argyll, PA23 8QU

Tel: 01369 706261 • Email: [email protected] charge applies.

For further information about the Gardens visit

www.rbge.org.ukFor a What’s on guide, contact Alice Young

Tel: 0131 248 2991 • Email: [email protected]

Open daily (except 25 December and 1 January)Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR

Tel: 0131 552 7171 • Email: [email protected] to the Garden is free; charge applies to the Glasshouses.

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Benmore Botanic Garden

Logan Botanic Garden

Dawyck Botanic Garden

NEW JOHN HOPE GATEWAY

OPENING OCTOBER 2009

sCOTlANd's

fIRsT 5 sTAR GARdEN

Background image: Mikuni Uehara

READEROFFE

R

Available now £21 including P&P to UK

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