Summer 2013 - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

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Jun 2, 2013 - Your 2 for 1 ticket offer ... Email: [email protected]. Production Editor ..... online learning system
Issue 53 | Summer 2013

A Neotropical collaboration RBGE’s work in Colombia

Big 5

What is your favourite plant?

Scientifically speaking The Talking Science project is launched

Contents Foreword

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Cover image: Calluna vulgaris (common heather or ling) by Lynsey Wilson.

In this issue... 4 Colombia

A look at RBGE’s work in the Neotropics

8 Developments at Dawyck What’s new at the Borders Garden this season

9 Visit from Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan RBGE welcomes a delegation from Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan (RBGJ)

10 Talking Science

RBGE’s science public engagement project gets underway

11 Spreading the web of learning PropaGate, RBGE’s online learning resource, explained

12 Events and exhibitions

The Tweed Road, The Patchwork Meadow, Fringe fun for families and Walking with poets

15 Kids' Zone

The world of palms

16 Big 5

What will your favourite plant be?

16 Leafing through Natural Scotland Book Festival Celebrating nature books at RBGE with Publishing Scotland

16 National Trust for Scotland offer Your 2 for 1 ticket offer

17 Livingstone and the Garden – poisoned arrows A promenade performance

18 Membership and development Summer dates for your diary, The Hope Tree, People’s Postcode Lottery: new funding, Keep in touch and Friends of RBGE 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 Edinburgh 20A Inverleith Row Edinburgh EH3 5LR Tel: 0131 552 7171 Fax: 0131 248 2901 Web: www.rbge.org.uk Enquiries regarding circulation of the Botanics should be addressed to Hamish Adamson.

Editor Hamish Adamson Email: [email protected] Production Editor Alice Young Email: [email protected] Designer Caroline Muir Email: [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.

Above: Stephen Blackmore at the John Hope Gateway, Edinburgh Garden.

I am fond of saying that there are no known limits or outer boundaries to the issues with which a botanic garden can engage. It does, of course, all start and end with plants, but the ramifications are endless, as you can see from this issue of the Botanics. A classic example is provided by our scientific collaboration with Colombia, led by Dr James Richardson. What started just four years ago with a research visit by James to Bogotá has developed into formal partnerships and, thanks to a steadily growing group of talented young PhD students, exciting programmes of public outreach led by Education Projects Officer, Suzanne Harris. The events and activities you can read about here range from live video links with elders in communities in Amazonian Colombia to focusing educational activities with schools in Scotland on the negative social and environmental impacts of the cocaine trade. These and other stories from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and other Scottish research institutes will be carried far and wide by the Talking Science programme of public outreach. As Greg Kenicer explains, we are also using the power of the internet to extend the reach of our educational courses via PropaGate, our new online learning environment.

Older technologies still find a place in the mix, however. Paul Nesbitt writes about a forthcoming exhibition using the centuries-old method of nature printing in Inverleith House and, as part of the Year of Natural Scotland, we have teamed up with the Scottish Poetry Library and will have poets in residence at all four Gardens. Meanwhile, at Dawyck Botanic Garden the neverending work of planting and gardening continues so that there continues to be something new to greet visitors each time they come. And I haven’t the space here to tell you about the visit of some good friends from Jordan or our forthcoming celebrations of David Livingstone’s bicentenary. When you reach the end of the magazine I think you will be as amazed and delighted as I am that so much is going on at the Botanics. It is a pleasure to thank our dedicated staff, students and volunteers, the Friends, and our partner organisations across Scotland and around the world for making such a rich mixture possible.

Stephen Blackmore CBE FRSE Regius Keeper and Queen's Botanist

Right: © Lorne Gill/SNH.

Ash dieback Ash dieback, Chalara fraxinea, is a fungal pathogen associated with the dieback of native ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and has caused widespread loss of ash in mainland Europe. It was first discovered in southern England in February 2012 and subsequently in Scotland in August 2012. In Scotland the area ash woodland covers is estimated to be approximately 13,500 hectares and it is the fifth most abundant native tree species after Scots pine, birch, alder and oak. The biodiversity of the Atlantic ash woods is critically important, particularly for many lichens, mosses and liverworts as many of these species are internationally significant. Working with partners within the Scottish Tree Health Advisory Group, RBGE has helped to formulate the Scottish ash dieback action plan. www.rbge.org.uk/ashdieback

Year of Natural Scotland In this the Year of Natural Scotland the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop and the Slovenian Honorary Consul Ana Wersun, Dean of the Consular Corps, planted a sessile oak in the Edinburgh Garden to mark the 70th anniversary of the Consular Corps in Edinburgh and Leith. The tree planting symbolises the need for all nations to work together through international collaboration, cooperation and mutual understanding in order to tackle the global environmental and social issues that we all face.

Sculpture returns Plans are underway for the return to the Inverleith House pond of a sculpture by the artist Reg (Reginald Cotterell) Butler (1913–1981), after almost 30 years. Purchased in 1962 by the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, it was displayed in the pond until the Gallery moved from Inverleith House, its founding home since 1960, to Belford Road in 1984. The relocation of the work on loan has been made possible by a generous gift from Sir Gerald and

Left: Reg Butler, Girl. Photography: National Galleries of Scotland.

News

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Lady Elliot and we look forward to this much-loved work of art being admired by Garden visitors once again.

Botanic Cottage Project funding announcement Spring brought the news we had all been hoping for from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Our £708,700 bid for the Botanic Cottage Project has been successful, allowing us to embark on the final fundraising and launch the project in July 2013. A huge thank you goes out to the Heritage Lottery Fund for this support, as well as to our Membership base for responding so generously to our appeal, which has now raised over £37,000 of the ‘match’ funding needed.

In addition, the MacRobert Trust, the Wellcome Trust and the Edina Trust have all recently pledged new support towards the educational and public engagement aspects of the project. The rebuild of the 18th-century Botanic Cottage as a hub for learning and community is planned for 2014. More information and how to donate can be found at www.rbge. org.uk/supportus/donate/appealsprojects/botaniccottage

Symposium for SW Asian plant life

The Botanic Cottage Project – how you can help

Running since 1970, Plant Life of South West Asia (PLoSWA) symposia bring together experts and enthusiasts from across the globe to discuss, debate and collaborate on the topics and general issues relating to plant life in SW Asia. Building on our long history of collaborative botanical work in the region, the 8th symposium will be held in Edinburgh from 1 to 5 July with themes ranging from floristics to conservation, botanic gardens education and outreach as well as broader topics relating to landscapes, plants and people of the region. For more information contact the PloSWA Committee, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR or at [email protected]

Can you help us develop a truly unique new centre for learning at The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh? Visit http:// www.rbge.org.uk/ botaniccottage to donate and help restore a piece of Edinburgh’s heritage. Every donation of £15 or over will now receive RBGE’s John Hope 1725–1786, a revised edition of Alan G. Morton’s 1986 work by Henry Noltie. This book is illustrated, 120pp, full colour throughout and provides new information about the Botanic Cottage, the Leith Walk garden, Hope’s lectures and the students who attended them.

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Colombia RBGE scientific research in Colombia and an associated innovative public engagement programme have progressed rapidly in recent years. Dr James Richardson, Head of Tropical Biogeography and Evolution, and Suzanne Harris, RBGE Education Projects Officer, outline the tremendous range of activities that have been taking place over the last few years and exciting plans for the future.

Above: The Forests of Chocó, Colombia. Photo: Cromatophoro.

Main: Chisacá Lake, Sumapaz National Park, Colombia. The Sumapaz Páramo is a sacred place for the Muisca indigenous group as well as the biggest Páramo in the world. Photo: María Camila Gómez.

RBGE Colombia Scientific Research – Dr James Richardson

Colombia, the second most biodiverse country on earth, has each of the planet’s major biomes from lowland rain forest to cloud forests, deserts and high alpine Páramo grasslands. These biomes nestle within and between the Andes Mountains that in Colombia split into three distinct cordilleras. Despite its biotic riches very few of the major botanical research institutes have been active in Colombia for many years. The establishment of a research programme there was vital in order for us to execute our scientific goals of investigating the taxonomy and evolution of a range of tropical families. In July 2008 I had the opportunity to visit Colombia for a period of six months at the University of the Andes in Bogotá. The goals were to establish collaborations with staff and students that would allow us to work in each of its major biomes and on each of RBGE’s focus families.

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In September 2010 RBGE’s first ever Colombian PhD student, María Camila Gómez, began a study on the population genetics of species from the highaltitude vegetation known as Páramo. There are 4,000 species of plants found in Páramo, most of which are only found in this vegetation at altitudes of between 2,500 and 4,000 metres. These species probably evolved recently because the Andes only reached heights sufficient to sustain this vegetation within the last three million years. Together with Santiago Madriñán of the University of the Andes we have determined rates of plant species evolution in Páramo that we believe to be the fastest on earth. The areas that Páramo occupies are home to many of the reservoirs of Colombia’s major cities. Páramo vegetation provides an invaluable ecosystem service by retaining and filtering the water supply for millions of people. Despite its importance this vegetation is severely threatened by agricultural expansion, mining and climate change. The loss of the water holding capacity of this vegetation will not only endanger the water supply but may also lead to an increased risk of flooding in the plains of Bogotá that have been extensively damaged by floods in the last two years with serious economic consequences. Moving down the mountains we reach the cloud forests where three of RBGE’s focus families are found in abundance. Eugenio Valderrama began his PhD in September 2011 on Renealmia, the only genus of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, that is found in the Neotropics. This genus has its centre of diversity in Colombia but it is also found in Africa. Eugenio aims to address a key biogeographical question: why are there so many species in the Neotropics in comparison to the old world and in particular Africa? He will use molecular methods to determine the relationships among the 80 species in the genus and

Above: Cloud forest, Reserva Natural RÍo, NambÍ, Colombia. Photo: Santiago Madriñán.

compare how African and Neotropical groups have evolved. Eugenio discovered three new species of Renealmia on a field trip to the Western Cordillera of the Colombian Andes in July 2012. Adolfo Jara started his PhD at the University of the Andes in January 2012. Adolfo will describe the morphological diversity of Colombian species of Begonia and research their biogeographic history along with other Neotropical representatives of the genus. Javier Luna investigates the historical biogeography and floral evolution of Neotropical representatives of the African violet family Gesneriaceae. Toby Pennington, RBGE's Head of Tropical Diversity, is expanding his dry forest research network into Colombia through collaboration with the NGO Ecosistemas Secos. Karina Banda from this organisation began her PhD with Toby in January of this year investigating the floristic relationships among Colombia’s dry forests and their significance in conservation. Dry forest is the most threatened ecosystem in Colombia and the Neotropics. Julieth Serrano will

We have determined rates of plant species evolution in Páramo that we believe to be the fastest on earth.

begin her PhD in September that will be a study of the evolutionary history of Sapotaceae in Colombia. This family is largely restricted to lowland wet forest whose species may have been isolated by the rise of the Andes. Julieth will focus her research on species from the Chocó to the west of the mountains, the second wettest place on earth, close to the Isthmus of Panama. This is one of the most understudied regions on the planet and is likely to be one of the most diverse, with a mixture of South and North American species and ones that evolved as a result of the uplift of the Andes. Finally, María Fernanda Torres together with Graham Stone from the University of Edinburgh will begin her PhD in 2014 on ant–plant interactions. RBGE staff and students have now conducted fieldwork in many parts of Colombia including the dry forests of the Caribbean Coast, the cloud forests of each of the Andean Cordilleras, the isolated 'sky islands' of the Páramo and the white sand vegetation of Amazonia in the east. A project on each of RBGE’s focus groups is currently or will shortly get underway. Working effectively overseas requires the establishment of a collaborative network. In addition to the links with Santiago Madriñán at the University of the Andes, who co-supervises

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MarÍa Camila, Eugenio and Adolfo, we co-supervise students at the District University with Professor Rocio Cortés and we are forging links with numerous other institutes. In August 2012 RBGE signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bogotá Botanic Garden that we hope will facilitate a number of projects such as delivery of the RBGE Certificates in Practical Horticulture and Botanical Illustration in Bogotá. We also hope to assist with the production of a Flora of Bogotá that includes about 3,000 species. We aim to promote 'citizen science' by utilising smartphone applications that will allow inhabitants of Bogotá to contribute data that will document the biodiversity that surrounds them, to assist with conservation and to track the effects of climate change on plant populations. We are also discussing the possibility of developing projects with Colombia’s largest environmental organisation, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute named after the famous 19th-century German botanical explorer.

rbge Colombia Public Engagement – Suzanne Harris In 2011 we launched our public engagement programme in which we aim to describe the how, why and where of Colombian biodiversity, to demonstrate the importance of conserving plants that provide ecosystem services and to highlight their cultural and aesthetic value. We have created an exciting and dynamic mixture of events over

Above: RBGE PhD student MarÍa Camila GÓmez ready to demonstrate jewellery making with Amazonian seeds at Festival Colombiano 2011.

the last two years including live Skype presentations from the Amazon, jewellery making from Colombian seeds and plant fibres, integrating live music and dance into scientific talks and lectures, film premieres and courses within our Continuing Education programme. To achieve this requires a multidisciplinary approach incorporating RBGE staff and students and researchers from other institutes from diverse fields ranging from geology to anthropology, external lecturers and artists, many whom have volunteered their time. Our events aim to highlight the cultural diversity of Colombia that is also extraordinarily rich and varied, with up to 100 indigenous groups distributed throughout the country. Over the course of millennia these people have developed a way of life that caused minimal environmental damage. The depth of traditional indigenous knowledge of their biological surroundings is the subject of over 25 years of work by Ann Simpson, a pharmacist at the University of Strathclyde, who has

worked in Colombian Amazonia together with researchers at Colombia’s National University and other institutions as well as with indigenous elders. Ann was instrumental in the delivery of our first activity that focused on the importance of plants in indigenous life with a live video conference to the Amazon for the Edinburgh International Science Festival. The Amazonian elders gave medicinal plant demonstrations, and Ann now delivers a course in Amazonian traditional medicine as part of RBGE’s Continuing Education programme. In conjunction with Ann and Andres Corredor we have designed an interactive exhibition based on the Maloca, the cultural and religious centre of many indigenous communities. We are currently seeking funding and aim to produce the exhibition by 2015. In October 2011, with financial support from RBGE’s Sibbald Trust, the British Council and the Colombian Embassy, RBGE coordinated the premiere of Embera at Edinburgh’s Filmhouse cinema – the first production by Bogotá-based documentary film makers Cromatophoro. Embera highlights the plight of an indigenous group from

The cultural diversity of Colombia is extraordinarily rich and varied.

Left: Dry forest, El Ceibal, Santa Catalina, Bolívar, Colombia. Photo: Karina Banda.

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Colombia’s Pacific Coastal Department of Chocó whose way of life is seriously threatened by political unrest in the region. The premiere was sold out, with 250 people attending and enjoying a Q&A session with representatives from Cromatophoro and the Director of the Von Humboldt Institute, Professor Brigitte Baptiste. During her visit Professor Baptiste explained to a group of schoolchildren that the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca) has been an important part of South American indigenous culture for centuries. The traditional medicinal and spiritual use of this plant is in stark contrast to its misuse and exploitation by western cultures who mix it with chemicals to create cocaine. Until recently Scotland was the country with the highest per capita consumption of cocaine. RBGE has been working with Shared Responsibility, a programme established by the Colombian government, Police Scotland and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime that aims to inform the Scottish public about the environmental and social consequences of the cocaine trade. Over 2.2 million hectares of forest have been destroyed for coca cultivation. Eight square metres of Colombian forest Below: Embera woman and child. Photo: Cromatophoro.

are required to produce two grams of cocaine. Half a tonne of cement, petrol and other chemicals are used to convert the leaves from one hectare of coca plants into cocaine. In addition to the environmental damage, the cocaine trade has enormous social impact within Colombia, funding armed groups, causing forced displacement and fuelling violence and corruption. We aim to explain how our actions as global citizens may impact on the quality of life in Colombia and the RBGE Colombian team are helping to provide information on the consequences of drug misuse at schools and public events around Scotland. For example, MarÍa Camila and Eugenio participated in Glasgow City Council’s GRAND Week (Getting Real about Alcohol ‘N’ Drugs), discussing this issue with teenagers from the city. Shared Responsibility demonstrates how the choices we make directly affect the quality of life of people from whom we are geographically far removed. In July 2011 the John Hope Gateway Building hosted our first Festival Colombiano at which our inaugural scientific talks interspersed with live music and dance, plus workshops on jewellery making and San Agustin clay statues for children, Colombian food and ethnobotanical exhibits. The event was

Above: Khantara perform at Festival Colombiano 2012. Photo: MarÍa Camila GÓmez.

a huge success and was thus repeated in August 2012, featuring contributions from UK-based Colombian music collective Khantara who performed songs from different regions of the country. As part of the RBGE Talking Science Project we are now taking Festival Colombiano to the Rockness Festival in Inverness in June, where we will provide coffee, snacks, music and information on the facts surrounding the importance of Colombia’s biodiversity and the threats related to cocaine misuse. We will also be taking the Festival to the Wickerman Festival in July, and will be repeating it in the John Hope Gateway on 3 and 4 of August. We have also recently confirmed plans to screen the UK premiere Apaporis, a documentary on indigenous Amazonian groups, in the RBGE Lecture Theatre on the evening of 3 August as part of this event. Festival Colombiano is typical of our efforts to integrate science and culture in order to celebrate the importance of Colombian and global biodiversity and we are delighted to have such a great team to help deliver this message. For more information see www.rbge.org.uk/science/tropicaldiversity/james-richardson/ rbge-colombia-research or http://stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/ category/colombia

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Developments at Dawyck A number of changes made at Dawyck over the winter and spring of 2012–2013 are set to improve the Garden experience for our visitors and refresh the collections for this new season. Visitors to Dawyck may want to keep an eye out for these subtle changes! New planting and respacing of rhododendrons An area on the Azalea Terrace has been re-planted following the damage caused by the loss of a mature oak tree which fell across the terrace during a severe storm in the early part of 2012. On the historical Rhododendron Walk a number of key areas have been opened up and improved. Dawyck has many wild-collected species of rhododendrons, most notably from sub-sections Taliensia and Fortunea. A gradual process of lifting and re-spacing rhododendrons is not only improving access for horticultural reasons but is also enhancing the visual appeal of the area and allowing the plants to flourish as nature intended! In many cases this is combined with the lifting and Below: The tree climber's view: looking from the canopy of a grand fir onto the pathways of Dawyck below.

splitting of herbaceous plants, a process known as ‘herbaceous division’. The area to the east of the Visitor Centre has been much improved with the planting of a hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) hedge to surround the plant sales area as well as the planting of shrubs including Viburnum and Forsythia sp. and herbaceous perennials which have been lifted and split from other areas of the Garden.

Path improvements The exceptionally wet weather last year (Dawyck is now recording a 20 per cent increase in rainfall compared to ten years ago!) is causing problems with some access paths, most notably those that have a grass surface. Although these paths are more visually appealing, the wet weather has resulted in a number of them being closed for long periods of time because of waterlogging. The Garden staff have been gradually working to convert these paths to a hard gravelled surface which ensures year-round access for visitors and Garden staff alike, and also means that less maintenance is required.

Tree works Dawyck has the oldest tree collection of the four Gardens that are managed by the Botanics. The oldest tree, a European silver fir, dates back to 1680. A yearround programme of tree maintenance and risk assessment is essential to ensure safe access to the Garden for our visitors and the continued health of the tree

Above: Rhododendrons being re-spaced earlier this year at Dawyck.

collection. Works undertaken over the winter included the essential hanging branch removal and dead wooding of a 160 ft grand fir (Abies grandis).

Garden events programme Dawyck Botanic Garden has a busy seasonal events programme, which includes tours, activities, talks and exhibitions. Over the summer and into the autumn, Dawyck will continue to host local storyteller and craft workshop leader Poppy Browne for outdoor children’s craft events. Tickets for these sessions can be purchased on the day from reception. In addition, the free First Sunday Fun outdoor events continue to run on the first Sunday of each month.

Garden guiding programme Following on from an appeal on the website and in an earlier edition of the Botanics, Dawyck now has a group of four volunteer garden guides who are currently undergoing training based on the RBGE guiding programme. With valuable assistance from both Benmore Botanic Garden and RBGE, it is hoped that the garden guides will be able to take their own garden tours this summer. This will help free up time for our small horticultural team to focus on garden maintenance works. Dawyck’s volunteer garden guides are Lesley Jenkins, Jane Buchanan-Dunlop, Tricia Kennedy and Geraldine Davey.

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Visit from Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan Alan Forrest, from the Centre for Middle Eastern Plants, details a recent trip by delegates from the Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan (RBGJ). The vision of RBGJ is to develop a world-class botanic garden in Jordan, so visiting one of the world’s best was an obvious activity. In a short period the Jordanian delegates received first-hand guidance on a range of subjects and quickly appreciated the altruistic nature of the botanical garden community. They have quickly realised the academic and personal friendships that will help enable RBGJ’s vision.”

Photo: HB Dingwall/RBGJ.

n early March 2013, a request was received from a delegation from the Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan (www.royalbotanicgarden.org) who wanted to visit RBGE in order to observe and learn about a number of our programmes, and also to discuss the possibility of future collaboration between the two gardens. The Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan was founded as a non-profit organisation in 2005. Although not yet open to the public, the 445-hectare site north of Amman is designed to host a wide range of native Jordanian plant species, and to be a centre for biodiversity conservation focusing on science, education and sustainable living. The delegation included HRH Princess Basma bint Ali, founder of RBGJ and included in the UNEP Global 500 Roll of Honour for Environmental Achievements in 2002 (http://royalbotanicgarden.org/page/ meet-founder), Tariq Abu Taleb, CEO of RBGJ, and Dr Dave Aplin of Botanical Values (www.botanicalvalues. com) who advises RBGJ and coordinated the visit to the UK. They were greeted by Professor Stephen Blackmore, Regius Keeper and Queen’s Botanist as well as Professor Pete Hollingsworth, RBGE Director of Science. Over a period of two and a half days, the delegation was treated to a quite demanding schedule designed to cover the main aspects of the work of

Dr Dave Aplin, Botanical Values

“We are deeply indebted to staff at RBGE for their time and devotion in planning and delivering the schedule. We have gained a wealth of knowledge and observations and hope to become better associated with RBGE in the near future to help protect plants, their habitats and the livelihoods of people in the region.” HRH Princess Basma bint Ali (above), founder of the Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan

RBGE, focusing on specific programmes as requested by our visitors. They were particularly interested in learning about our education and interpretation programmes, and were guided through these by Associate Director of Horticulture (Learning) Leigh Morris and Head of Education Dr Greg Kenicer. There was an open exchange of ideas about the experiences visitors to RBGE gain, and the outcomes our educational programmes deliver at different stages. This included a tour of our visitor Shop by Sheena Elliott, Retail Manager at RBGE, and discussions about how RBGE is increasing its commercial activities with Heather Jackson, RBGE Enterprise Director. Left: The delegation enjoying a tour of the Glasshouses at the Edinburgh Garden with RBGE staff.

The delegation undertook tours of the Garden and Glasshouses with Curator David Knott, and visits to the nursery and research glasshouses to learn about our horticultural collections and methods, as well as the establishment of tree collections for conservation. Fruitful discussions about conservation science were held with the Science Division and the Centre for Middle Eastern Plants, and a full tour of the Herbarium and its facilities was provided. After such a heavy schedule, our colleagues from Jordan decided to return to their own garden to consider how any future partnerships might be of benefit to both RBGJ and RBGE, and we await further discussions with enthusiasm.

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Talking Science Project Manager Simon Duffy explains the project.

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ur main public engagement and outreach project for 2013, Talking Science, is now underway with 27 events confirmed for this year. These range from a citizen science project, investigating the wild cousins of some common vegetables, to bringing the issue of conservation and cocaine growing in the Colombian rainforest to two of Scotland’s biggest music festivals. The aim of all these events is to bring the science of gardens and trees closer to the people of Scotland. Four community gardens, from Wester Ross in the north of Scotland to Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders in the south, are taking part in the Really Wild Vegetable project. The community gardens are excited to be involved in this national project which also involves Aberdeen University’s Rowett Institute of Health and Nutrition, who will be analysing the nutritional value of the wild vegetables and comparing them with their modern cousins. The launch of Talking Science took place at all of our four Regional Gardens over the weekend of 20 and 21 April with the theme of Why We Love Big Trees. This was also the 175th anniversary of John Muir’s birth and appropriately the John Muir Trust is among the partners for this event. Still to look forward to is an event Below: The launch of the Talking Science project at RBGE's Why We Love Big Trees event, celebrating the 175th anniversary of John Muir's birth and the Year of Natural Scotland. Photo: Mandy Mills.

taking place as part of Benmore’s Open Day on 2 June, when we will be working in partnership with Forest Research and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology. Microscopes will be on hand to explore the hidden world of Benmore and all it has to offer. After two successful Festival Colombiano weekends at Edinburgh in 2011 and 2012 we are now ready to hit the road with a mix of science, music, food and fun which also manages to take a hard look at the environmental impact of the drug trade in South America. We have confirmed bookings at two of Scotland’s major music festivals with a combined audience of over 20,000 adults. The Kirkcudbright Garden Show and Ayr Flower Show provide opportunities to talk to different audiences. Our Talking Science partner Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), formerly the Scottish Agricultural College, will have scientists talking about the gardener’s favourite pest – slugs – while the James Hutton Institute engages people in the science of soil and its importance to plants, animals and people. A further theme of interest to beekeepers and honey lovers will be the science of insects, flowers and pollination. We are keen to expand and develop public engagement that brings science

Above: John Muir addressing the crowd at the famous John Muir Grove, RBGE's unique collection of specimen trees. Photo: Mandy Mills.

to new audiences. If you are a scientist and feel inspired to communicate your passion; if you are involved in a community group that wants to expand its horizons; or if you are a potential venue provider, then please get in touch at the address below. Meanwhile, we hope you are able to get to at least one of the events taking place across Scotland this summer to promote science, gardens and nature. To find out more about the Talking Science project or to offer ideas for public engagement, please contact Science Communicator Simon Duffy at [email protected] Talking Science is funded by the Scottish Government via the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser.

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Head of Education Greg Kenicer introduces our new online learning environment.

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e offer a huge range of courses across the four Gardens – from Teddy Bears’ Picnics (with a hint of ecology) for early years schoolchildren to the MSc in plant biodiversity, and from one-day pruning workshops to a full two-year diploma in botanical illustration. The breadth and levels of courses we offer at RBGE are second to none and are justly world renowned. We take many of our classes outside the Gardens, with residential summer schools and outreach to schools and universities throughout the UK. Certificates in practical horticulture, botany and botanical illustration are all now being offered overseas. All this is great – if you can get to the Gardens or one of the centres where our courses are being taught. But we want to take things further so that RBGE courses can find a truly global audience. To help us in this, we are expanding PropaGate Learning – RBGE’s online learning environment. PropaGate allows access to RBGE courses almost anywhere you can connect to the internet. It is built around a very flexible online learning system that allows courses to be anything from short, stand-alone modules you can do in your spare time to more involved programmes of study that draw in every learner on the course to contribute in a much more participatory experience. Top: PropaGate Learning allows access to RBGE courses from wherever you can connect to the internet. Right: PropaGate learning supports teaching in the field, so our students can be even more prepared for exploring plants in the hills of Scotland.

Spreading the web of learning Our first course to migrate onto PropaGate was the highly popular RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture. This has been taught at the Garden in its many incarnations for decades, and for the past ten years has been offered as a correspondence course. This summer sees it released as a fully revamped and updated online version. PropaGate is ideal for this kind of learning, allowing us to support existing courses taught on-site, as well as providing fully remote courses which students can take without even having to be in the country. A third option that can be seen in our online courses is that of ‘blended learning’ – one that combines the best of both worlds. With blended learning, students have the opportunity to come to the Gardens, be inspired by the places and the people, and receive an introduction to the course over a long weekend or a full week. After this, they work through exercises,

assignments and discussion groups at home using PropaGate, then reconvene later in the course. This combination of experiencing the Garden and the wonderful city of Edinburgh, and meeting like-minded people from across the world is supremely attractive and we look forward to welcoming our first blended learning students for our Diploma in Botanical Illustration this month. This will be followed shortly by the Diploma in Garden History. Andrew Stowell is developing PropaGate, working with tutors on our existing taught courses to produce a rich variety of interactive and video content across the site. He has been instrumental in setting up an incredibly industrious little studio producing films worthy of Hollywood (albeit without the drama). If you would like to find out more, you can find PropaGate Learning online at https://propagatelearning. rbge.ac.uk

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The Tweed Road Paul Nesbitt introduces three interrelated exhibitions at Inverleith House.

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he artist Rory McEwen (1932–1982), renowned for his paintings of botanical subjects, once proposed an idea for a sculpture to Douglas Hall, then Keeper of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, at Inverleith House. The idea was to stretch ropes between the trunks of the splendid beech trees overlooking the city skyline from which he would hang a screen of his own devising. The work (one imagines), like many of McEwen’s sculptures of the time in materials such as glass and Below: Rory McEwen (1932–1982), polarised glass sculpture photographed against a window at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Inverleith House, Edinburgh, 1969. Image courtesy of Richard Demarco and the Richard Demarco Digital Archive, University of Dundee.

Above: Artist Pat Douthwaite (left) and Rory perspex, was enshrined in a Modernist McEwen (1932–1982), with his Tweed Road belief, one shared by Richard Demarco ‘sculptural environment’ at the Richard Demarco Gallery, 8 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh, 22 August– CBE for whose gallery McEwen made 13 September 1969. Image courtesy of Richard four exhibitions between 1968 and 1970 Demarco and the Richard Demarco Digital Archive, University of Dundee. (at 8 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh). The Tweed Road was the title McEwen in the 19th century. Nature Printed features, in addition to Bradbury and gave to a ‘sculptural environment’ he Evans’ celebrated created at the The Tweed Road The Ferns of Richard Demarco Gallery in 1969 accompanies the exhibition Great Britain and Ireland (1855), the and is also the title Nature Printed, featuring of an exhibition examples from the Garden’s Garden’s collection of loose plates from that will be held at collection of one of the their much rarer, Inverleith House this oldest forms of botanical earlier publication summer devoted illustration, nature printing. A Few Leaves to McEwen’s art of from the Newlythat time. It will be Invented Process of “Nature-Printing” presented 25 years after the Inverleith (1854) which have recently undergone House exhibition Rory McEwen: conservation work and are being The Botanical Paintings (1988), which exhibited here for the first time. was the first contemporary art exhibition Also on display as part of Inverleith to be organised and presented by RBGE House’s pioneering series of exhibitions at Inverleith House. The Tweed Road accompanies the which bring together botanical science exhibition Nature Printed, featuring and contemporary art is a major exhibition examples from the Garden’s collection of new work made in response to Nature of one of the oldest forms of botanical Printed by the Glasgow-based artist Ciara illustration, nature printing. The Phillips (b. 1976) who uses printmaking technique of inking and pressing a plant as her primary artistic medium. Ciara Phillips, Nature Printed and specimen to produce an image was The Tweed Road, 4 May to 23 June used by Leonardo da Vinci who included at Inverleith House. Open Tuesday to a nature-printed leaf in his Codice Sunday, 10 am to 5.30 pm, admission Atlantico, but it reached its greatest free. Supported by Creative Scotland. heights of technical sophistication

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The Patchwork Meadow Britain’s love affair with wild flowers is celebrated in Plantlife’s unique project, reports Elinor Gallant, Exhibitions Manager.

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ur native plants and flowers are scattered throughout literature, history, art, folklore and fashion. Plantlife’s unique project celebrates this fascination with wild flowers in the form of a patchwork exhibition, bringing together contributions from people across the country. Seona Anderson from Plantlife explains: “From the Bayeux Tapestry, through to William Morris, from Celia Birtwell to Grayson Perry, Britain has a tradition of celebrating diversity in textile design that we want to tap into. We want to celebrate this love of wild plants by asking the nation to help us create a patchwork of art and stories from across the range of Britain’s natural and cultural diversity.” The Patchwork Meadow is part of Wildflower Europe – a European celebration of wild plants involving communities in the Highlands (through Wild North), Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia. Find out more at www.wildflowereurope.org The exhibition runs from Tuesday 13 August to Thursday 26 September in the Gateway Gallery, upstairs at the John Hope Gateway. Below: The Celtic or Ogham tree alphabet was in use from the 4th to the 10th century AD across Ireland and West Britain. The runic letters were associated with a particular tree. Celtic alphabet patchwork embroidery by Seona Anderson (15x15cm).

Above: Head in the Clouds by Ipdip Theatre. Photo: Tim Dyer.

Fringe fun for families Amy McDonald, Public Programmes Manager, explains how RBGE is continuing to build on its legacy of exciting family-friendly programming as part of Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe.

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ugust 2013 will see three very different shows for families taking place at the Edinburgh Garden as part of Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe. Ipdip Theatre Company will be presenting a special sensory theatre performance designed for 0–3 year olds and accompanying adults. Head in the Clouds will take up residence within the Gateway’s airy Patrick Geddes Room from 2 to 11 August (excluding the 5th) where audiences will meet the character of sheepdog Cirrus and his flock of sheep. Glasgow-based Charlotte Allan, who devised the show, explains that “by engaging the imaginations and senses of the older and younger members of our audience together we promote an open, playful approach to experiencing the world around us”. Albert & Friends have been bringing their London-based youth circus troupe to the Botanics every August for many years. This year they are celebrating 30 years of Albert & Friends’ Instant Circus with their traditional week of

free lunchtime performances on Inverleith House Lawn (18–26 August). There will also be family circus workshops and performances staged in the Garden from 8 to 10 August by other troupes as part of the UK Youth Circus Network Festival. Petrea Owens from Albert & Friends reports that “the network now has over 40 member groups. This year we are aiming to have 150 young people attending the Festival and showcasing their skills as part of the Fringe.” Sokobauno Puppet Theatre, based near Loch Lomond, will be installing their 1960s Cheltenham Fawn caravan in the Garden to delight audiences with their beautiful and cosy workshops and performances. Workshops will include shadow puppetry, and performances will include A Weasel in Love. Join us for what one audience member described as “spellbinding … tiny spectacles” from 7 to 21 August. Find out more at www.rbge.org.uk/ whats-on/special-events

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BGE is working with the Scottish Poetry Library to host four month-long residencies to poets who will enrich the public’s encounters with nature. This project has been made possible thanks to Year of Natural Scotland funding from Creative Scotland and to a growing relationship between RBGE and the Scottish Poetry Library, building on previous events and joint exhibitons. Bringing people and poems together Above: Sue Butler. is the goal of the Scottish Poetry Library, and etched into the flagstone at the entrance to the Library are Patrick Geddes’s words ‘by leaves we live’. His belief that we can learn from nature to live with awareness of the interconnectedness of the world around us is key to their work and one of the central themes of poetry. The residencies are designed by RBGE and the Scottish Poetry Library to provide an exceptional opportunity for poets to immerse themselves in these magnificent Above: Mandy Haggith. environments and share their awareness, their practice, and their vision of nature with communities around Scotland and throughout the world. The project was launched to coincide with the 175th anniversary of John Muir’s birthday (21 April) and the four chosen poets were announced. They are Jean Atkin, Sue Butler, Mandy Haggith and Gerry Loose. The project encourages the poets and public to reflect upon protected environments – and by implication, the unprotected regions around them. Gardens, the poets will help interpret our They will consider their individual place collections and the visitor experiences in the natural world and the place of we offer through a regular stream other species and the human impact of poetry, upon specific commentary environments, “I only went out for and photographs and will articulate a walk and finally for the Walking the questions and concluded to stay out With Poets the enjoyment springing from till sundown, for going blog. Writing workshops and engagement with out, I found, was really guided walks at the Gardens. going in.” John Muir the Gardens will All four be at the heart Gardens will of their residencies: as one poet wrote, have their own poet in residence this "I will relish giving poems to garden year: Benmore in June, Edinburgh in lovers and encouraging writers to get July, Logan in August and Dawyck in more intimate with plants." September. During their time in the

Above: Jean Atkin.

Above: Gerry Loose.

Each poet will also be resident for a fortnight at Cove Park after their time in the Gardens. This will allow them to develop their own writing in a place of great natural beauty and interest, or as one poet put it: "growing my cuttings on, potting up developing poems, perhaps doing a little gentle pruning, composting where necessary, bringing some poetry to fruition". Check out the Walking with Poets blog at www.walkingwithpoets.com and discover words that explore and reveal the unique character of the four Gardens of RBGE through the Year of Natural Scotland.

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At home ... Find as many things as possible with a palm story. You will have to be a bit of a detective. Palms make great house plants. They were very fashionable in Victorian times and are still popular today.

The world of palms Come along to our exhibition in the John Hope Gateway and Palm Trail through the Glasshouses from 20 July to 20 October to find out more about the wonderful world of palms.

In the Palm House ...

Rattan or cane furniture is made from the stem of a very spiny tropical climbing palm. We have a good example of a rattan palm in the Tropical Palm House. Many common foodstuffs and toiletries contain edible palm products. Check your kitchen and bathroom for things (cereals, margarine, soap, cosmetics) containing coconut, dates or palm oil. Acai berries, another palm, are also becoming popular in juices and smoothies.

There are two kinds of palm leaves. One is shaped like the palm of your hand (palmate) and the other looks like a feather (pinnate). Can you find examples of both kinds? Palms fruit right up high in the crown, but very often you can see fruits lying on the ground. Look for bright red, green or brown round fruits lying beneath the big palms. As they grow leaves fall off the stems and leave behind scars. These form rings on the trunk of the tree. Count these rings on one of the tallest palms. How many more rings do you think it will grow before it reaches the very top of the Palm House and has to be cut down?

Illustration: Ryoko Tamura.

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Big 5 Vote for your favourite plant, tree or shrub

RBGE has recently launched a survey to find the nation’s favourite plants, trees and shrubs. What will the winners be? You will find some suggestions including the Scottish primrose, rowan, Scottish bluebell and Scots pine on our website. Please vote for your favourite by visiting www.rbge.org.uk/big5  Scotland’s favourite plants, trees and shrubs will be revealed later in the year. The RBGE survey supports the recently launched Scotland’s Big 5 wildlife survey by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). SNH has identified the Big 5 species as the golden eagle, the red deer, the red squirrel, the otter and the harbour seal. Do you agree?  After you have placed your vote with the Botanics’ poll above, why not vote for your favourite wildlife species at www.visitscotland.com/big5 Both surveys are part of VisitScotland’s Year of Natural Scotland celebrations.

Leafing through Natural Scotland Book Festival To celebrate the Year of Natural Scotland, join us for a weekend of talks, demonstrations and activities exploring the themes of nature, writing and our relationship with the natural world. Confirmed speakers include Sir John Lister-Kaye, T.C. Smout, Esther Woolfson, Ian Edwards and Fi Martynoga. Presented by Publishing Scotland, this book festival coincides with the exhibition Leafing through Natural Scotland in the Gateway Gallery at the John Hope Gateway from 11 May to 31 July. Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June 2013, John Hope Gateway. See www.rbge.org.uk/ leafingthrough as we finalise the programme and times.

Harmony House and Garden has enviable views of majestic Melrose Abbey. This handsome Georgian villa looks out onto a beautifully tended garden of smart croquet lawns, colourful, scented flowerbeds, and fruits and vegetables. The walled gardens are lush and secluded, giving visitors the sense of entering a private space. Adult admission £6.50

Threave Estate, Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway Covering 1,600 acres, the Estate includes Threave House, a restored Scottish baronial-style house; Threave Garden, made up of landscaped gardens and themed ‘rooms’; Threave Sculpture Garden, containing over 30 works by Scottish sculptors; and Threave Nature Reserve, featuring landscape ranging from wetlands to woodlands. Adult admission £12

Left: Malleny Garden.

Harmony Gardens, Melrose, Scottish Borders

2 for 1 entry with NTS This summer we have joined forces with the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) for a special offer for RBGE Members who can claim two tickets for the price of one on admission to four NTS gardens, located in the same regions as our own. These beautiful gardens are definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Crarae Garden, Argyll On the west coast of Scotland, near the banks of Loch Fyne, immerse yourself in Britain’s finest example of an exotic Himalayan-style woodland garden. The informal hillside layout of mature woody plants radiating out from the burn creates a wonderful natural effect. It is a magical spot at any time of year. Adult admission £6.50

Malleny Garden, Balerno, Edinburgh This hidden treasure is a 3-acre walled garden surrounded by 6 acres of woodland, found just outside Balerno. The garden is a haven for plant lovers thanks to its large variety of colourful and fragrant flowers, plants and trees. Adult admission £3.50

Redeem the offer by showing your RBGE Member’s card at the entrance. For opening times, visit www.nts.org.uk. Offer is exclusive to Friends, Companions and Patrons of the Botanics for adult admission only and valid at the four gardens stated during June and July 2013. If you are interested in becoming a Friend of the Botanics, call us on 0131 552 5339.

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Livingstone and the Garden  – poisoned arrows Ian Edwards, Head of Exhibitions and Events, explains.

a throbbing sensation in his gums one morning as he cleaned his teeth. In the correspondence between Kirk and John Hutton Balfour, Regius Keeper he explorer David Livingstone of RBGE, that followed this event, Kirk had a close encounter with was urged to discover the source of the poisoned arrows in 1858 when he was shot at while heading up the Shire deadly arrow poison from which he had now made two narrow escapes. The River on board the steamship Ma Robert, seeds he sent back to Edinburgh were in the country that is now called Malawi. from the shrub Strophanthus kombe, Accompanying Livingstone was his Chief known as kombe Medical Officer and The explorer David in the indigenous Economic Botanist, Livingstone had a close language, a member Dr (later Sir) John encounter with poisoned of the Apocynaceae Kirk, who was only arrows in 1858 when he (the dogbane and 25 years old at the time. Fortunately was shot at while heading frangipani family), one of a number of no one on board up the Shire River. plants in this family was harmed and used for making poisoned arrows or darts the enthusiastic Kirk collected some throughout tropical Africa. of the arrows that had missed their The Scottish physician Thomas Fraser, target and kept them as trophies. who also corresponded with Livingstone These were stored in the same bag as and Kirk, is credited with introducing the some of Kirk’s personal things and as a active ingredient ouabain (pronounced result he managed to contaminate his wa-ba-in) or g-strophanthin into the toothbrush with the poison, which led pharmacopoeia. As a cardiac stimulant it to an unplanned experiment on himself has a similar effect to the better known and the chance discovery of a powerful digitalin, derived from the foxglove, cardiac glycoside after he experienced

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Below: Livingstone and Kirk explored the Zambesi and Shire Valleys in a Glasgow-built steamboat Ma Robert. Ma Robert and Elephants in the Shallows of the Shire River, 1858, Thomas Baines, © Royal Geographical Society/The Bridgeman Art Library.

Above: Sir John Kirk: Courtesy of The National Library of Scotland. Acc.9942/47, f.4.

and was used throughout the 20th century in Europe as a heart drug for patients suffering from angina and other conditions. Meanwhile Kirk, who went on to be Consul in Zanzibar and play a crucial role in ending the slave trade, kept the near-fatal arrow above the mantelpiece of his home in Sevenoaks, Kent until he died. My own encounter with Strophanthus kombe was much less dramatic. Thirty years ago, when I was a Forest Officer in Malawi, I was asked by a German pharmaceutical company to collect several kilos of the seed for the production of natural ouabain. This took me to the Shire Valley, where Livingstone and Kirk had repelled hostile arrows, to gather seed from the ripe, horn-shaped, twin pods of kombe. Individual seeds are plumed and incredibly light to aid dispersal in the wind, and consequently it took me some weeks to collect sufficient seed to complete this big order! But the Shire Valley, with all ‘big five’ African mammals, plus crocodiles and hippos, was a fascinating place to stay while completing this labour-intensive task. As part of the David Livingstone 200 programme, RBGE will be staging a promenade performance through the Glasshouses, based on Kirk’s ‘Poison Arrow Letters’, as part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival during the daytime on 26 and 27 October 2013.

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Summer dates for your diary

The Hope Tree: leaves for life Photo: Helen Pugh.

Private garden openings organised by the Friends of RBGE are always popular events and raise vital funds to support the work of the Garden: On Saturday 8 June 2013, from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm, enjoy the rhododendrons, poppies and irises at 37 Woodhall Road, Colinton, Edinburgh. Dawyck Friends have organised the opening of a beautiful woodland garden at Humbie Dean, East Lothian on Sunday 9 June 2013, from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm. Booking is essential as parking space is limited. To book, please contact the Membership Office on 0131 552 5339. On Saturday 13 July 2013, from 10.30 am to 12.00 noon, an unusual collection of ferns, a delightful pond and herbaceous planting can be seen at 4 Harelaw Road, Colinton, Edinburgh. Details of these events can be found at www.rbge.org.uk/ whats-on/members-events

Keep in touch

People’s Postcode Lottery: new funding We are delighted to have been awarded an incredible £100,000 by the players of People’s Postcode Lottery, representing the start of an exciting long-term funding relationship for the Garden. Readers may recall that our Edible Gardening Project took root in 2011 thanks to an initial award from the People’s Postcode Lottery Dream Fund. In fact, we have now received a total of £205,200 from the players, which has seen the project – a demonstration site run by two horticultural experts and volunteers, who offer hands-on advice on how to ‘grow your own’ – go from strength to strength over the past two years. Our new funding

is proving invaluable, allowing us to embark on the next stage of the Edible Gardening Project as well as providing much-needed support to our core plant research, conservation and education work.

Photo: Brenda White.

Friends, Companions and Patrons of the Botanics can keep up to date on all things happening at RBGE through our monthly Members’ e-newsletters. If you don’t currently receive the e-newsletter but would like to do so, send us an email at [email protected] with your full name and postal address and we’ll make sure you start receiving the latest news, events and Members’ offers from the Botanics.

The Hope Tree continues to be one of the most popular schemes within Celebrate Life, our commemorative programme. It is one of the only options for a permanent commemoration or celebration within the Garden, as our Bench and Tree Adoption schemes by their nature are only possible to offer for a ten-year period. We have experienced a recent flurry of spring purchases but there are many more bronze, silver and gold leaves available, which can be purchased either in remembrance of someone special or as a wonderfully unique gift to commemorate an event such as a summer wedding or notable birthday. See: celebratelife.rbge.org.uk/hope-tree

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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] Edinburgh Friends Quiz Night

Friends of RBGE

You would expect to find a whole host of experts at RBGE for a largely botanical quiz, but there was plenty to trip up experts and enthuse the lively crowd who gathered for a fish and chip supper and a shot at the wide range of questions. Pete Brownless, RBGE’s Nursery Supervisor, proved to be an adept quizmaster, keeping a tight rein on the timekeeping and sorting out conflicts of opinion! It was an evening when laughter echoed round the Conference Room and at one point the whole room enthusiastically sang ‘Edelweiss’. A happy event which we hope will be repeated.

Benmore Friends The Benmore Friends have had a varied and successful programme over the winter/spring season. There were three outdoor events: a Fungal Foray with Senior Mycologist Stephan Helfer; a Winter Walk around Benmore with Curator Peter Baxter; and a tree-planting ceremony performed by Patrick Stewart, Lord Lieutenant for Argyll and Bute, to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. Indoors in the Gallery the unique Christmas event was fully subscribed and there have been four well-attended talks: on Oman, given by Sabina Knees; rhododendrons, by Carol Rowe; Yunnan, by David Gray; and the story of Benmore, by Alan Bennell. Benmore Friends are grateful to Members who supported these events and for their favourable comments.

Behind the scenes at the Botanics Looking to autumn, a major event for Members will take place: Behind the Scenes at the Botanics on Saturday 7 September 2013. It will be an opportunity for Members to see what happens in areas of the Garden to which the general public do not normally have access. At the same time, Members will learn more about the extensive biodiversity and conservation work carried out by RBGE both nationally and internationally. The programme will consist of a series of short presentations, tours and demonstrations. So why not save the date and put 7 September in your diary now!

Above: Peter Baxter, Curator at Benmore Botanic Garden, giving a tour. Photo: Elisabeth Aldam.

Hot off the press The Edinburgh Friends have been working with John Mitchell, RBGE Alpines Supervisor, and Brightwater Holidays in planning a trip to China in 2014. ‘In the Footsteps of George Forrest’ promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit Yunnan where so many of the plants we know and love in the Botanics and in our own gardens originated. We hope to see you at the launch of the tour on the evening of Wednesday 17 July 2013. Booking forms can be requested from the Membership Office.

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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh WAY ATE 9 PE GBER 200 O H N O JOH OCT NEWPENING O

Open daily (except 25 December and 1 January)

Help count the species in the Garden

Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR Tel: 0131 552 7171 • Email: [email protected] Admission to the Garden is free; charge applies to the Glasshouses.

21 June 2013, 6.00 pm – 10.30 pm 22 June 2013, 10.00 am – 5.30 pm For all ages

Benmore Botanic Garden

Join the challenge to record as much wildlife as possible over a 24-hour period in the Garden. Meet naturalists, learn about the wildlife of the Botanics and help with the recording effort. Every species counts! RBGE Edinburgh Garden and John Hope Gateway.

Open daily 1 March to 31 October Dunoon, Argyll, PA23 8QU Tel: 01369 706261 • Email: [email protected] Admission charge applies.

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Logan Botanic Garden ers.

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Open Sundays only in February Open daily 15 March to 31 October Port Logan, Dumfries and Galloway, DG9 9ND Tel: 01776 860231 • Email: [email protected] Admission charge applies.

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For a full programme of walks, talks and events go to www.rbge.org.uk/ whats-on/bioblitz

Sunday 2 June 2013

The Glasshouses at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Support Scotland’s Gardens Scheme

Open daily 1 February to 30 November Stobo, Scottish Borders, EH45 9JU Tel: 01721 760254 • Email: [email protected] Admission charge applies.

For further information about the Gardens visit

www.rbge.org.uk For a What’s on guide, contact Alice Young Tel: 0131 248 2991 • Email: [email protected]

On Sunday 2 June, the Edinburgh Garden will be supporting Scotland’s Gardens Scheme by donating a percentage of Glasshouse admissions to help beneficiaries including Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres. ult, . ad nc So it’s a great day to visit the Glasshouses .50 .50 co 4 £ s £3 ly if you are in Edinburgh. ry i n, ami Ent hildre £9 f d £1 c an

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