Meconopsis looking good in the Garden - as a volunteer it is very gratifying to see what you handled as a tiny seedling grow into something like this!

Plant Sale - 17th May

      

Garden Visit

The visit to Frances's garden -  one of the best kept secrets of the West End -  was a great success. The plants were outstanding and the sun shone!

Friends of the Botanic Garden - our plant sale is this Saturday, 17 May, from 12 noon to 3pm, in the Garden
Do  come along and see what we have to offer.
Also in the Garden - Plant Power. Click on the the tab above to see more.

Riverside Nature Park

Welcome back our Summer visitor. Come along and spot  old residents and new arrivals. Keen birders have spotted 135 species at the Park since it opened.

The Friends of Riverside Nature Park are hosting bird-watching events:

Sunday 4 May at 6:00 am to witness the  Dawn Chorus 

and on Saturday, 3  May at 8.30 am for a Guided Walk. 

Please wear suitable clothing and footwear. 

Free event and all welcome. 

Meet at car park, Wright Avenue. 

Binoculars, birding scopes and field guides would be 

useful but not vital. 

For further information please contact: 

Natalie Mackland 

Email: natalie.mackland@dundeecity.gov.ukTelephone: 435873 

The Work of the Woodland Trust in Scotland

10 members of the Friends enjoyed an excellent talk from Jim Christie of the Woodland Trust Scotland on Thursday 24th April, focusing on the work done by the Trust at Glen Devon, east of Dollar, and at Glen Finglas, west of Callander. 
Jim's wide ranging talk covered the effects of humans and animals on the demise of the native forests, and how the Trust is restoring them.
The UK is one of the least wooded countries in Europe, and the Trust aims to improve that.
We heard how they use cattle (trampling the ground making it receptive to seed germination), and children (local schools are invited to help with tree planting, on the basis that these children will be the future custodians of the woods).
We heard how the vole population exploded when sheep numbers at Glen Finglas were drastically reduced, because the vole burrows were undisturbed by sheep hooves, and how perching poles had to be put up for raptors to control the voles.
From Jim's photographs we saw how discreet the Woodland Trust access roads are compared to those for the nearby wind farm.
We heard about planting wildflowers in Geordie's wood at Glen Devon.
Just a few snippets of information from a most interesting talk.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/

Minutes

February's minutes are now posted. The next committee meeting is at the end of May.

The Work of the Woodland Trust in Scotland

Thursday, 24th April 2014 at 7pm - 8pm

Education Centre, Dundee University Botanic Garden

On Thursday 24 April Jim Christie of the Woodland Trust will give a talk at the Education Centre at the Garden at 7pm. Jim is a voluntary warden at the Woodland Trust’s Glen Devon site, and was instrumental in setting the site up. Friends of the garden free, visitors £2.

Plant Sale

Plant Power

The Garden is hosting a day of activities for all the family 

on 

Saturday, 17th May from 10 am - 4.0 pm

Entrance to the Garden is free during these times. 

Don't miss the key event 

THE FRIENDS' ANNUAL PLANT SALE

from 12.0 AM - 3.0 PM

see the poster on the Plant Power page for further details

Fun Run

This year the 

5K Fun Run 

will take place on Thursday,  15th May, beginning at 7.30 PM.

Entry £5 payable on the night. 

The Run is open to all levels of ability and offers a unique opportunity

 to enjoy this remarkable setting. 

In association with the Institute of Sport and Exercise

April:Plant of the Month

Rhododendron uvariifolium ‘Yangtse Bend’

Family: Ericaceae   Origin: China    Accession: 1976

find it among the Asian Plants

This Saturday!

Saturday, March 29th, at 2.0 PM Plant Heritage Lecture; 
Professor Michael Tooley will give a talk on “Gertrude Jekyll and the plants she bred at Munstead Wood”. Admission is £5 and booking is essential. Contact Frances Tait 01382 665719

March plant of the month

Cornus mas (Cornelian cherry)

Family: Cornaceae   Origin: Central & Southern Europe   Accession: 1975

find it north of Loch Macar

Cornus mas is a hardy deciduous shrub up to 4m in height and spread, with oval leaves turning purple in autumn. Small clusters of tiny flowers each with 4 bright yellow petals open in late winter before the leaves appear, to be followed by glossy red, cherry-like fruits. The fruit is edible, it has an acidic flavour and is mainly used for making jam. In Azerbaijan and Armenia, the fruit is used for distilling vodka. It is often used as a medicine in Eastern Europe, being high in Vitamin C. The wood of C. mas is extremely dense and has traditionally been used for making weapons and tool handles

Minutes

January's minutes are now ready to view. Our next meeting is on 
16th April so the Minutes for February won't be published until then. 

Reminder

Ideas for the Small Garden

Local Garden Designer Alison Hogg will discuss the topic and answer your questions

on Sunday, 16th February

at 2.00 PM

in the Education Centre

The event is free to Friends and £2 for visitors

February's Plant of the Month

Callistemon citrinus ‘Splendens’ (Bottlebrush)

Family: Myrtaceae     Origin: Australia      Accession: 1976

find it in the temperate glasshouse

HERA

On Monday evening the Chair and committee members of the Harris Academy Adult Education Group presented a cheque to the Friends, represented here by Donald, Sylvia, Frances, and Pam, on the disbandment of the charity  The Friends of Balgay also benefited from a donation. 

Talk

Ideas for the Small Garden

Local Garden Designer Alison Hogg will discuss the topic and answer your questions

on Sunday, 16th February

at 2.00 PM

in the Education Centre

The event is free to Friends and £2 for visitors

Minutes

The Minutes of the November meeting are now available.

Happy New Year!

Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax, harakeke

Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae  Origin: New Zealand  Accession: 1979

Location:Australasian plants

It is native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. The long fibres extracted from its leaves were widely used, originally in Māori traditional textiles and also in rope and sail making after the arrival of Europeans up until at least WWII. It is an invasive species in some of the Pacific islands and in Australia.