Autumn in the Garden - blue skies make all the difference!

Don't forget!

Sunday 1st November 2015 Neil Paterson, Education Officer at the Garden. 
From Sea to Shining Sea: some gardens and green spaces of the United States. 
Education Centre in the Garden at 2 p.m.
Free to members of the Friends; others £2. 

THE GREAT ‘DUNDEE’ CHARITY BAKE OFF

Organised by the Dundee Botanic Garden Endowment Trust.
Where? Doubletree by Hilton
When? Thursday 29th October 2015 from 7-9.30pm
How much? £15

https://sites.dundee.ac.uk/botanicgardentrust/the-great-dundee-halloween-bake-off/

The Events page has been updated - have a look and see the programme of talks from October 2015 to March 2016.

A successful  day for the Garden at the Dundee Food and Flower Festival as the display created by Bob and his team on the theme of Scottish food and drink won a Silver Medal certificate. Well done all.

Audrey and Margaret on duty  at the stand.

The Silver Medal certificate

September's plant of the month

Hydrangea arborescens ssp. discolor ‘Sterilis’

Family: Hydrangaceae   Origin: Garden   Accession: 1975

location: by the Rose Garden

Botanic Garden on the Beechgrove Garden!

On 30^th July 2015  the Beechgrove Garden  were filming for a full day in the Botanic Garden for a  6 to 8 minute section within the programme.   

The areas covered we believe are:

• Opening with Jim McColl talking about the Macro Micro Building
• Evolution Garden – with Neil Patterson & Jim McColl
• Genetics Garden – with Professor Claire Halpin & Jim McColl

The programme is scheduled to be shown on:

• Thursday 20^th August 2015 on BBC 2 (Scotland) at 7.30pm
• Sunday 23^rd August 2015 on BBC 2 at 09.00am

All very exciting - a "must watch"?

August: Plant of the Month

Cassinia vauvilliersii (Mountain cottonwood)

Family: Asteraceae    Origin: New Zealand   Accession: 2010

find it in amongst the Australasia plants.

The Friends at Barnhill Rock Garden Gala Birthday on Saturday 11 July

Plants disappearing like hot cakes

Elaine's balancing butterflies were very popular

The snails were popular with the children but not so much with the grown-ups

Seen in the garden this month

All you need now is a frog.

Bees enjoying the eryngium in the glasshouse border

We had company in the workplace at the Garden yesterday: part of Dr Chris Connolly's research on the  impact of environmental toxins on insect health - counting bumble bees and measuring the impact of insecticides on the colonies.

Planting a second row of lavender in the new herb garden in a very  straight line

All laid out and ready to go

Hard at work planting

Watering them in  on a very hot day

The Friends had a stall at WestFest on Sunday 7th June and raised another £112 by selling plants. The gazebo stayed up in spite of the wind!

New kid on the blocks at the Garden - whatever next!

Next time you are in he may be in his final position, wherever that will be. Meantime, he is near the dry stone walls.

Plant Power day and Friends' plant sale

We'd love to see you at the Plant Power day in the Garden this coming Saturday 23 May,  from 10am till 4pm, to co-incide with the International Fascination of Plants Day http ://fascinationofplantsday . org/home . htm

This is also the day of the Friends' annual plant sale, our main fundraiser of the year, so we hope you will come along and buy plants as well as enjoy all the fun things happening in the Garden.

Plant for May

Larix griffithii (Sikkim Larch)

Family: Pinaceae    Origin: E Himalaya     Accession: 1978

Lots to look at in the Garden at the moment, and we are busy potting up lots of annuals for summer colour too.

Camellia

Magnolia

Arum lily 

April's Plant of the Month

Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii'
(Camperdown elm)

Family: Ulmaceae   Origin: Scotland   Accession: 1974

The Camperdown Elm is a natural mutant of Scotland’s native wych elm. It was discovered by chance around 1835 by the Earl of Camperdown’s head forester David Taylor, who transplanted the tree to the grounds of Camperdown House on the outskirts of Dundee where it still survives. Unlike surrounding elms it has not succumbed to Dutch elm disease, perhaps because of its small stature or contorted habit; its bizarre branch structure has been likened to a living sculpture. Its flower buds open in spring, though it cannot reproduce from seed. However it has been widely propagated from cuttings, usually grafted onto wych elms, and many examples were planted in Britain and America, satisfying the Victorian passion for curiosities.

find it among the Americas

Spring is springing in the Botanic Garden

A sculptural kalanchoe in the temperate glasshouse

Masses of flowers on this kalanchoe in the temperate glasshouse

Clivia in the temperate glasshouse

In the native plants area of the Garden

Spring propagation workshop

Sunday 29 March, led by Clare Reaney, Horticultural Technician at the Garden. Meet at Reception in the main building from 2-4pm.
The workshop will take the format of a “walk and talk” in the garden to discuss suitable plants for spring propagation, followed by a practical session which will include seed sowing and root cuttings. 
Cost free to members of the Friends; non-members £5. 
Wear suitable clothing and bring your own secateurs and gloves. 
Numbers are limited to 15 so booking essential. Please book by Thursday 19 March - email Alison Gordon alisongordon49@gmail.com or telephone 01382 350990