Sibbaldia - the Journal of Botanic Garden Horticulture (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Journals)
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Winter Protection of Tree Ferns at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Get PDFTen plants of six species of tree fern were trialled for frost hardiness during the winter of 2005/06 when they were planted outdoors in the ground of an interior courtyard at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The species were Culcita macrocarpa, Cyathea dealbata, Cyathea dregei,Cyathea smithii, Dicksonia antarctica and Thyrsopteris elegans. An additional specimen of C. dregei was planted in the main garden. The apex region of each tree fern was fitted with an electric thermometer probe to record weekly minimum and maximum temperatures. These were compared with the air temperatures of the courtyard. For thermal insulation, the trunks and crowns of the three Cyathea species were encased in straw. The prostrate rhizomes of C. macrocarpa and T. elegans were covered respectively with leaf litter, straw and a polystyrene tile. As comparators, three trunked specimens of D. antarctica were given no winter wrapping, since previous experience had shown it to be unnecessary. All ten plants survived the winter of 2005/06 which was colder than average, and put out new growth the following spring. Fronds of D. antarctica and C. macrocarpa stayed green; the fronds of the other species were withered by the coldest exposures when the air temperature reached 4.7°C.Compared with the main botanic garden, the courtyard provided a relatively mild microclimate. It was on average 2.5 °C warmer than the air temperature measured in the screen of the main garden weather station, and 7.7°C warmer than the ‘grass’ temperature in the main garden, which went down to –13°C at its lowest. All tree fern apices registered sub-zero temperatures, the range in different plants being from –0.3 to –3.4°C. The apex regions did not get as cold as the surrounding air temperature, which ranged between 0.5 and 2.3°C. The three D. antarctica (without added insulation) had minimum apical temperatures in the same range as the species that were wrapped for the winter. The insulation effect in the apex regions was also shown by the weekly maximum temperatures, which on average were lower than those of the courtyard air maxima.In conclusion, the combination of the locally favourable microclimate of the courtyard, plus appropriate trunk and crown insulation provided for some species, allowed the planting outdoors, of tree ferns normally grown in Edinburgh under heated glass
Botanic Garden Profile: Dawyck Botanic Garden
Get PDFDawyck became the third Regional Garden and part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1978. Today the garden extends to some 25 hectares (60 acres) (See Map, Fig. 1) and is the woodland garden of what was once a considerably larger designed landscape centered on Dawyck House, which is currently a private residence. The garden today has some of the oldest plants in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s living collection including an Abies alba, planted in 1690, and several Larix decidua, planted in 1725. It has recorded perhaps the greatest extremes of temperature, –19.8 °C in December 1995 and 29.9 °C in August 2006, of any of the four gardens
The Use of Hand Held Tablet Laptops to Record Living Collections
Get PDFPlant records in botanic gardens are very important and are one of the factors that distinguish them from other types of plant collection. Stocktaking, to ensure that the records held in the database are reflected in the actual plants growing in the Garden, is a particularly important but very time-consuming process. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is experimenting with a ruggedised laptop connected to the main database by using a wireless connection and mobile phone technology so that records can be updated ‘live’ in the garden. This paper describes the issues and lists the specification of the equipment being tested
Characteristics of an Exemplary Living Collection
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to analyse the characteristics that define a plant collection. In 2002 Chicago Botanic Garden benchmarked the living plant collections in national and international botanic gardens and arboreta in seven countries. The result of the study revealed that there were twelve characteristics of an exemplary living collection. These were:
I. Institutional Collections Policy and Development PlansII. High diversity (breadth in taxa and germplasm)III. Depth or areas of specialization (plant-related areas)IV. Thorough record-keepingV. Care – maintenance practicesVI. An active Verification ProgrammeVII. Plants of wild origin with cultivated plants from their introducerVIII. Taxa of conservation concernIX. Staff expertise (knowledge acquired from the building and study of the Collection)X. Public access (to view and study plants and benefit from associated Programming)XI. Plant Exploration ProgrammesXII. Relevance to science and society for multiple generation
The Cultivation of Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) :: a Flagship Species for Botanic Gardens
Get PDFOne of the most exciting plant species is the Titan Arum, Amorphophallus titanum, which can truly be regarded as a flagship species for botanic gardens. Wild populations suffer from an increasing pressure on their natural habitat, but botanic gardens can play an important role in the ex-situ conservation of the species. The cultivation of A. titanum is not easy but it offers an irresistible challenge for any keen horticulturist. The University of Bonn Botanic Gardens (Germany) has more than seventy years of experience in the cultivation of this giant and the purpose of this paper is to help the botanic garden community to achieve success in the cultivation of this fascinating plant
Establishing and Maintaining Monocarpic Meconopsis in Livingi Collections
Get PDFWhile the large blue-flowered Meconopsis (such as M. betonicifolia) are popular now, it was the large monocarpic species that attracted most attention up until the 1970’s. The reasons for the latter’s fall from popularity include the fact that they have to be raised from seed each year, the lack of authenticated material, hybridisation in cultivation, climate change and fashion. Ease of hybridisation in cultivation means that it is difficult to maintain authenticated, wildsource material in cultivation and this limits research potential. In this paper the 14 species of subsection Eupolychaetia are briefly described, followed by discussions on building a collection and collecting seeds in the wild. A short description on seed propagation and storage concludes the paper
Cryptogams in a Horticultural Setting in Scotland
Get PDFThe exhibiting of living cryptogams at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh and Dawyck Botanic Garden is described with the hope that from the management procedures experienced, other institutions will follow and demonstrate to the public these important components of our natural heritage