June 2025

With no field trips on the calendar this month, June was all about turning my attention back to the RBGE collection. It was great to have time to really focus on our own plants and spaces, as there never seems to be enough time or hands to get every task done at the correct time in the growing calendar. 

Propagating the fussy ones 

I kicked things off with Dionysia propagation, always a bit of a high-stakes endeavour. These cushion-forming alpines don’t exactly suffer fools gladly, so it was a careful, steady process to take cuttings and set them up for success. I found some species were significantly easier than others, mostly thanks to rosette size, stem structure, or maybe general attitude. Dionysia ‘Marika’- a delight, practically propagates itself. Dionysia aretioides- fully committed to falling apart out of sheer spite, clearly has a death wish. Well, fingers crossed for good rooting … maybe I should have put someone else’s initials on the labels! 

Seasonal Colour Explosion 

The herbaceous borders, the alpine troughs and the surrounding puddle planting absolutely burst to life this month due to the mix of sunshine and downpours. It’s such a rewarding time to see all that structure and planning pay off with bold colour and textural interest. The puddle plantings are still able to show off, even with some recent unusual behaviour from an unwelcome pest determined to ruin their display. A badger has been repeatedly enjoying a midnight feast of ants! However, it is obviously not only the planned plants that love this weather combination. With June’s signature mix of hot sun and torrential rain, it seems every weed in Edinburgh decided this was its moment to shine. Weeding was then dialled up to 11, keeping us all busy staying on top of things before they got away from us. 

Australasian Troughs: A happy check-in 

I also revisited my Australasian troughs for the first thorough inspection in a while. It’s always a bit of a hold your breath moment … but I was delighted, and seriously relieved, to see not only survival, but genuine thriving! Always nice when plants make you look good. 

Local Garden Visits and Wild Orchids 

I also took advantage of the Scottish Gardens Scheme to visit a few local gems and revisited my old stomping ground Moray Feu gardens where they have a thriving orchid population. We believe they may have been introduced by the extensive number of residential dogs returning from Arthur’s Seat, as there are no other populations nearby, and it is very unusual in such an urban setting in the city centre. And on a wilder note, I headed up Arthur’s Seat to also see the native orchids in bloom, always a nice reminder of just how spectacular our own wild flora can be. 

Managing the Alpine Meadow 

Our alpine meadow demanded a bit of tough love this month. It’s become too nutrient rich. In a botanic garden setting, that’s actually a problem, as alpine meadows in the wild thrive on lean, often gravelly soils, where nutrients are scarce and competition is balanced. Too much richness tips the scales in favour of thuggish grasses and coarse species that crowd out the more delicate alpines we’re trying to encourage.  

So, we began the first phase of management to help steer it back to a wilder, more authentic balance. This means targeted cutting and removing a layer which gradually depletes soil fertility. Over time, this gives the more specialist, slow growing alpine and meadow species a fighting chance to establish and spread. It’s oddly satisfying work. The hope is that with a bit of patience and regular management we’ll see more diverse, floristically rich growth next year. Fingers crossed for colour and texture that does the hillsides of Scotland and beyond proud! 

Pruning with the Pros 

And finally, one of this month’s real highlights was attending a Japanese garden pruning workshop at the beautiful Lauriston Castle, led by the incredible Leslie Buck. Leslie has trained in traditional Japanese pruning and has a wonderfully approachable, Californian style of delivery, equal parts practical advice and a strong sense of ‘spirit of place’. It wasn’t just a set of technical instructions, but a whole philosophy on working with the character of each plant and the landscape it inhabits. 

For someone whose pruning style has historically been a bit on the ‘rough and ready’ side, it was inspiring to slow down and really think about why I’m making each cut. Leslie talked us through the difference between thinning, heading, and tipping, showing how each technique changes the look and growth of the plant. It was like having someone hand over a secret code for reading plant structure. I especially appreciated her emphasis on intention, you don’t just chop for the sake of it, you’re shaping the way light moves through a canopy, guiding the viewer’s eye, and even influencing how the plant will respond next season. She made sure to say there are guidelines, sure, but no hard and fast rules. It always depends on the species, the setting, and what you’re trying to achieve. 

It was a great reminder that horticulture isn’t just maintenance, it’s craft. Even a task as familiar as pruning can be an act of design and storytelling, if you take the time to think it through. I left with a notebook full of ideas and a renewed commitment to treat my secateurs as precision tools, not blunt instruments of chaos! 

Now I’m off to be thoroughly munched by midgies with the Scottish Natives team, before getting scorched to a crisp at The Alpine Garden on the Schachen (a satellite garden of Munich Botanic Garden), where Jenny Wainwright-Klein is curator. Honestly? I couldn’t be more excited for July, bring on the bites, burns, and alpine adventures!