One year in – January 2024

It has now been over a year since I became the AGS trainee. What an exhilarating year 2023 has been. I have learnt new skills, met many great people from the horticulture industry, and worked in fantastic places around the UK and abroad. Whilst writing this, I have looked back through thousands of photographs which I have taken along the way. I have so many fond memories and notepads stuffed with information. All of this will be extremely useful for future reference.

There are now just five months left of my 18-month traineeship and I have made plans to do many exciting things during this time. Keep reading my monthly diary to find out what I have been doing.

After a break over the Christmas period, spent with family and friends, I was looking forward to heading back to Royal Botanical Gardens of Edinburgh for my final stint as a trainee.

In the depth of winter we trawled through seed lists to see what we would like to sow from seed that has been collected over the years on various expeditions. We have since been busy sowing them.

Bulbs are beginning to burst into life and we have started watering them more often. Myself and other students at RBGE had a masterclass in micropropagation from Ross which was very interesting. I have always been curious how micropropagation is done. What follows is a more detailed account of what I have been up to this January at RBGE.

As many bulbs are beginning to burst into growth, watering has been increased, however we keep a check on the weather forecast, as it is best to keep plants on the dry side if a frost is imminent. This year, in the Alpine Department we have started using a winter feed which was recommended by another alpine grower in Scotland. We apply this new feed using a dosatron.

We have also been working through the glasshouses, repotting plants which have been propagated from seed or cuttings into the next larger-sized pot. A large number of these plants sit on benches of damp sand; this lowers the risk of the plant of drying out and dying. Good plant health and hygiene practice is very important, especially with such a large, important plant collection like the one at RBGE. To lower the risk of pests and diseases, we have been checking plants whilst repotting and we have treated the sand benches with Jeys Fluid, to lower the risk of pests and diseases which may be lurking in the sand.

Seed Sowing

Every year, Scott Cook, the senior in the Alpine Department, looks through seed lists and selects seed which will be beneficial to sow for the alpine department and for the Rock Garden. Seed lists are printed off and we search through the freezers to find the seed. Wild seed is categorised into expeditions. A small proportion of seed is decanted from each variety, which is then taken to the alpine potting shed where we sow it.

Last January I helped with sow seeds at RBGE. This time we have changed the mix to 50:50 John Innes and grit, as last year the seed pots were holding too much moisture and large amounts of moss made an appearance. We have been sowing lots of Lilium seeds. Before sowing, we have allowed the seed to soak in a mix of Hydrogen peroxide, water and sugar. This mixture helps to kickstart germination of lily seed. We even found that some seeds started to germinate after leaving them to soak in this solution overnight.

A few of the seeds have been sown using a different technique, such as Rhododendrons. We used the same seed mix but put a layer of damp sphagnum moss on top of the compost and carefully sprinkled the seed over the moss. These have been put into sealed plastic to keep humidity high and placed under glass. We have been checking regularly for signs of germination.

Micropropagation

I have always wanted to learn more about micropropagation. I was very fortunate to attend a masterclass with other students, where Ross Irvine showed us how RBGE carry out micropropagation.

Over the last few years, the Rhododendron collection at RBGE has been declining, due to a number of factors such as climate change, pests and old age. This means many accessions have been lost. Propagation techniques such as layering or taking cuttings have often failed as the parent plants are in poor condition. This is why RBGE have started using micropropagation, which is a good way of bringing old stock material back to life.

Due to health and safety precautions, we weren’t allowed to try micropropagation out for ourselves. However, Ross showed us the step-by-step process, talking us through the materials which are used, showing us how to make stock solutions, how to prepare the jelly, keeping the work area clean and how to prepare the buds. We also learned about aftercare, once plants are established. I really enjoyed the morning with Ross, I found it fascinating and learnt a lot about why micropropagation is so important to keep the Rhododendron collection going for years to come.

Plants of interest

Gymnospermium albertii

Photographed here in the Rovero Bulb House at RBGE. A member of the Berberidaceae family. It comes from rocky hillsides in central Asia and can be found mainly in the Chimgan Valley of Uzbekistan. It is around 15 cm tall when in full growth.

Dionysia microphylla

Native to north-west Afghanistan. Can be found growing in sunny sites and semi shade in either sloping or vertical limestone rocks, at an altitude of around 1200 – 1400m.

Crocus ancyrensis

This species can be found in central and northern Turkey, where it grows in climates with cold snowy winters and warm summers. Known for its bright orange-yellow, unmarked flowers.