Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - alpine house and news

[alanelliott]

Alan - it is really sad to hear this because it implies that the problems are only set to get worse if these are 'professional' thieves. And at least from my point of view a great stimulation of growing plants comes from showing them to others; that must be particularly true for a Botanic Garden.

I imagine the worst case might be the point where anything in the research collection will remain behind the scenes or will only be allowed out when in locked up in cases.  I'm with you Maggie it is massively infuriating I get wild thinking about it.

Al

[Maggi Young]

I'm not really happy that these thefts  get me thinking about volunteering to keep watch with a loaded shotgun but I do feel strongly about this. 
Tim is right, or course, thefts ave always happened and it seems that even is something is tied down there will be some lowlife who is willing to pinch it - but I think of  all the wonderful generous gardeners we all know - and perhaps it is that, and the hope that we could all be like that and I want to think we ARE all like that, that it seems such an outrage that this things are happening in our sphere of interest. Yes, I DO thing we should be better than this.  "Sigh!"

[Matt T]

What's frustrating about this is that it will likely mean that honest and genuinely interested plantspeople, like those of us on this Forum, are likely to find it increasingly difficult to see these special and interesting plants because their custodians cannot take the risk of displaying them. There are lots of plants that I would love to get my hands on, but if they're not available through legitimate means, I just accept it. It's sickening that some folk are selfish enough to help themselves. I'll take turns on watch with you Maggie.

[Maggi Young]

RE:  RBGE after the Tajikistan expedition .........

John Mitchell writes :
Please find the final blog and video of expedition to Tajikistan http://stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/12209

[zephirine]

OMG...I just realized that what I thought was a mere railway station at the Lyon-St-Exupery airport was in fact a...giant alpine glasshouse!!! 
Do you think they expect to show giant alpines there ? ? ? 

[Maggi Young]

Giants for sure - perhaps Rheum nobile?   

[Tim Ingram]

Great video from John and Kit et al. What an experience! Look forward to talks in the future and some driving lessons!

[Maggi Young]

John Mitchell will be speaking on Tajikistan at the Weekend Conference held after the AGS AGM, Tim.

One of the items at the AGM will be the ratification of Martin Rogerson's appointment as Director of Shows - well known in these pages as a cute baby with a love of via ferrata, I wish Martin success in his new job - so much for a peaceful retirement!

[Tim Ingram]

I am not sure that we can generate sufficient interest in the plants that we grow at the moment to afford to attend this year. But it should be a good meeting I think.

[Maggi Young]

It is 50 years since the new Herbarium and Library at Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden was opened.

This item repeated from a BBC report  by David Miller BBC Scotland environment correspondent
( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-28404828 )

It is 50 years since the Queen officially opened the herbarium and library building at Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden. But what goes on inside?

Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden is a perennial favourite with visitors to the city and locals alike.
However, few ever step inside the large, white building with huge arched windows standing in one corner of the garden, which houses the herbarium and library.

The work that goes on here rarely attracts the public's attention, but for botanists around the world, the building is a vitally important research facility that helps them piece together an ever-more detailed understanding of the plant kingdom.
It is also home to fascinating archives that tell the story of the Royal Botanic Garden itself.
That story began in the 17th century and a small, leather-bound book kept under lock and key in the basement still provides an extraordinary insight into the garden's beginnings.

'Physic garden'

Lorna Mitchell, head of library services, tells me: "This is a copy of James Sutherland's Hortus Medicus Edinburghensis.
This is the first catalogue of the plant collection. At the time, this was the physic garden that was located near Holyrood, the original site.

The garden was founded in 1670 by Robert Sibbald and Andrew Balfour and they appointed Sutherland as their superintendent and he became our first regius keeper. He produced this first catalogue of the plants which were growing in the garden at that time."

The building's upper floors are home to a huge collection of plant specimens, collected over the intervening centuries during scientific expeditions to the four corners of the globe.
That work continues today.

Elspeth Haston, deputy herbarium curator, said: "What you're seeing here is 4,000 grey cabinets and inside those there are three million herbarium specimens collected from all parts of the world and dating back to 1697.
"It's one of the key resources in the world which botanists use in their research."

New Town

Scientists still travel to Edinburgh to examine the specimens.
That journey can be crucial to botanists working to identify new plant species that they suspect may never have been discovered before.
But digital technology is making it easier for those botanists to study the collection without ever travelling to Scotland.

Dr Haston said:
 "We're finding it's opening up our collections to people around the world.
We are currently digitising our collections and we have now got a quarter of a million images of the specimens online and available on our website. They're being used by people from around the world who can download them and use them for their research."

It is a service that would have been inconceivable to the gentlemen who, on a February evening in 1836, attended a meeting at 15 Dundas Street in Edinburgh's New Town.

That meeting led to the creation of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh and plans for "the formation of a public herbarium and library".
But the goal of exploring, explaining and conserving the world of plants remains unchanged and is now arguably more important than ever.
The story of the Herbarium is told in the Botanical Treasures Exhibition at the John Hope Gateway in the Royal Botanic Garden. It is open until 30 September 2014. Admission is free.

How marvelous that this  project to digitise the herbarium is truly bringing to full fruition that hope from 1836 for a public herbarium and library and opening the resource of the herbarium to a world wide audience.

[Maggi Young]

Thanks to Alan Elliott for this link : http://stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/12334 for an article on
Herbarium specimens collected during World War I :
4th August 1914 – collections on the day that war was declared between Britain and Germany from
H. von Handel-Mazzetti, Reginald Farrer  and Roland Edgar Cooper - all names which will I think be familiar to many in the Club.

[Maggi Young]

At The Botanics: New job vacancies posted  -  including Digitisation/Technical Developer & Digitisation/Volunteer Co-ordinator
http://www.rbge.org.uk/about-us/vacancies
Research Scientist: Mycologist
MemberShip Event Co-ordinator
Digitisation/Technical Developer
Digitisation/Volunteer Co-ordinator

[Maggi Young]

Another post at RBGE - this may be the best job in horticulture!
http://www.rbge.org.uk/about-us/vacancies#vacancydoh for all details/links

Director of Horticulture & Education


"The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is seeking a dynamic and effective leader to help manage and develop one of the world’s most renowned botanic gardens. Reporting directly to the Regius Keeper (Chief Executive), the successful candidate will lead the Division of Horticulture and Education and, working with fellow Directors, play a critical and influential role in the strategic development and management of this global institution.
Working as part of our senior management team, this is a varied role, contributing to a wide range of activities across the organisation. We curate internationally renowned collections of living plants in our four gardens which support our national and international conservation and research programmes, we deliver a wide-ranging educational programme for every stage in life, and run one of the most popular tourist attractions in Scotland.
The Garden has a highly ambitious vision. We are in the process of embarking on a number of exciting capital projects to enhance our capability and capacity to maintain our world-class status in conservation and plant sciences, as well as increasing the enjoyment provided to the visiting public.

This is a post for somebody with vision, enthusiasm, excellent communication skills and ability to inspire and engage others.  Candidates will need to have a strong background in horticulture, and ideally a good understanding and appreciation of education programmes in a horticultural and botanical context.. An understanding of how horticulture can work with other Garden operations to generate income is an increasingly important aspect of the position.

Further information on the post, including a job description and person specification, can be downloaded from this page.  This is a full-time post, and flexible working arrangements could be considered as part of the role.

Interested applicants should send a CV and covering letter outlining the skills and experience they could bring to the post, along with a completed equal opportunities questionnaire, to recruitment@rbge.org.uk no later than 5pm GMT on Fri. 29th August."

 

I surmise that Dr David Rae is retiring or moving on from this post.
http://www.rbge.org.uk/about-us/news/stories/royal-society-makes-david-rae-its-horticultural-first

[Maggi Young]

Gentiana paradoxa flowering in the alpine area of The Botanics - photo by Cameron Tasker

[Maggi Young]

Another post available at RBGE - this time for a myologist :
http://www.rbge.org.uk/assets/files/about_us/Vacancies/Mycologist%20Job%20Description%20&%20Person%20Spec.pdf