We hope you have enjoyed the SRGC Forum. You can make a Paypal donation to the SRGC by clicking the above button

Author Topic: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands  (Read 7059 times)

Maggi Young

  • SRGC Hon. Vice President
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 44970
  • Country: scotland
  • "There's often a clue"
    • International Rock Gardener e-magazine
The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« on: August 16, 2010, 06:58:15 PM »
The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm


This garden at 650m above sea level is located just above the Base Station at the Coire Cas car park. It is home to some of the rarest plant species in the UK and showcases the plants found in the surrounding mountains and to see similar habitats you would have to travel over two thousand miles north to Arctic Norway.
The garden is open daily and free of charge.

Jonny Porteous the gardener will be pleased to meet any SRGC visitors.

 Follow this link to learn more....
http://www.cairngormmountain.co.uk/see-do/mountain-garden
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

Editor: International Rock Gardener e-magazine

Jonny Porteous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2010, 11:12:45 AM »
Hi Folks

Here are some photos from the garden so far this year!

JP

Starry Saxifrage
Scottish Bog Asphodel
Water avens before and after
Dwarf Cornel.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2010, 01:14:50 PM by Maggi Young »

Ragged Robin

  • cogent commentator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3494
  • Country: 00
  • in search of all things wild and wonderful
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2010, 11:26:10 AM »
This Mountain Garden at Cairngorm sounds a very special place and the Macro photos you posted are stunning Jonny - who could resist a smile seeing the Starry Saxifrage?  :)
Valais, Switzerland - 1,200 metres - Continental climate - rocks and moraine

Stephenb

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1284
  • 20,000+ day old man
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2010, 11:52:14 AM »
Look forward to seeing more having spent many weekends working on an RSPB reserve nearby (Insh Marshes).

Re- your Scottish Bog Asphodel - is this a special white flowered form of Bog Asphodel?
Stephen
Malvik, Norway
Eating my way through the world's 15,000+ edible species
Age: Lower end of the 20-25,000 day range

Maggi Young

  • SRGC Hon. Vice President
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 44970
  • Country: scotland
  • "There's often a clue"
    • International Rock Gardener e-magazine
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2010, 01:16:21 PM »
Lovely pictures, Jonny.... I have re sized them to 760 pixels wide to make them more viewer friendly!


Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

Editor: International Rock Gardener e-magazine

Maggi Young

  • SRGC Hon. Vice President
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 44970
  • Country: scotland
  • "There's often a clue"
    • International Rock Gardener e-magazine
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2010, 01:32:06 PM »
Here are the Latin names for the plants Jonny showed us...
Saxifraga stellaris- the Starry saxifrage

Geum rivale - the Water Avens 

Jonny's fourth photo is Cornus suecica -the Dwarf Cornel

Jonny calls  his third photo the "Scottish bog asphodel"  but it is more correctly Tofieldia pusilla, the  'Scottish Asphodel'

 The 'Bog Asphodel' is the gorgeous yellow Narthecium ossifragum ... see the photo below, from Stephenb in another thread of the forum.  :)

Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

Editor: International Rock Gardener e-magazine

Jonny Porteous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2010, 04:56:48 PM »
Aye Scottish Asphodel not Scottish Bog Asphodel!

The sun must have been getting to me today!

JP

Maggi Young

  • SRGC Hon. Vice President
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 44970
  • Country: scotland
  • "There's often a clue"
    • International Rock Gardener e-magazine
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2010, 05:58:29 PM »


The sun must have been getting to me today!

JP

It's been nice here too.... lovely warm sunny day.... wondered why we were getting this summer treat, then remembered the children have returned to school, so of course the weather's good  ::) :-X
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

Editor: International Rock Gardener e-magazine

cohan

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3401
  • Country: ca
  • forest gnome
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2010, 06:37:39 PM »
interesting place! i'm fascinated to read that the treeline is so low (up to several hundred metres lower than me! and i am far from the treeline, even here in the frigid north)--i guess that's due to exposure?

lots of nice plants in the flickr album-- the colour of 'FOX -AND- CUBS' is wonderful-- what is this,a hieracium or similar?

Maggi Young

  • SRGC Hon. Vice President
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 44970
  • Country: scotland
  • "There's often a clue"
    • International Rock Gardener e-magazine
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2010, 06:58:25 PM »


lots of nice plants in the flickr album-- the colour of 'FOX -AND- CUBS' is wonderful-- what is this,a hieracium or similar?

I didn't know the common name of this plant... which is widely naturalised through the UK, having been introduced in the 17th century, I believe.
Super pic, as you say, cohan.... it is  Hieracium aurantiacum, also known as  Pilosella aurantiaca

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cairngormmountain/3674058909/in/set-72157615885916409/
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

Editor: International Rock Gardener e-magazine

cohan

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3401
  • Country: ca
  • forest gnome
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #10 on: August 20, 2010, 07:49:34 PM »
and very aurantiacum it is! great colour! thanks for the details, maggi!

Jonny Porteous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #11 on: August 23, 2010, 10:04:16 AM »
Credit to Ruari MacDonald for the photos on Flickr, he is one of the rangers up here at the mountain.

Maggi Young

  • SRGC Hon. Vice President
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 44970
  • Country: scotland
  • "There's often a clue"
    • International Rock Gardener e-magazine
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #12 on: August 23, 2010, 10:33:31 AM »
 Hi, Jonny, thanks for giving us the "gen" on Ruari .... please pass our thanks to him for the photos  8)
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

Editor: International Rock Gardener e-magazine

Ragged Robin

  • cogent commentator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3494
  • Country: 00
  • in search of all things wild and wonderful
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #13 on: August 23, 2010, 11:57:36 AM »
Yes, I agree with Maggi, the photos are terrific and very clear images of plants growing in this Mountain Garden.....lovely to see Cloudberry and Cowberry amongst them and the frog Lichen is fascinating and amusing  :).  Thanks to Ruari - btw good to see dry stone walling in progress!
Valais, Switzerland - 1,200 metres - Continental climate - rocks and moraine

rangerruari

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Re: The Mountain Garden at CairnGorm in the Scottish Highlands
« Reply #14 on: August 23, 2010, 03:59:07 PM »
thanks for all the comments regarding the photos
ruari

 


Scottish Rock Garden Club is a Charity registered with Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR): SC000942
SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal