1) Professor Neil Douglas, DSc FRCPE President of the Royal College Physicians, presented the first three awards.

The Society’s premier award, was instituted in 1959 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society and to enable the Society to confer conspicuous honour on anyone – anywhere - who has rendered outstanding service to Scottish Horticulture. The number of holders at any one time is restricted to 50. This year two medals were presented.

i) The first SHM was awarded to Rex Brennan: in the Research and Plant Breeding category The citation reads: As leader of the soft fruit programme at the Scottish Crops Research Institute, Rex Brennan has overall responsibility for the improvement of blackcurrants, blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries and, more recently, blueberries.

His contributions, especially to the productivity and quality of blackcurrants and to the building and sustaining of close links with the soft fruit industry, are recognised widely as outstanding. Arising directly from this industry partnership, not only has blackcurrant production in Scotland increased by around 60% in recent years but SCRI cultivars now account for 90% of all UK blackcurrants and about 50% of total world production. The health benefits resulting from the higher vitamin C content of the new cultivars and their improved resistance to pests and diseases, have substantially aided the sustainability of the Scottish soft fruit industry.

In the wider field of soft fruit development, his team has just released Glen Doll - the first new raspberry variety from Scotland for 10 years and, in his constant search for new ways to employ his skill, Rex has begun work on neglected crops such as gooseberry. Holder of the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Endowed Chair for Research in 1998-2000 and recipient of the Jones-Bateman Cup for Fruit Breeding of the Royal Horticultural Society in 2003, his reputation furth of Scotland is amply confirmed. With an enviable record of delivery to the industry and the admiration and respect of his colleagues, Rex Brennan is a very worthy candidate for a Scottish Horticultural Medal.

ii) The second SHM this year was awarded to Robert Brown in the Working Gardener category. Robert Brown, or Bob as he is better known, will retire early in 2007 following 43 years of dedicated service to the National Trust for Scotland. After two years as a gardener at Inverewe, he was appointed as one of the first Instructor Gardeners in the Trusts’ new School of Horticulture at Threave. Although later promoted to First Gardener under Magnus Ramsay, and then for a short time as Threave’s Head Gardener, he was at his happiest in his post as First/Instructor Gardener One of those rare people with great gifts and great modesty,

Bob was content to dedicate his life to helping others acquire knowledge and skills. His whole service has been a ministry to successive generations of students - possibly over 550 - who passed through Threave in his time. His students, many now in key posts in horticulture throughout Scotland and beyond, hold him in the highest regard and affection. Bob’s fervour for gardening, his eagerness to pass on traditional ‘hands-on’ gardening experience and knowledge, and enthuse in others his passion for, and knowledge of plants, is legendary. Such distinguished service and dedication is an example to us all. Bob Brown is worthy indeed of the award of the Scottish Horticultural Medal.

b) The Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother Medal in Horticulture The Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother Medal was inaugurated in 1990 to commemorate the 90th birthday of the Society’s late patron: it is an Annual Award for outstanding services to Scottish Horticulture by non-professionals. The 2006 Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother Medal in Horticulture was awarded to Ian and Margaret Young of the Scottish Rock Garden Club and the citation reads:

Ian and Margaret Young consistently win the highest awards at Scottish Rock Garden Club shows with superbly-grown Alpine plants - many of rare and difficult cultivation – and generously share their enthusiasm and knowledge with club members. By focussing a keen, analytical mind on the alpine bulbs he loves, Ian has had remarkable success in growing some of the most difficult, especially Fritillarias, Erythroniums and dwarf narcissi. A master in traditional plant photography, he has also developed great expertise in digital presentation and successfully promotes these techniques through educational workshops.

A teacher and innovator, through his writings, meetings and workshops, he has passed on many ideas to alpine enthusiasts: perhaps best known is his method for converting polystyrene fish boxes to containers closely resembling expensive stone troughs. Margaret specialises also, and lectures and publishes on dwarf Ericaceous shrubs - her “Wee Ericas” - which are, of course, grown to perfection. Ian and Margaret’s knowledge is made freely available to thousands of potential growers on the SRGC website where Ian has managed a weekly ‘Bulb Log’ for over four years and, due to his down to earth approach, the log is immensely popular worldwide. For their dedication and enthusiasm and their success in leading experts and beginners alike to a better understanding of alpines, Ian and Margaret Young have made a valuable con-tribution to Scottish horticulture and are deserving recipients of The Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Medal in Horticulture.

c) The Dr. Patrick Neill Medal:- The Neill Prize was established in 1851 by Dr Patrick Neill, one of the Founders and the first Secretary of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society: he instigated the award of this medal to a distinguished Scottish botanist or cultivator and the bequest to sustain it.

The 2006 Dr Patrick Neill Medal went  to David Long and the citation read:- From a very early age, excursions with his father into the Berwickshire countryside sparked off David Long’s passion for all aspects of natural history. Following first class honours in taxonomic botany and postgraduate studies at the University of Edinburgh, and a short period at the Agricultural Scientific Services, East Craigs, David moved to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to assist in compiling a Floral Inventory of Bhutan. This became a 15 year task, involving several long expeditions to Bhutan, and culminated in a definitive, descriptive Flora running into many volumes.

Meanwhile he continued and developed his childhood interest in mosses and liverworts, first in the Scottish countryside but increasingly also overseas. On relinquishing the editor-ship of the Flora he devoted his time to bryophyte research and, in so doing, helped make RBGE one of the leading bryophyte research institutes in the world. His geographic spread of interest is worldwide and includes most parts of Europe China, Bhutan and the Himalayas as well as Norway, Greenland and, Socotra. Throughout his career progression, David has been Curator of the Herbarium, acting Head of Science, a member of the Nature Conservancy Council’s Advisory Committee on Science and for many years a prominent member of the British Bryological Society. In a life devoted to botanical fieldwork, David Long is widely recognised as an extremely distinguished Scottish botanist who has made significant contributions to bryophyte and vascular plant taxonomy and, with boundless enthusiasm, has encouraged amateurs and professionals alike. He is a worthy recipient of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society’s Dr Patrick Neill Medal.

2) Sir Peter Hutchinson BT. CBE SHM - Hon. President, then presented the next award and the Certificates of Merit.

d) The Dr Andrew Duncan Medal:- Dr Andrew Duncan was a ‘Founding Father’ of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. Established in 2003 through the benevolence of the Caley’s Honorary President, Sir Peter Hutchison, and further supported by a bequest, it complements the Dr Patrick Neill Medal. This medal honours distinguished service by an educationist, adviser or administrator.

The 2006 Award went to Bill Romanis, and the citation read: Although the young William Wright Romanis launched his career in agriculture, and eventually became Director of the Business Services Division of the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland, it is not surprising to learn that, from an early stage, he ‘championed’ horticulture. Recognising the fragmentation of local conferences, he persuaded the NFUS to become more inclusive and the Scotgrow Conference was born. With the support of the then Convenor of the Glasshouse and Nursery Committee, Jim McColl, the first Scotgrow trade show was held under Bill’s management at Ingliston, a show which became the Scottish industry’s shop window.

His enthusiasm, dynamism and sheer doggedness persuaded the NFUS to further increase its horticultural support through newsletters, the Scotgrow Directory and the Scottish Joint Horticultural Committee which brought together the industry’s constituent parts. On the closure of the Business Services Division, Bill took over DairyScot and Scotgrow as a business venture and his new company, Rural Projects, now runs AgriScot, Scotgrow, Gardening Scotland, the Ayr Flower Show and the Glasgow Show. When the RHS series of Strathclyde Park shows was abandoned, Bill took an enormous financial risk in accepting the Caley’s invitation to become Events Manager of the new Show, Gardening Scotland. Without his knowledge of the industry the Show might never have taken place. For his earlier championing of the cause of horticulture, for his foresight, enthusiasm and boundless energy, but mostly for his crowning achievement in taking Gardening Scotland to unexpected heights, the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society is delighted to award the Dr Andrew Duncan Medal to a most accomplished and worthy administrator.

e) Certificates of Merit:- The ‘Certificate of Merit’, introduced for the first time at the 2002 AGM, is intended to acknowledge a wide range of services or contributions to Scottish horticulture, primarily to individual societies, by an individual, amateur or professional.

i) The Certificate of Merit went to Ronald Holton, who was nominated by Gifford Horticultural Society. Ronald Holton’s life has been one of service. After receiving his ‘wings’ at Cranwell as a mere 19 year old, Ron spent his war-service mainly in the Far East flying Wellington bombers. Progressing through a series of airports, he completed his peace-time service as Chief Air Traffic Officer at Edinburgh.

Each move brought fresh garden challenges and de-signing and developing new gardens proved a welcome antidote in a very stressful job. Arriving in Gifford in 1978, he set about transforming and expanding the Newhall Port garden: acquiring 12 acres of adjacent land, he planted 2,000 trees, mainly oaks, on a four acre section and replaced two acres of existing pine with oaks. Finally, with the assistance of ‘Scottish Woodland’, the remaining area was replanted. Thanks to his efforts, about 5,000 hard wood trees now provide a woodland legacy for future generations. The garden is opened annually within the Gifford Village Open Gardens Scheme of which Ron is a strong sup-porter.

Group photograph showing all recipients of the 2007 Caley awards

Please note that Three Certificates of Merit were awarded and presented to recipients prior to the AGM

(1)   William Crozier  retiring Head Gardener at Floors Castle on the recommendation of the Caley

(2)   Robin St Clair-Ford, retiring Director of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme on the recommendation of its Chairman and Council

(3)   Malcolm McNeill, retiring Head Gardener of Gigha on the recommendation of the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust