THE CALEY LECTURE PROGRAMME 2011 – 2012

Talks are held in the Lecture Theatre of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh at 7.30 pm

Tuesday 4th October 2011

Robert Grant, NTS Head of Gardens & Designed Landscapes – Gardens of the National Trust for Scotland

With over 270 hectares under cultivation the NTS is Scotland’s largest garden owner with more than 100 gardeners caring for 70 gardens and designed landscapes. The talk will show how the Trust came to gardening and how some of its finest gardens have developed, highlighting the successes and the more significant challenges arising in the 21st Century.

Robert has over 30 years of horticultural experience. He trained at RHS Wisley and RBGE, has worked in commercial horticulture and in the Parks Department in Brighton. For NTS, he has designed new heritage gardens, including Culross Palace and the Scottish fruit garden at Fyvie Castle, and redesigned the South Walled Garden at Culzean. He has also undertaken smaller commissions and has project-managed several historic garden restorations. He won a Chelsea Gold medal for a model parterre garden.

Tuesday 18th October 2011

Derek Parsons – It’s Showtime! Auriculas and Primulas

This presentation will illustrate the history, cultivation and exhibiting of the various types of show Auricula, - and time permitting - gold-laced Polyanthus and show varieties of Primula.

Derek has been successfully growing show Auriculas for twenty years. His main interest is in the raising of new varieties and the rediscovery of old Auricula types. He has introduced around a hundred varieties of striped and fancy Auriculas to the show bench

Tuesday 1st November 2011

Syd House, Forestry Commission Scotland – A Nation of Planters, celebrating Forests & Forestry in Scotland in 2011

2011 is the International Year of Forests. Scotland has an extremely interesting forest history but in 1900, with 4% of forest cover, it had the lowest level in Europe. In subsequent years, reforesting programmes, some controversial, have resulted in a massive land use change. With a current forest cover of 17%, and a higher target proposed for the end of the 21st Century, Scotland is now a net exporter of timber. The talk will provide an insight into the aspects of the present forest resource and its future prospects.

Syd is the Conservator of Forests for the Perth & Argyll Conservancy, overseeing the grant & regulatory mechanisms applied to the forestry sector. Since graduating in 1978, except for 2 years overseas, he has worked in Scotland for the Forestry Commission. His great interest is in the history of forestry and tree introductions. He is co-author of a biography of David Douglas and is currently involved in an initiative promoting Scotland’s National Tree Collections.

Tuesday 15th November 2011

Magnus Peterson – Bees and Bee-keeping in Scotland today.

Bees face many threats today from loss of habitat, and old diseases, to new parasites and diseases spread widely by human activities. The talk addresses the question of how honey-bees in Scotland are faring and what the current state of bee-keeping here is.

Magnus has been keeping bees for more than 30 years. His trainin gin statistics has helped with investigations into the state of bee-keeping in Scotland. His experience and the findings of some recent surveys illustrate how things are developing, highlighting new threats but also some more hopeful signs for the practice of bee-keeping here.  

Tuesday 6th December 2011

John Mitchell, RBGE – Two Seasons in Tibet

In 2008, John, with Harry Jans, made a reconnaissance trip to Tibet to assess conditions and facilities for travel from Chengdu to Lhasa, using a maximum of 7 jeeps. The first part of the talk covers this 5,000 kilometre autumn trip, the plants and the spectacular views. The second part highlights a plantsman’s paradise containing rare plant species not in cultivation, and illustrates a way of life that few people have seen before.

John has worked at RBGE for 26 years where he is the Alpine Supervisor. He is a modern plant explorer and has led tours for the Alpine Garden Society to several locations in China, and to Tibet, Alaska and Iran. He has also been on 5 plant expeditions, to China, Iran & Georgia. He is Chairman of the Meconopsis Group and Convenor of the Edinburgh Scottish Rock Garden Club.

Tuesday 20th December 2011

Garden Quiz Evening and Paperwhite Bulb Competition

Paperwhite Competition.

The Narcissus Paperwhite bulbs, which members bought at Caley meetings to grow on, will be judged before the start of this meeting. A selection will be brought through to the Lecture Theatre where the judge will give a quick run-down of the reasons for the placings so that potential exhibitors for the Spring Show will have some idea of what is expected.

The second part of the meeting will take the form of a light-hearted Garden Quiz, chaired by Caley member Jim Williams. There will be prizes for the winners.

Tuesday 17th January 2012

Micky Little, Achamore Gardens – Using the Past in the Present, to find the Future for Achamore

The talk will discuss the approach and method that the speaker uses for garden restoration and development of a neglected 1950s/1960s plantman’s garden, which was inherited when the island residents of Gigha purchased their island.

Micky is the Head Gardener at Achamore Gardens on the Isle of Gigha. He has had wide horticultural experience, having worked at Kelways Peony and Iris Nursery and as Assistant Head Gardener at Killerton House, owned by the National Trust. He has also been Head Gardener at the Lutyens/Dillistone garden at Castle Drogo and at the Lutyens/Jekyll garden at Hestercombe

Tuesday 7th February 2012  

Joe McIndoe, Mill Garden Centre, Armadale - Gardening in a Hostile Environment

The title of the talk refers to the location of the garden centre and Joe will discuss the problems and challenges of gardening in such an environment and how the difficulties have been overcome.

Joe McIndoe is owner of the Mill garden centre, which is a family run business, founded in 1900. The business was initially a fruit farm, with some vegetables, but now the garden centre produces a wide range of high quality amenity plants, specialising in dwarf, slow-growing and grafted conifers, and Japanese maples.

Tuesday 21st February 2012

John Marshall – Potatoes: Food for Thought

The talk will cover the fascinating history of the potato, its origin, arrival, acceptance, cultivation, famine, cultures and cuisine. It will be illustrated with many images and stories.

John has worked in various capacities in the potato industry: as potato picker, inspector, Potato Marketing Board official, trader, exporter, technical man with the James Hutton Institute and currently buyer for the horticultural industry WCF Phoenix. He has travelled widely during his researches into potatoes.

Tuesday 6th March 2012

AGM and Presentation of Awards.  7 pm – note the earlier time.

Tuesday 20th March 2012

Jim Arbury, RHS Wisley – Fruit Suitable for Growing in Scotland: Old and New

This instructive talk will discuss fruit growing techniques and cultivars, with reference to those varieties most suitable for cultivation in Scotland.  

Jim has been employed at Wisley since 1982, mostly in the Fruit Department; from 1995 to 2009 as Fruit Superintendent and currently as Fruit Specialist. He provides support and advice on fruit growing to the other 3 RHS gardens as well as to Wisley. He has direct experience in growing an extensive range of hardy fruit and has published articles and books on fruit growing.