We went to Dayke botanical gardens this week. It was a small challenge because there was quite a lot of up and down and the steps didn’t have handrails.
They actually let Lea in for free as my carer!
I thought I’d share a few pictures.
11 Likes
It is actually really nice.
It houses the collections gathered by Douglas of Douglas fir fame in Canada and some guy Wilson who went to China and introduced the rhododendron to the UK which of course is now a wild weed all over Scotland and lots of other places so there’s probably some gardeners who are cursing him
They’ve got a half decent coffee shop which is where they really make their money It’s part of the botanical gardens of Edinburgh It was given to them by the balfours in 1970.
It’s about 3/4 an hour away from us. Gave us somewhere to walk in the sun, interested lea as well who likes big plant leaves because she presses them into clay to make bowls and things not that she could nik plant leaves from there (I think one did actually get borrowed)
3 Likes
Enjoyed that stroll with you Simon, brought back happy memories of the couple of times I visited there.
But come on Simon ! 
“ Some bloke Wilson collected a few rhododendrons.
You’ve rattled my cage 
! That bloke Wilson along with Scotsman George Forrest were probably the most famous ever plant hunters and collectors. The vile invasive rhodo you speak of ponticum was introduced 160 years before they were born. The west coast of Scotland has probably the loveliest colourful collection of Rhododendron outside China all grown from seed collected by those blokes Wilson and Forest.
4 Likes
It looks beautiful @SimonInEdinburgh & was definitely a great day for a stroll. .
I do like a rhododendron though 
2 Likes
That looks gorgeous. Well worth the challenge by the look of it.
Well done you for taking up the challenge 
, it makes the day even better.
Thank you for sharing and keep up the good work.
Regards Sue
2 Likes
Wow! Everything is so green and beautiful! I feel like I have gone on a springtime hike. Everything here is brown from too much sun. Thank you for the lovely stroll!
1 Like
Got a more pics I could post if you want to see them? 
would love to see the pics. Even here on the west coast of Scotland things are drying out a bit but the rain that we had all last year does make everything green
I would love to see more!
@FionaB1 and @DeAnn
Discourse - this software - has a picture size limit so íll fiddle on the PC to adjust resolution and post them later
In the mean time here is one from my garden
3 Likes
Love your poppies 
My hubbies favourites so we have them growing in abundance. A neighbours cat loved one particular crop out front and flattened them 
Strangely ours don’t even roll around in the catnip 
the particular patch I photographed I’ve got a metal plant hoop about a foot above the ground surrounding them.
we have absolutely no luck with the mechanopsis and Papaver is variably successful The one in the picture is one of a few that do really well for us we got hundreds and hundreds of the seedlings of normal puppies elsewhere
It’d be great to see a some pictures of some of yours
2 Likes
We I’ll get some pics later and post, though they are shedding bit and I’m not photographer. They can grow like weeds in our garden, we pot young ones and pass them on, even the seed, but other people don’t seem to have the same success with them whatever they do 
The pic doesn’t really do them justice as I had to clear up a lot of spent poppies in the end
But I’ve more nearly ready to open and a lot of new seedlings coming sprouting I noticed.
3 Likes
My guess is it is the soil. I have good luck with transplants if I bring along a bit of the soil it originated in, although I do not grow poppies…YET. In Simon’s photo, I first thought they were butterfly milkweed. (my eyesight could only see the pop of orange color).
Dahlia; Purple Coneflower (Echinacea); Butterfly Milkweed; Redbud tree, and grand puppy. They all just keep growing and growing some more.
3 Likes
Very colourful @DeAnn love to see all the blooming flowers.
Grand puppy looks very comfy there too. 
1 Like
What a lovely bunch of fluffiness your cat is @Loshy
I’m scared of dogs too. Bitten too many times. Very much a cat person although don’t have pets now.
4 Likes
I think that is the most beautiful cat I have ever seen. I love cats. My preferred pet. Have two right now. My grandson named our dog Rocky before he ever saw her. LOL. Confuses everyone. Evidently they didn’t know Rocky could be a female. Who is your pretty kittie? Mine is Eloise, adopted from my dad’s best friend when he passed away. The orange one is T-Rex…my grandkittie. I also have two grandbunnies. A male and a female…who thought that was a good idea. They are no longer at my home because they are too much work for me, and too fast for me to walk around their zoomies and jumping binkies.
2 Likes
I wonder if they would notice me living in there under the greenery? Gorgeous. I don’t know how a person could be anything but peaceful in that setting. So glad you were able to go enjoy it in person.
2 Likes