New Lanark World Heritage Site

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Roof Garden diary update – June 2012

Alium in the Roof Garden

Alium in the Roof Garden

June 2012 – The big purple spheres of the allium heads look stunning now, even when beaded with raindrops! They attract bees whenever the temperature rises. Chocolate-coloured leaves and tiny pink flowers adorn the black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) ‘Guincho Purple’. The flowers have red stems and are borne in flattened heads called cymes. Contrasting with these purples and pinks are the showy yellow blooms of flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) and the lemon foliage of the sedge, Carex flagellifera. Honeysuckle twines around the owl sculpture, the flowers just opening to perfume the cool evening air.
In flower in June – allium, chives, thyme, honeysuckle, black elder ‘Guincho Purple’, yellow flag iris, Deutzia, weeping brown sedge (Carex flagellifera), giant feather grass (Stipa gigantea).

Roof Garden diary update – May 2012

Blushing tulip close up on Roof Garden

Blushing tulip close up on Roof Garden

“In May the pleasant spray upsprings / In May the mirthful mavis sings”. These rhythmic lines from Alexander Scott’s joyful poem about May were written in Edinburgh in the 16th century, but could be describing New Lanark Roof Garden today! The hornbeam hedges are sporting fresh green leaves, the elder blossom is coming out, the woolly willow is covered in furry catkins and the tulips are blooming. From the surrounding countryside arise the notes of the mavis (song thrush) and other birdsong. The swallows are back, swooping low to catch insects in the valley. Also remember – our Midsummer on the Roof Garden Event takes place next month – visit www.newlanark.org for details.

In flower in May: Kerria Japonica, tulips ‘Spring Green’ and ‘Blushing Bride’, elder, winter creeper (Euonymus) ‘Emerald Gaiety’, woolly willow (Salix lanata).

Roof Garden diary update – April 2012

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Winter may be back, but the soaring temperatures in the last week of March brought the first bumblebee and a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly into New Lanark Roof Garden. Luckily there was a stray dandelion flower to provide much-needed nectar! The shrubs are now unfurling new leaves and there are hints of blossom beginning. In the case of Pieris, the emerging foliage is an eye-catching red colour. Throughout April, different varieties of daffodil will be in bloom, e.g. ‘Doctor Hugh’, with clear white petals and a rich orange cup in the centre. The lovely Narcissus ‘Lemon Beauty’ is scented and its central cup is split and streaked with yellow. So, make a cheering Spring visit to New Lanark Roof Garden! Click here for details of all our events. In flower April 2012 – Kerria Japonica, Philadelphus coronarius ‘Aureus’ (Mock Orange), Daffodil varieties: ‘Lemon Beauty’, ‘Doctor Hugh’ and ‘Pueblo’.

Roof Garden diary update – Feb 2012

New Lanark Snowdrop

New Lanark Snowdrop

February 2012 – After the darkest days of winter, the first snowdrops are a welcome sight in New Lanark Roof Garden, quivering gently in the breeze beneath the hornbeam hedging. They usually last until March. The lovely evergreen, Mahonia x media ‘Charity’, has plenty of buds promising spikes of yellow flowers.

As spring approaches, photosynthesis will gather pace. It is the miraculous process by which green plants weave sunlight together with water and carbon dioxide to make the carbohydrates and starches that form the basic food supply for all living things. Scientists still do not fully understand how it works. In the BBC 4 television programme, ‘Botany: a Blooming History’, Timothy Walker explained that scientists are trying to mimic photosynthesis in the lab, with the aim of creating new kinds of clean fuels. The plant world is truly amazing – so visit New Lanark Roof Garden and be inspired!
In flower in February – Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis).

Roof Garden diary update

Owl on the Roof Garden in winter

Owl on the Roof Garden in winter

The Met Office has just reported that 2011 was Scotland’s wettest year on record, although the spring was warm and dry. Too much rain and the soil becomes water-logged, cold and claggy. For the Mediterranean herbs – rosemary, oregano and thyme – in the troughs, these conditions are not good, but the native Yellow Flag iris (near the hares sculpture) enjoys damp meadows. A new year begins in New Lanark Roof Garden and we look forward to the first flowers, the snowdrops, next month. The seasons follow the same annual cycle, but any gardener will tell you that no two years are exactly alike. New Lanark Roof Garden Diary will be recording what happens! Meanwhile, while the plants are dormant, we are hoping for clear skies for our Stargazing Live Event on 21 January. Come and discover the marvels of the night sky – click here for details.