GARDEN SOCIETY FEATURE
It was on the 27th July 1933, in the Rutland Bar in Edinburgh, where a brand-new club was formed for the purpose “of creating an interest in rock garden plants, to encourage their cultivation, and to hold meetings and exhibitions for that purpose”. This statement from the original constitution is as true today as it was 90 years ago.
There was much influence and encouragement from the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and its staff in the setting up and establishment of the Scottish Rock Garden Club (SRGC), and today we regard the RBGE as our spiritual home.
The second meeting was held on the 14th August and some well-known names from Scottish Horticulture from that era attended the meeting including A. Harley, F. Bishop, F. Glass, T.A.S. Fortune, E.P. Laird, R.E. Cooper, D. Wilkie, and W.G. MacKenzie. Today we boast over 3000 members from all over the world, but the heart of the membership remains very much in Scotland.
Our local SRGC groups hold talks throughout the autumn, winter, and early spring months. During the growing season many of our members open their gardens and welcome SRGC members to visit. Sharing our enthusiasm and passion for plants is vital to us.
We hold a number of shows across the country. These plant fairs include those at Kendal and Hexham which are joint shows held with our close friends, the Alpine Garden Society. We also host shows in Edinburgh, Perth, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. It is important to support specialist plant nurseries and a number of these attend, offering a wide range of wonderful plants for sale. One thing which our shows seem to have become famous for are the teas, coffees, sandwiches, and home-made baking - it can be thirsty work looking at plants!
The club’s annual Early Bulb Day in Dunblane is a popular event which is normally held on the fourth Saturday in February. Open to all, we have two lectures on bulb related subjects plus many specialist nurseries in attendance. Many people regard this event as heralding the start of the new gardening year in Scotland.
At the other end of the year, we will be holding an Autumn Show with talks, specialist nurseries, and other groups in attendance. This is due to take place on Saturday 28th September 2024 at the Howden Park Centre in Livingston from 10am until 3.30pm, and everyone is welcome.
We grow a wide range of plants from tiny alpines suitable for rock gardens and troughs, to woodland perennials, bulbs, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and even trees. With gardens becoming smaller, many of these compact plants are becoming more popular. It is amazing what you can grow in a small container, a collection of semperviviums (house leeks) for example, can look fabulous and are very easy to look after. They are great plants to get children and young people into gardening.
We are also lucky to be able to grow many plants which enjoy the often cool and damp Scottish climate. Members are always happy to advise others about what they might be able to grow in their gardens. Scotland has a wide range of climatic conditions and local knowledge and experience of what can grow can be so helpful. I have always found our members very generous at sharing plants with other gardeners. The best piece of advice I was ever given was “to save a plant - share it with friends”.
Scotland has two of the finest gardens in the world which highlight the range of plants which SRGC members can grow. Firstly, the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh is known for its wonderful rock garden, alpine display houses, and woodland beds. Secondly, National Trust for Scotland's Branklyn Garden in Perth, is a town garden which shows the wide range of plants which can be grown in a relatively small area.
Many of our members open their gardens through Scotland’s Garden Scheme and these are well worth visiting. In my own garden, snowdrops, daffodils, erythroniums, trilliums, lilies, Himalayan blue poppies, primulas, dwarf rhododendrons, and conifers all thrive amongst a wide range of other plants. I have semperviviums which are planted on the tops of walls and in containers which seem to be thriving on neglect!
Scottish Rock Garden Club is a registered charity and is run solely by volunteers. Membership costs £20 for UK members and includes two issues of our journal ‘The Scottish Rock Garden’ plus access to our famous (some would say world famous) seed exchange. The seed exchange allows you to purchase seeds of a wide range of plants, many of which are not available through other means, and grow them for your garden and of course, to share with friends.
We hope that you will consider joining our family of happy gardeners and we look forward to offering you a warm and friendly welcome. For more details and to join, visit our website, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Happy gardening from everyone at the SRGC!
If you would like to see your garden society or horticultural group featured in a future edition of Scotland Grows magazine, please do get in touch to mail@scottishgardeningmagazine.com - we would love to hear from you!
*Images have kindly been supplied by Colin Crosbie.