Putting alpines to the test

One of the highlights of my last week at the garden was a trip to the Cairngorms National Park, about 2.5 hours north of Edinburgh. RBGE has an alpine test plot located here at an elevation of about 1200 meters. It was high enough for snow to still be on the ground further up the pass! The plants in the plot are examined a few times a year to see how they perform and to do general weeding and maintenance.

The scenery was beautiful from the moment we parked the van! Loch Morlich is visible in the distance.

The fenced-in alpine plot. 

Snow! We saw hikers with skis going by on the trail.

The plot is divided into four terraced beds, which aren't very easy to distinguish from the heather covering most of the slope.

While some of the Scottish native plants have not done well in the plot, New Zealand natives like this Celmisia have thrived!

Nice view on the way out! Just a few Sorbus trees dot the slopes.