As you read this, a spring tide of colour is advancing across a certain Chinese hillside. The rhododendrons and camellias are getting into their stride; the stream that tumbles down its slopes to spread out at the feet of a little butterfly-roofed pavilion will soon be half-hidden by clumps of primula and, later, iris. Plant aficionados would kill to get their gardening gloves on some of these rarities. Or be killed.
Yet the only special thing about this little hill is that it overlooks the rooftops of Edinburgh. Its flora pay tribute to the Scottish plant collectors whose intrepid explorations changed the face of the herbaceous border and continue to enrich the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) with the largest collection of wild-origin Chinese plants outside China.
Yet the only special thing about this little hill is that it overlooks the rooftops of Edinburgh. Its flora pay tribute to the Scottish plant collectors whose intrepid explorations changed the face of the herbaceous border and continue to enrich the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) with the largest collection of wild-origin Chinese plants outside China.
Many of their labels bear the name of George Forrest, Scotland's horticultural Indiana Jones, who set off on his first expedition into the remote mountainous region of Yunnan, in south-west China, on May 14, 1904 - an event now being celebrated with an exhibition at the RBGE. George Forrest - A Life and Legacy draws upon 1,700 glass-plate negatives and original prints taken by Forrest and often developed in the field, along with letters, artefacts and a newly discovered film. This month also sees the publication of Brenda McLean's biography, George Forrest, Plant Hunter, which colourfully retraces the botanist's footsteps in China.
I wish I had known more about George Forrest when I visited Lijiang, declared a World Heritage Site in 1996 when an earthquake exposed the frailty and beauty of a town elevated to soap-style stardom by the book and BBC documentary Beyond the Clouds. I missed out on the lilies of the field, being entirely mesmerised by the people working there, the Naxi women dressed for the rice paddies like medieval princesses.
A hundred years ago, an altogether less pampered experience than mine lay ahead of George Forrest, a 31-year-old herbarium assistant, who set off with the blessing of the RBGE to make his way to present-day Tengchong by paddleboat, mule and on foot. It was to be the start of a 28-year love affair with the spectacular Cang Shan and Yulong Xue Shan ranges, known then as the Tali and Lichiang mountains.
A plant-hunting traveller's lot was no picnic. The hundreds of letters underpinning McLean's biography recount hardship and insecurity, homesickness and howling wolves. In the summer of 1905, Forrest had to flee for his life from warring Tibetan lamas who had sacked the mission at Tsekou and murdered his two missionary friends. Disguised as a local, he hid in the hills for 21 days.
"About 20 natives were killed and a great many more captured and taken into slavery," he wrote back to his sponsor at the RBGE. "The heads and hearts were taken north to Atunze … but I was lucky." The sack of Tsekou resulted in the loss of 770 specimens and seeds, plus his camera and negatives - a whole season's work.
By the time Forrest died in 1932, he had made seven expeditions to Yunnan. More than 30,000 of his specimens are preserved in the RBGE herbarium - the core of a legacy that was to give horticulture a whole new palette and botanists an introduction to a rich and unique flora. British gardens would never look the same again; we owe many now-familiar species of primula, rhododendron, iris, camellia, clematis, gentian, jasmine and conifer to George Forrest's exploits.
May is the best time to visit Edinburgh's serene and beautiful botanic gardens. After Oxford's, they are the oldest in Britain and regarded as one of the top five in the world in terms of diversity and global outreach. The approach here is practical and contemporary, with children's events, workshops, craft classes and controversial exhibitions of modern art taking place both outdoors and indoors.
With gardening now ranking second only to reading among Britain's favourite leisure pursuits, visitor numbers are booming, says Clara Govier of the RBGE. Last year, 706,000 passed through the gates - up 12 per cent on the previous year. Growth in the short-break market has lengthened the season so much that the RBGE's satellite garden at Dawyck, near Peebles, is looking to extend its 2005 programme to include February and November. Small operators offering garden tours, both at home and abroad, are also experiencing record interest.
Gardening, like tourism, has even had an impact on faraway Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, near Lijiang. Three years from now, a new botanic garden will open there under the auspices of the RBGE and its Chinese partners. Forrest was a pioneer in recognising the value of local expertise, recruiting collectors from among the ethnic minorities, especially the Naxi. But much of the uncharted landscape they traversed is now developed and deforested. Botanists at the RBGE want the new garden at Lijiang to be a model of sustainability, encouraging activities - including tourism - in a way that will help preserve the rich biodiversity of the area.
I wish I had known more about George Forrest when I visited Lijiang, declared a World Heritage Site in 1996 when an earthquake exposed the frailty and beauty of a town elevated to soap-style stardom by the book and BBC documentary Beyond the Clouds. I missed out on the lilies of the field, being entirely mesmerised by the people working there, the Naxi women dressed for the rice paddies like medieval princesses.
A hundred years ago, an altogether less pampered experience than mine lay ahead of George Forrest, a 31-year-old herbarium assistant, who set off with the blessing of the RBGE to make his way to present-day Tengchong by paddleboat, mule and on foot. It was to be the start of a 28-year love affair with the spectacular Cang Shan and Yulong Xue Shan ranges, known then as the Tali and Lichiang mountains.
A plant-hunting traveller's lot was no picnic. The hundreds of letters underpinning McLean's biography recount hardship and insecurity, homesickness and howling wolves. In the summer of 1905, Forrest had to flee for his life from warring Tibetan lamas who had sacked the mission at Tsekou and murdered his two missionary friends. Disguised as a local, he hid in the hills for 21 days.
"About 20 natives were killed and a great many more captured and taken into slavery," he wrote back to his sponsor at the RBGE. "The heads and hearts were taken north to Atunze … but I was lucky." The sack of Tsekou resulted in the loss of 770 specimens and seeds, plus his camera and negatives - a whole season's work.
By the time Forrest died in 1932, he had made seven expeditions to Yunnan. More than 30,000 of his specimens are preserved in the RBGE herbarium - the core of a legacy that was to give horticulture a whole new palette and botanists an introduction to a rich and unique flora. British gardens would never look the same again; we owe many now-familiar species of primula, rhododendron, iris, camellia, clematis, gentian, jasmine and conifer to George Forrest's exploits.
May is the best time to visit Edinburgh's serene and beautiful botanic gardens. After Oxford's, they are the oldest in Britain and regarded as one of the top five in the world in terms of diversity and global outreach. The approach here is practical and contemporary, with children's events, workshops, craft classes and controversial exhibitions of modern art taking place both outdoors and indoors.
With gardening now ranking second only to reading among Britain's favourite leisure pursuits, visitor numbers are booming, says Clara Govier of the RBGE. Last year, 706,000 passed through the gates - up 12 per cent on the previous year. Growth in the short-break market has lengthened the season so much that the RBGE's satellite garden at Dawyck, near Peebles, is looking to extend its 2005 programme to include February and November. Small operators offering garden tours, both at home and abroad, are also experiencing record interest.
Gardening, like tourism, has even had an impact on faraway Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, near Lijiang. Three years from now, a new botanic garden will open there under the auspices of the RBGE and its Chinese partners. Forrest was a pioneer in recognising the value of local expertise, recruiting collectors from among the ethnic minorities, especially the Naxi. But much of the uncharted landscape they traversed is now developed and deforested. Botanists at the RBGE want the new garden at Lijiang to be a model of sustainability, encouraging activities - including tourism - in a way that will help preserve the rich biodiversity of the area.
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