Sarah’s Diary Sept 2025

This month has been a little less varied, but full of those satisfying, detailed jobs that keep the collection ticking over. Between the never ending bulb re-potting marathon, a peek behind the scenes inside the Palm House, and a good nursery clear out, there’s still been plenty to keep me busy, whilst trying to make the most of the last of the sunshine before winter sets in.

The great bulb repotting mission is still in full swing. I’ve been working my way through huge plunge beds of Juno Iris such as Iris aucheri and Iris bucharica, which demand the lightest touch imaginable. Their fleshy roots are so brittle they can snap if you so much as look at them the wrong way, so it’s slow steady work to lift, clean, sterilise, and repot each one intact. There were also the Gymnospermium, with their odd, swollen corms that look more like gnarled potatoes than anything botanical; peculiar but strangely satisfying to handle. The freaky, shark’s teeth Erythronium bulbs, strange, pointed things that look more like something out of a fossil bed than a plant pot. And of course, the Fritillaria … hundreds upon hundreds of them, each species with its own quirks to observe: size, shape, tunic texture, strange scent of soil, and volume of rice bulbils produced, as they’re turned out, cleaned, checked for signs of rot, and re-potted. It’s the kind of repetitive, careful work that’s quietly meditative. I would like to say before you know it, an entire bench is done and the day has disappeared, but in truth, it feels like time slows right down, and you measure progress in pots rather than hours!

There has also been some well earned reward for all the bulb repotting, with welcome flashes of seasonal colour appearing from Sternbergia, Cyclamen, Crocus, Pseudocodon, Rhodanthemum, and Lysionotus, a cheerful reminder of why all those hours with compost under the nails are worth it.

A definite highlight this month was RBGE finally being handed back the keys to the Victorian Palm House and a rare glimpse inside the before the next stage of renovation. With the wall between sections now removed, the glasshouse is being transitioned from tropical to temperate conditions, allowing visitors a better sense of scale and space. Getting a private tour up in the rafters felt a bit like stepping back through the Garden’s history, ornate ironwork, the echo of glass, and the epic views across the city and actually out to sea. It was fascinating to see the behind the scenes work that goes into adapting such a historic structure for modern plant collections, balancing heritage with horticulture. With any luck, I’ll get to be part of the team replanting the displays once the beds are reinstated, It would be a real privilege and an advantageous upskilling opportunity to help bring new life back into such an iconic glasshouse.

Back in the nursery, the propagation bench finally got a good clear out, a necessary step to make room for the next wave of sowing and potting. Many of the young plants are now strong enough to graduate to the frames outside, or out to the beds, or into the troughs and crevices, freeing up space for the tiniest new seedlings and divisions. It always feels good to reset the benches creating a tidy workspace ready for the next round of propagation experiments and seasonal cuttings.

And somehow, in between it all, there’s still been a little time to enjoy the last of the autumn sunshine. The low light over the rock garden and the changing colours of the leaves gives everything that golden glow and end of season calm. Before we know it, the shift into the cooler, quieter days of winter will be upon us! Which if I’m honest, I’m definitely not ready for!