Old times

Another wonderful day. I went down to Arduaine Garden to meet my successor as Head Gardener. It made me realise just how much he has to catch up, how much I know about what went on during my 24 years there that he doesn't know. He seems quite keen to find out, so I'll be going back at some point to help him sort out databases and plants in glasshouses and frames.

This is an azalea, Rhododendron 'Hinomayo', and in the background a white Himalayan birch, Betula utilis, which I grew from seed given to me by plant collector Ron McBeath at the Botanic Garden in Edinburgh many moons ago. It's plants like this which remind me of how old I am!