An early spring at Logan Botanic Gardens

While most folk in Galloway would have welcomed the recent unseasonably warm weather, it has received a cold reception from some, especially at the Logan Botanic Garden.

Its been a warm winter for Galloways Logan Botanic Garden

The staff are working hard to deal with the effects of the unusual conditions with many plants being ‘fooled’ into thinking Spring or even summer is already here.

The warning signs came as early as December last year when the snowdrops in the famous garden near Stranraer started to burst into life well ahead of the normal schedule

It is reported that now many other temperature-sensitive plants such as its beautiful camillas are blooming too early.

Commenting on the situation, the garden’s curator Richard Baines says of one particular flower, the Mary Christian: “It is in full flower at the the moment and normally that wouldn’t happen for a few weeks yet.”

A national Sunday newspaper reports that the basic problem has arisen from the temperature at Logan not dropping below 3.5 degrees centigrade over the course of the winter.

This has led to many of the plants in the garden not going into their usual ‘hibernation’ over the winter months and becoming ‘confused’ about when to bloom. It is reported that staff who have been at Logan for four decades haven’t seen a situation like it before.

However, hopes are high that Logan’s brush with ‘global warming’ won’t decrease the 25,000 visitors it attracts to the Rhins of Galloway every year.