从 1809 年爱丁堡起步的园艺学会
苏格兰皇家 Caledonian 园艺协会（The Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, 简称 The Caley）1809 年 12 月由十七位爱丁堡「乡绅贤达」在乔治街的苏格兰皇家内科医师学会聚会后成立, 宗旨是「鼓励与改进最优良的水果、最精选的花卉以及最有用的厨房蔬菜」。协会创立之初便向技术娴熟的专业园丁、苗圃从业者与热情的业余爱好者开放, 其灵感来自早五年在伦敦成立的园艺学会（London Horticultural Society）, 后者的多位创始人如 Sir Joseph Banks、Richard Salisbury 及 1811-1838 年任主席的 Thomas Andrew Knight 自始就是 Caley 会员。1824 年协会获得第一份皇家特许状, 1838 年获「Royal」冠名并指定王室庇护人。
从 Inverleith 实验园到 Saughton Park
协会成立次年便提议筹建一处实验园, 1823 年在因弗莱斯（Inverleith）租下 10 英亩土地, 与同时迁址扩建的皇家植物园比邻, 由皇家植物园主管 William McNab 担纲规划。园内设有果园、可上锁的实验区、烹饪蔬菜试种圃、嫁接苗木区、苗床、精品种类果树墙、玫瑰园及多年生与一年生植物分区, 曾从伦敦园艺学会收到五十个不同品种的草莓等远道捐赠。James McNab 接任后在园中增建 1843 年落成的小型展览厅, 1850 年又建成一座三联拱形玻璃大暖房（Winter Garden）, 内设散步长廊, 是当时协会的标志性园艺工程。由于 140 英镑年租与运维负担沉重, 1864 年这片实验园被并入爱丁堡皇家植物园, 1865 年协会又与爱丁堡园艺学会合并, 度过转型难关。
期刊、讲座与示范活动
协会编辑出版的《Caledonian Gardener》是其年度期刊, 收录苏格兰各地园艺文章, 每年初寄达会员手中; 另通过月度电子简报向订阅读者通报讲座、参观与示范日程。冬季在 McHattie 厅与线上 Zoom 平台举办系列讲座, 协会在 Saughton Park 设永久办公室、示范园与一座大型工作温室与盆景棚, 全年开办工作坊与短期园艺课程, 配合示范菜地、志愿者定期园艺劳动、植物销售会与多场小型展览, 为会员与公众提供从理论到实操的园艺学习路径。协会图书馆对会员开放借阅, 是其延续两百余年的传统服务之一。
Grow & Learn 园艺培训计划
Grow & Learn 是协会面向难以参与常规园艺培训的人群所设的以人为本的进阶认证, 设有「Roots（根）」、「Nurture（培育）」、「Flourish（茁壮）」、「Bloom（盛放）」四级递进课程。Roots 阶段要求完成 7 项核心活动、13 项选修活动、3 项个人目标、80 小时实操园艺, 并提交一份学习档案; 之后可逐级进阶, 通过后获颁协会 Grow & Learn 证书。该计划在 Dundee、Edinburgh 与 Glasgow 等地合作伙伴中推行, 并向 Richmond Fellowship 等公益机构开放名额, 累计已为数百名学习者提供认证。前荣誉主席 George Anderson 评价该计划「在我多年从事园艺与园林工作的经历中, 还未见过其他园艺培训方案能如此鼓励、支持和奖励学员」。
行业奖章、组织架构与王室庇护
协会颁发的 Scottish Horticultural Medal（1959 年为纪念建会 150 周年设立, 同期在世持章人不超过 50 位）、Dr Patrick Neill Memorial Medal（1851 年由创始元勋、首任秘书 Patrick Neill 遗赠设立, 两年一届）、Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother Medal in Horticulture（1990 年为纪念时任庇护人九十寿辰设立, 颁予非专业人士）、Dr Andrew Duncan Medal（2003 年起颁予教育、咨询或行政领域的杰出贡献者）、Carter-Patterson Memorial Medal（颁予学生与学徒）等奖章与功绩证书, 面向所有园艺从业者与业余爱好者开放提名, 不限于本会会员。协会为已注册慈善团体, 同时依 1824 年首颁、2008 年第三次续颁的皇家特许状与内部规章运作, 由理事会（President、副主席及民选理事）负责战略方向, 现由一名兼职行政人员与一名园艺教育员支持运营, 现任庇护人为 Princess Royal安妮公主（安妮长公主）。
Founded in 1809 by Edinburgh Worthies
The Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society (The Caley) was set up in December 1809 by seventeen Edinburgh worthies who met at the Royal College of Physicians on George Street. Its founding aim was the encouragement and improvement of the best fruit, the most choice flowers and the most useful culinary vegetables. From the start the Society welcomed skilled professional gardeners, nurserymen and zealous amateurs. Its inspiration came from the London Horticultural Society, founded five years earlier; London Society founders Sir Joseph Banks and Richard Salisbury, and its President Thomas Andrew Knight (1811–1838), were members of the Caley from the outset. The Society received its first Royal Charter in 1824 and the accolade «Royal» with a designated Royal Patron in 1838.
From the Inverleith Experimental Garden to Saughton Park
The Society took on the lease of ten acres at Inverleith in 1823, next to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh which was itself moving from Leith Walk. William McNab, Curator of the Botanic Garden and a prominent Caley member, drew up a plan covering orchards, a lockable experimental garden, a culinarium for new and little known culinary vegetables, grafting and budding stocks, nurseries, a fruit-tree wall, a rosary, and compartments for perennials and annuals. Donations arrived from across the world, including fifty different strawberry varieties from the London Horticultural Society. James McNab added an Exhibition Hall (1843) and a vast three-gabled Winter Garden with a promenade inside (1850). The £140 annual rent and running costs proved unsustainable, so in 1864 the Experimental Garden was incorporated into the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh; in 1865 the Society amalgamated with the Edinburgh Horticultural Society and continued its work.
The Caledonian Gardener, Talks and Demonstration Gardening
The Caledonian Gardener is the Society’s annual journal, full of articles on horticulture and gardening from across Scotland and distributed to members early in the year; a monthly e-newsletter supplements it with short Society updates. A winter programme of talks is held in the McHattie room at Saughton and on Zoom. The Society maintains a permanent office, demonstration gardens and a large working greenhouse and potting shed at Saughton Park in Edinburgh, runs workshops and short courses throughout the year, hosts a demonstration allotment, plant sales and several shows, and welcomes volunteer gardening on site. The members’ library continues a tradition that has run alongside the Society since its early decades.
Grow & Learn — A Person-Centred Horticultural Award
Grow & Learn is the Society’s person-centred horticultural award, recognising individual progress and achievement for learners who find mainstream learning challenging. Four progressive levels — Roots, Nurture, Flourish and Bloom — build life skills and employability through horticulture. The Roots stage requires seven core activities, thirteen additional activities, three personal goals, eighty hours of practical gardening and a personal portfolio. The programme has been delivered in partnership with organisations including the Richmond Fellowship in Glasgow and Uppertunity in Dundee, with award ceremonies hosted at Saughton Park and elsewhere. Honorary President George Anderson noted: «In all my years of involvement in horticulture and gardening I have not met a scheme that encourages, supports and rewards its students in the way Grow & Learn does».
Medals, Governance and Royal Patronage
The Society awards a suite of medals and certificates. The Scottish Horticultural Medal (SHM), first issued in 1959 to mark the 150th anniversary, is restricted to a maximum of fifty living recipients and recognises outstanding contributions to Scottish horticulture. The Dr Patrick Neill Memorial Medal, endowed in 1851 by founding member and first Secretary Patrick Neill, is awarded biennially to a distinguished Scottish botanist or cultivator. The Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother Medal in Horticulture was introduced in 1990 for outstanding non-professional service. The Dr Andrew Duncan Medal (from 2003) honours educationalists, advisers or administrators, while the Carter-Patterson Memorial Medal recognises high-achieving horticulture students and apprentices. The Society is a registered charity, additionally incorporated under a Royal Charter (first granted 1824, renewed 2008) and Bye-Laws, governed by a Council comprising a President, Vice Presidents and elected members, and supported by a part-time Administrator and a part-time Horticultural Educator. Its Royal Patron is Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.
发表回复