KBBS Featured Report
Our Bursary is funded by a generous donation from the estate of Mr Kenneth Black providing small bursaries to students and people who are employed in horticulture.
You can find details of the scheme and how to apply on the main bursary scheme page. Here we regularly feature a report from one of the beneficiaries.
The Kenneth Black Bursary Scheme will consider giving financial support for horticultural workshops, conferences and symposiums, as in this case:
Featured Report
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A tour of Kyrgyzstan between 18th June and 4th July 2018 Andrea Topalovic Arthan
Aims and objectives
The ultimate aim of the travel scholarship to Kyrgyzstan was to undertake a broad study of wildflower meadows in a number of distinct locations within the country. The sites were carefully chosen to encompass the wide variety of meadows found in Kyrgyzstan.
The key objectives of this trip were to:
• Observe the unique meadow environments of Kyrgyzstan, such as the steppes and alpine meadows.
• Study the range of native wildflower species found in these meadows.
• Gain a broad understanding of how the composition varies between these habitats and the reasons for any significant differences.
About the author
Andrea Topalovic Arthan is currently studying towards the Kew Diploma at RBG Kew. The author started her horticultural career with the Sutton Nature Conservation Volunteers, where she helped create and manage meadows and chalk grasslands in the London Borough of
Sutton. This sparked an ongoing affection and interest in the use of meadows and other types of naturalistic planting.
Particularly inspiring was the interpretation of meadows at the Olympic Park during the 2012 London Olympics. The diverse range of plants and overall visual impact led the author to
further investigate these fascinating environments as part of this field trip to the meadows
and steppes of Kyrgyzstan.
Acknowledgments
This journey would not have been possible without the valuable financial contribution and support from the Kenneth Black Bursary Scheme (administered by the Hardy Plant Society),the RHS Coke Trust Bursary Fund, the Bentham-Moxon Trust, Kew Guild as well as colleagues at RBG Kew.
Read the full report here
A selection of other reports may be found here