Toast to the Scots Pine

[Bugbear]

The Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) came up in PM discussions today. What a wonderful pine. They would not survive down here in the desert, or I would consider growing one.

To the gnarled, twisted, Scottish curmudgeon of pines.


I had to try to find something pine related from Robert Burns's, and so far there is a reference in "The Lass O' Ballochmyle":

Then pride might climb the slipp'ry steep,
Where frame and honours lofty shine;
And thirst of gold might tempt the deep,
Give me the cot below the pine,
To tend the flocks or till the soil;
And ev'ry day have joys divine
With the bonie lass o' Ballochmyle.

[Dale-of-Cedars]

As a tree-lover, and being on the other end of that PM about Scottish trees, I had to look up a picture of a Scots Pine bonsai.

http://www.why-bonsai.com/bonsai_his...ots_pine1.html



What's the phrase in Scots for a 'wee bonny tree'?

[Bugbear]

Hmmm... Burns does mention the lime and orange in, "Song-Will Ye Go To The Indies, My Mary?"
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1279/1279-h/1279-h.htm
Also, "Their Groves O'Sweet Myrtle."

Could have a Burns garden.

[Redshank]

A recent photo of the glorious Scots Pine in the Highlands of Scotland not far from my home

[BoldHighlander]

That's a beautiful picture, Chris!

[Bugbear]

As a tree-lover, and being on the other end of that PM about Scottish trees, I had to look up a picture of a Scots Pine bonsai.

http://www.why-bonsai.com/bonsai_his...ots_pine1.html



What's the phrase in Scots for a 'wee bonny tree'?

Thanks for posting that, Dale.

Your post did not show up at first. I think the posts of new members do that some times, so the staff can make sure you aren't a spammer. I'm very sorry about that.

That's literati style. Very good style for a Scots pine.

[EagleJCS]

What's the phrase in Scots for a 'wee bonny tree'?

In Scots: 'Wee bonnie tree'.

In Scots-Gaelic (not sure of the correct gender/word placement):
'goirid bòidhche craobh-ghiuthais' (literally: short bonnie pine-tree)

[Lallans]

In Scots: 'Wee bonnie tree'.

In Scots-Gaelic (not sure of the correct gender/word placement):
'goirid bòidhche craobh-ghiuthais' (literally: short bonnie pine-tree)

And the bonsai would be a wee bonnie tree in a wee bonnie tray... but both would sound the same in my family.

[Bugbear]

Ok, here we go, from the Project Gutenberg link to the Burns poetry I posted earlier:

Song-Will Ye Go To The Indies, My Mary?
Tune-"Will ye go to the Ewe-Bughts, Marion."

Will ye go to the Indies, my Mary,
And leave auld Scotia's shore?
Will ye go to the Indies, my Mary,
Across th' Atlantic roar?

O sweet grows the lime and the orange,
And the apple on the pine;
But a' the charms o' the Indies
Can never equal thine.

I hae sworn by the Heavens to my Mary,
I hae sworn by the Heavens to be true;
And sae may the Heavens forget me,
When I forget my vow!

O plight me your faith, my Mary,
And plight me your lily-white hand;
O plight me your faith, my Mary,
Before I leave Scotia's strand.

We hae plighted our troth, my Mary,
In mutual affection to join;
And curst be the cause that shall part us!
The hour and the moment o' time!

Could grow a Robert Burns lime tree. He writes , "sweet grows the lime and the orange," so I'm guessing the Tahiti lime (Citrus latifolia) would be along the lines of what he was imagining. Not sure of the variety of sweet orange to which he might be referring, though. Surely he would have been familiar with the sour orange (Citrus aurantium). Might look into the time line on the lime tree.

I do have an assortment of citrus growing, some as bonsai, but not a lime.

I also found other references to pineapples in Burns's letters... kind of interesting. I grow those from tops from time to time. * It would likely be the Key lime Burns would have known, but it is not at all sweet... The Tahiti Lime was not developed until the late 1800s.

[MacBean]

I love the Caledonian pine forests and applaud Scotland's efforts to regenerate them where they have disappeared in the Highlands.

Redshank. That is one extraordinary photo. Do you have others?!