2022 – CHW

Fairly decent bank holiday weather after a little rain yesterday evening.

Good news that the registrar of the International Camellia Society has very quickly confirmed the reregistration of Camellia x williamsii ‘Delia Williams’ first made in 1965 and then subsequently merged in error into C. ‘Citation’. The formal registration is attached.

A young plant of Michelia ‘Fairy Blush’ in a 3L pot covered in flowers at the sales point. Then on to Old Park for filming with Karol and photography.

More plants in flower (and one deado) in the new Amelanchier plantation (ex Starborough Nursery). They only flower for a shortish period but are certainly different in flower and new leaf.

Amelanchier ovalis ‘Wisley’

Amelanchier x weigandii (1985-8373-Kew)

Amelanchier ovalis ‘Jenny Belle’

Amelanchier bartramiana (1995-0254HA) – no bronzy new growth here.

Rhododendrons species – unknown – plan to check when finalised.

Some elderly 1960s planted Rhododendron calophytum.

Rhododendron denudatum – some flowers out and some in tight bud. Slightly dull as a species. Need to check if we have ever grown this before. I do not think I ever remember it.

Rhododendron minus var. minus – a good group of four plants flowering copiously despite only being moved here last year.

First flowering of Magnolia ‘Serenade’ in Old Park. Unexciting as yet with curving horizontal growth on the main stem.

Three plants of Rhododendron morii. New growth frosted on one, but not on its neighbour and the third plant has not put on any growth yet. All in seven square meters and the frosted plant is the furthest one up the hill. I said yesterday our plantings of this species had not fared well and here we are.

Magnolia ‘Carlos’ with some flowers frosted and some not.

First flowers out on the Echium pininana.

2021 – CHW
It is rhododendron time now and let us move to looking more closely at some of these.

The old clump of Rhododendron oreothrephes. One of the few species to self-seed itself here within the clump. The old plants had been cut back hard a few times and some have died but the seedlings are now up to 15-18ft tall and could probably do with a chop down themselves next autumn or spring. It is in the triflora subsection of rhododendrons along with Rhododendron augustinii and Rhododendron yunnanense.

Supposedly Rhododendron haemaleum var. atrorubrum from an Alan Clark collection. The flower does not begin to fit the very dark red of the ‘Pocket Guide to Rhododendron Species’. haemaleum is a form of Rhododendron sanguineum which does have dark red flowers and sanguineum grows in the Rookery (and elsewhere). No idea but the picture looks much more like a Rhododendron royalii cross to me.

Rhododendron ‘Damaris’ on the main path. It used to be one of the best yellow hybrids but has been superseded by better and is ignored a bit today. Another one to layer for the future.

Corylopsis sinensis ‘Spring Purple’ with its dark new leaves just about appearing with what is left of the flowers. For a day or two a most attractive contrast and how this excellent plant gets its name.

Amelanchier lamarckii on the drive – one of at least three. Similar to Amenlanchier laevis but the petals are smaller amongst other things.

Magnolia ‘Pinkie’ (one of the stellata/liliiflora ‘girls’) on Hovel Cart Road just above the Enkianthus.

Amelanchier interior does not have bronzy new growth. An attractive large shrub developing into a small tree above Hovel Cart Road. We have quite a collection of Amelanchier already which I hope to increase with purchases from Starborough Nursery who specialise in them.

Always fun to discover a plant which you never knew that you had (or had forgotten). Here a huge clump of Lonicera involucrata just coming into flower today. It looks like the cuttings are already fit to take so perhaps Asia can get a good bag full down to Burncoose (on the bank above Hovel Cart Road above the Osmanthus with wrinkled/prickly leaves and beside the Exochorda).

2020 – CHW
I suppose part of all the aggression shown towards the government by the media may be somewhat driven by those who want to sue someone for death or perceived unfair treatment or undue exposure to ‘risk’? I doubt it would hold up against the emergency legislation which gives the government and police such sweeping powers but would you trust the legal profession not to be thinking about a future class action (funded by one of the firms that take the main risk in these sorts of cases and are the only ones to benefit if they win – eg the post office managers)? The government may rightly worry about the mounting death rates but I bet their lawyers are calling some of the shots behind the scenes for exactly this reason.Now that we see the ethnic split of deaths, particularly in America, I can see this as being one of the great ‘unfairnesses’ which socialists will champion in the class war and seek future reparation for.The concept of perceived ‘entitlement’ to everything, immediately, regardless of cost, is one of the worst features of this whole crisis. The priorities are all wrong as history will show.The cuckoo joins the dawn chorus this morning near the house.The row of camellias below the fernery still looks spectacular today. The large double red which shows up the most is Camellia x williamsii ‘Tristram Carlyon’.

Another Magnolia ‘Peachy’ set against a blue sky.

Two very different clumps of bluebells outside the arch. The second lot are ‘Spanish’ bluebells and the first a decent cross between wild and Spanish.

A good clump of now wild (but once cultivated) pinkish bluebells.

Rhododendron ‘Fragrantissimum’ just emerging into flower in the border opposite the front door.

Planting out another crop of young pot grown rhododendrons into Rookery Nursery bed after Jaimie had dug the ground over and added fertiliser (and water). Rhododendrons grow poorly in pots and are often too small to go straight into the garden from pots. Hence the need to grow them on.

Some young Rhododendron ‘Snow Lady’ in the bed have grown well in two years and will be ready to go into the garden next spring.

Likewise some young Rhododendron burmanicum.

I peeled the bark off an elderly Betula albosinensis to show how you can assist nature and improve the visual impact for one of the website topical tips videos.

Orange-yellow berries and yellow flowers both on Corokia x virgata.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Gold Rush’ contrasting nicely with Magnolia ‘Limelight’.

Philadelphus sericanthus in flower in the greenhouse.

Aesculus glabra ‘April Wine’ has soon lost its wine tinge and the flowers are out.

Magnolia ‘Raven’ was, I thought, much better than this but perhaps I should not judge a first flower on a young plant.

Rubus squarrosus has the nastiest tiny prickles all over that you could possibly imagine.

I have no idea of the name of this holly but it is flowering well. It might be Ilex corallina according to the planting records.

Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Woodsman’ x ‘Patriot’ has extraordinary colours in its bud and flowers as they open.

A rather poor form of Rhododendron orbiculare.

Rhododendron hanceanum has a touch of pink in its creamy-white flowers.

First flowers showing on the old wisteria which we usually cut for Chelsea in about a month’s time most years.

2019 – CHW
Magnolia ‘Honeybelle’ performing nicely for the first time. Smallish flowers but a good greenish-yellow as they first open. There are far too many similar named yellow varieties in different categories / flower shapes but this one probably scrapes by as being good enough to be grown more widely.

Could this be Magnolia “Peaches ‘n’ Cream”? Label gone. It matches up to the pictures which we have.

First flowering with us (and long awaited) of Ucodendron whatonii which is now considered to be a Parrotia species. Looks more like a Hamamelis flower to me and not that exciting really but the purple undersides of the newer leaves certainly are. Many more flowers to come out mainly lower down the stems. Still there is something really exciting about seeing a totally new genus/species flowering for the first time here!

Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Black Beauty’ in bud and flower.

What I am now certain is the white form of Staphylea holocarpa flowering away with the flowers coming directly from the old wood as they should. This is the only pure white form that we have although a slight pink tinge to the buds.

Acer tegmentosum ‘Joe Witt’ just into leaf having been planted at Donkey Show in March.

Berberis xanthoclada in the Isla Rose Plantation flowering for the first time. Asia may be able to propagate this one successfully too.

To my horror this Melliodendron xylocarpum from (I assume) Mark Bulk (but with a Burncoose label) is something else entirely with dull rounded flowers. Thankfully the other three plants which are still alive here have had the odd true flower. Any idea what it actually is please?

2018 – CHW
Day 3 of our Irish trip – A long drive to visit two island gardens near Sneem on the coast.

2017 – CHW

A trip to the greenhouses to select some plant presents for our hosts on the trip next weekend.

To my surprise all menziesia have been reclassified by the taxonmists as rhododendrons just to confuse us. These used to grow in the rockery and here are some replacements.

Menziesia ciliicalyx (Rhododendron ciliicalyx)

Menziesia ciliicalyx ‘Plum Drops’

Both are very pretty indeed. The ciliicalyx bit comes into its own on the stem of the flower bud as you can see. Not quite dwarf shrubs and temperamental to grow well in our wet climate but well worth the effort.

A new plant of Lithocarpus glabra in the greenhouse. Looks much like the old one in the garden about which there is so much debate as to its true name (see my oak article).

Another species to reintroduce here – Rhododendron irmelies from Glendoick.

Pittosporum parvilimbum with dainty yellow flowers. Hardly looks like a pittosporum. From Roundabarrow Nurseries this year.

Ribes longiracemosa in flower. A new species to me and exactly as its name implies. Vigorous new growth like Viburnum opalus.

Then a long day making another 25 to 30 video clips for the website including crossing a camellia, magnolia and a rhododendron.Here is a picture of my first grandchild, Isla Rose Williams.

Cubby, Nutty, Dollar, Billy and Saffron enjoy the bluebells in the sun