2022 – CHW

First two house martins seen over the lake yesterday morning by Jaimie (8th April). Bang on time.

A fine sunny day after a good bit of rain yesterday. Good for the newly planted things to get a good watering in. Last April was very dry and things suffered by mid-May.
Rhododendron magnificum on Rookery Path. The flowers quickly fade in colour. Nearby is Rh. praestans which does the same.

First flowers out on Magnolia ‘Lois’. Nothing showing on M. ‘Daphne’ as yet.

Michelia ‘Mixed up Miss’ just showing but not with much scent as yet. We never thought this variety tough enough to develop and grow but it is now a decent small tree of circa 15-18ft in height.

Magnolia ‘Tropicana’ at its best with the full mixture of colours. Love it or loath it? It certainly is ‘different’!

The 1920s original Michelia floribunda with more flowers than we have seen for years. Hopefully some resulting seeds this autumn.

Rhodoleia aff. parvipetala now full out and the flowers are fading to pink.

Sophora microphylla ‘Sun King’ putting on a splendid display again this year with little leaf. In full shelter here as we previously lost three young plants in an east wind near the Playhouse.

Sophora microphylla ‘Sun King’ and Rhododendron loderi ‘King George’ in the background. An odd and spectacular combination.

Michelia ‘Touch of Pink’ nearly full out although the ‘touch’ at the tip of the tepals is hard to see here.

Ucodendron whartonii with its witch hazel flowers for, I think, the third or fourth year at Caerhays. We are now told to call this Disanthus ovatifolius which may well annoy Crûg Farm Plants who first introduced this new plant into cultivation in the UK in 2006 under the previous name. Never sure if this is turning into a wall shrub, a cascading small shrub or even a small tree?

Daphniphyllum macropodum var. humile with attractive flower buds and soft new growth. A very compact and neat small rounded shrub.

Rhododendron ‘Lady Montague Group’ just out.

Wonderful bronze new growth on Photinia glomerata. The Trewithen clump of plants are much larger and taller.

New growth too on a thriving young Ilex yunnanensis with a few flowers showing. I first saw this unlikely looking holly at Rosemoor just outside the formal walled garden on the way to the underpass under the road.

2021 – CHW
Jaimie photographed a stoat chasing a rabbit at the sales point this afternoon. In burning up a fallen tree in the Rookery today a nearby pile of logs was disturbed which turned out to contain both a live stoat and a half eaten small rabbit. Clearly the stoat had to try again quickly for a fresh meal.

The first and rather small / slightly frosted flower on Jaimie’s 2009 cross between Magnolia ‘Atlas’ and Magnolia sargentiana (pure). M. sargentiana has only flowered here once in 50 years. The flower shape clearly suggests M. sargentiana. In a year or two this may turn out to be a very exciting new hybrid indeed. So rare is M. sargentiana (pure) that it may have little competition.

Early this morning I saw a batch of some 200 house martins circling above the pond but at a great height. As big a group of arrivals as I have ever seen together before they moved off northwards. This is three days after I saw the first swallows and house martins here.

The Magnolia ‘Peachy’ are just about out but the very similar Magnolia ‘Daybreak’ is still in tight bud.

A few other slightly frosted magnolias newly out in Kennel Close:
Magnolia ‘Tikitere’

Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x Magnolia liliiflora ‘Holland Red’ has now been named as ‘Olav Kalleberg’. It is going to be a superb thing.

Magnolia ‘Columnar Pink’ living up to its name. Getting better as it ages.

Magnolia soulangeana ‘Beugnon’ (after Castle Beugnon in Germany).

The gorgeous red new growth covers the trees in the row of Euonymus lucidus.

Another fallen beech tree cleared up in the Rookery. The trunk is inside the laurel hedge so can rot away on its own.

This rhododendron has the most wonderful internal pink striping on the trumpets of its opening flowers. The closest I can get to naming it is Rhododendron semnoides but it may be nearer to Rhododendron eximium?

2020 – CHW
Now the media moaning is about the professional footballers in the premiership whose players are paid an average £3.6 million each. Instead of really kicking up a deserved stink when the players refuse an overall 30% pay cut the BBC argument is that of the players themselves who maintain they pay more tax if they get paid more so far better for the NHS etc etc. Well fuck me! If the BBC sports reporter fell for that and the editors took it as their media stance what hope is there for the BBC and rational journalism? Who is afraid of who here one wonders and might the hundreds of BBC managers paid more than Boris fear taking a modest 30% cut too? Many clubs have furloughed most of their non-playing staff as well. Why does the BBC take such an aggressive line against the government while promoting rubbish like this as ‘reasonable’?

But I hear from Ian Burnett of a lifetime Oxford friend who has just died of the corona. Others are ill and here am I being facetious about the BBC and footballers! Strange and troubling times.

Jaimie found this happy notice pinned onto the car park gates by the police in a large four-by-four vehicle. Glad they have time on their hands for serious work. There was no one there to castigate!

Cyclamen coum, I thought, growing in a great swathe on the top bank. Closer investigation suggests these are perhaps Cyclamen repandum?

Rhododendron tanastyllum CNT 6350

Rhododendron suoilenhense now fully out and very splendid.

A Rhododendron oldhamii just coming out.

Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth’ now fully out.

Nice fresh growth on Acer shirasawanum ‘Aureum’.

Today’s care articles that I have been writing included euonymus so here is a quick review of the species growing here.

Euonymus tonkinensis as a young evergreen plant.

Euonymus morrisonensis early into new growth and flower buds.

This is the small tree of what I think is Euonymus tingens. Very few leaves remain on the tree which is not recorded as an evergreen. I need help with this one.

Another Magnolia ‘Genie’ with some frost damage and unusually small flowers this year.

New growth on Quercus stenophylloides (CMBS 640 2003 – 1122).

Magnolia ‘Yuchelia’ with its first flowers out above Crinodendron Hedge amid the Styrax species planting.

Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Black Beauty’ beside it.

Camellia ‘Althaeiflora Gigantea’, as we have always called it, still full out with minimal frost damage. What enormous flowers! The camellia reference books do little to acknowledge the existence of this old variety but I tracked it down in the camellia encyclopaedia or international register to Treseders nurseries in the 1960s. It got an RHS award of merit in 1967. Treseders may well have got it from here originally.

Another fine set of berries hidden away on an Aucuba japonica.

Rhododendron oreodoxa var. fargesii in flower.

Flowers out on the elderly and, I suspect, dying Meliosma alba (formerly Meliosma beaniana).

The original Magnolia dawsoniana still full out at 50-60ft long after all the other Asiatics are well over. More flowers this year than for several years.

A busy bumble bee.

Old deer damage to the trunk of a big leafed rhodo has affected its growth quite considerably.

Symplocos aff. sumuntia full out in flower.

Rhododendron ‘Loch Awe’ splendid today.

Pittosporum eugenoides ‘Variegation’ – yellow flowers are wonderful with the variegated leaves.

Magnolia ‘Limelight’ about to spring open.

Symplocos dryophila coming into new growth but no flowers yet on this plant.

Rhododendron monosematum nearly over.

Podocarpus macrophyllus ‘Aureus’ has had its leading shoot blown out in a gale. Now a rather spreading conical shrub rather than a small tree.

We have very few Higo camellias here but I stumbled across two. One of these I was totally unaware of. Looking in the reference books the lighter coloured one might well be ‘Takasago’ and the darker one is definitely Camellia ‘Hatsu-Zakura’ (also known as ‘Dewatarin’). These Higo camellias from the Japanese island of Kyushu have the unusual feature of stamens which flare out from the base rather than standing in a columnar fashion. Asia should propagate both this autumn.

Rhododendron schlippenbachii now full out in its pomp.

Magnolia stellata ‘Jane Platt’ just coming out rather later here than all the other stellata varieties.

2019 – CHW

The Cornwall Garden Society spring show for the first time at Wadebridge (Royal Cornwall county showground) in the cattle show sheds and outdoor arenas. A great improvement in the exhibits and trade stands after 18 years at Boconnoc with all the car parking issues. Fantastic show which puts Cornwall on the map and some RHS efforts in the shade.

Magnolia ‘Solar Flair’ in the three sprays class from Caerhays (which won first and a cup or two).

Magnolia ‘Apollo’ – in the three sprays class from Caerhays.

Magnolia ‘Margaret Helen’ – in the three sprays class from Caerhays.

Magnolia ‘Peachy’ in the one spray class (which won first).

Magnolia ‘Tropicana’ in the one spray class (which won second).

Magnolia ‘Betty Jessel’ in the single flower class (which won first).

Burncoose won several first prizes also (in four out of the seven classes entered).
Rhododendron bahuiniflorum

Azalea ‘Hino Crimson’

Rhododendron macabeanum

Pieris ‘White Pearl’

If you want to see other nice things at the show click here.

2018 – CHW
Another hunt for decent magnolias now that the season is back in full swing. Thank goodness it is not the washout of 2012. Plenty now for visitors to see!

A young Magnolia sprengeri ‘Diva’ now full out.

Magnolia ‘Pristine’ just out by Georges Hut. A small bright pure white as the name implies.

Magnolia ‘Purple Splendour’ looking rather better than it did on the show bench on Saturday from the same tree. Some flowers better than others. A second plant in Kennel Close is also performing.

Magnolia sprengeri ‘Daisy Diva’ – almost a semi double flower but cold damaged a bit as you can see.

Magnolia ‘Angelica’ with its first flower emerging. Nothing special.

Magnolia ‘Crystal Chalice’ is yet another near white but performing rather well in Kennel Close.

Prunus matsumae ‘Beni-Yutaka’ with its first flowers. The first of the Matsumae cherries to be out that I have seen here. Savill plants still two weeks off showing colour.

The true and rather dwarf Magnolia cylindrica which was planted in 1957. From the Trewithen original plant I believe.

Magnolia salicifolia ‘Rosea’ with just a hint of pink in the opening buds that soon vanishes.

Another fine dry day. Good heavens two in a row!

2017 – CHW Off to the Valley Gardens and the rhododendron species collection.

Rhododendron thompsonii

Rhododendron martinianum which has died out at Caerhays.

Rhododendron wardii – the best yellow species?

Rhododendron rex ssp rex – yet another big leaf.

Rhododendron cinnarbarinum subsp xanthocodon ‘Purpurellum Group’ – perhaps my favourite colour. Half the superb clump has died since last year.

Rhododendron cinnarbarinum – long since gone from Caerhays due to the powdery mildew and rust infections of old.

Rhododendron hippophaeoides – a pleasant pale blue.

Rhododendron rubiginosum ‘Wakehurst’ – excellent show.

Rhododendron hyperythrum – perhaps the best show of the day the buds have an odd shape and stand proud before they open.

The best magnolia of the trip by far and one which Burncoose has to stock as well as plant out was Magnolia ‘Purple Prince’. No idea of its provenance.

Rhododendron principis

One of the last bulbicodums still just out.

Rhododendron tatsiense – entirely new to me.

For the acer care article – frost damage to emerging acer leaves.

Rhododendron ‘Olympic Lady’ – a williamsianum hybrid.

Rhododendron ‘Pook’ – a williamsianum hybrid.

Rhododendron ‘Arthur’ – a williamsianum hybrid.

Rhododendron falconeri ssp eximium

Azalea ‘Oino-Mezame’ – a Kurume in the Punch Bowl which we have lost.

A picture of the Punch Bowl just coming out.

Azalea ‘Katsura-no-hana’ – Kirume.

Prunus campanulata – really good!

Prunus Jo-Nioi – single flowers but highly effective in maturity.

Rhododendron ‘Joanita’

Prunus ‘Matsumae-Asami’ – there appear to be scores of very similar Matsumae varieties. The nine we stock are hopefully the best but we have only found one of these on our travels.

Rhododendron ‘Queen Wilhelmina’ – colour changes as the flower fades.

Rhododendron orbiculare x ‘Richard Gill’ – leaves of orbiculare but not the flowers.

The Prunus ‘Kanzan’ glade at its best.

Rhododendron rex

To our amazement Disanthus cercidifolius in full sun at the top of a dry hill with poor soil but looking well. Perhaps we got it wrong planting it in wet semi shade where we have lost it twice.

Meliosma oldhamii looks nothing like our much younger plant? No orange indumentum on the buds. Its bark is not like Meliosma veitchiorum but its new growth and branches are? Could this be a mix up? I think we have had this discussion before.

Sequoiadendron giganteum ‘Pendulum’ [Not ‘Pygmaeum’ – thanks to Wolfgang Keidel for pointing this out] trailing over a fence. The reversions growing out of the top need removing.

A gnarled old sweet chestnut that may or may not have passed the annual health and safety tree inspection report.