2nd December | The Garden Diary

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CONTRIBUTORS:

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2023 – CHW

The pheasants are eating the ripe fruits on Mespilus germanica but plenty still on the tree. Brock decided to try one but did not finish it.

Autumn colour on Ginkgo biloba ‘Variegata’ with just a hint of variegation.

Betula ‘China Rose’ has lost its leader but is recovering well and making a decent tree in a prime position in Kennel Close.

Carpinus caroliniana (from Mexico) also still in full leaf like Carpinus japonica seen yesterday.

First flower on Camellia japonica ‘Lady Clare’.

Camellia japonica ‘White Swan’ is covered in flower.

First few flowers out on Camellia x williamsii ‘Beatrice Michael’.

2022 – CHW
The new and late post drought new growth on Rhododendron griersonianum has got scorched by wind or frost in the last week. This is the problem with late new growth.

Plenty of flower buds now showing up on Rhodelia aff. parvipetala 4 months before they will come out.

Turpina formosana (from Taiwan Forestry Institute) with unusual autumn colour.

A single secondary flower on Rhododendron veitchianum Cubittii Group. Not seen this species do this before here.

Ripening fruit on Cotoneaster ‘Exburyensis’. Our plant of Cotoneaster ‘Rothschildianus’ has been blown out of the ground and its root broken off below ground level.
The yellowish-red fruits have now all fallen under Photinia beauvardiana var. notabilis. Asia needs to collect quickly before the mice get the lot.

2021 – CHW
A few surprises in the nursery:Clematis cirrhosa ‘Jingle Bells’ is good value at this time of the year.

Autumn colour in the triple span polytunnel.

Salvia confertiflora still in full flower.

I think this is Weinmannia racemosa (not Weinmannia trichosperma) flowering out of season in the show tunnel. It did the same last year. We need to propagate this.

2020 – CHW
The usual exciting new things in the greenhouses on a sunny day.The fallen ash on the drive all now cleared up and much of the firewood seems to have gone to a (hopefully) good home over the weekend.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Waterfall Pink’ with its drooping, pendulous habit has a nice double flower. A new one for us which will need to be grown on a steep bank.

A good young plant of Cupressus tortulosa. Nice peeling bark on the young stem.

Tetradium aff. fraxinifolium (KWJ 12091) seems evergreen.

The Cornus angustata (now elliptica) ‘Empress of China’ has picked up markedly from the sorry state it was when it arrived in the spring. Good evergreen foliage.

Rhodoleia aff. henryi (BSWJ 11782) has made good growth too.

A nice young plant of Camellia sasanqua ‘Winter’s Interlude’ with a nearly intact flower. Several of these ‘Winter’s Whatevers’ are very similar!

A Polyspora longicarpa cutting with a camellia-like flower already on an 18in tall plant.

A seedling Mallotus japonicus (perhaps – 2017 seeds) with autumn tints. Leaves do not look right but this may be a juvenile stage.

A young plant of Olearia lacunosa. Peeling white indumentum on the leaves. It will need a hot dry location.

Oreopanax sectifolius has grown quickly and is touching the roof in the frame.

A liner of Camellia brevistyla var. rubra with tiny flowers. Cuttings from Tregrehan to add to our camellia species collection here.

A similarly young 1L plant of Camellia vernalis ‘Dawn’ already in flower although nothing showing on its parents as yet.

Photinia davidiana with masses of now ripe fruit. The older coloured leaves have now fallen leaving just the younger evergreen ones.

Flowers about to appear on Clethra pringleyi – lots!

Presumably due to the mild weather the outer casings on the buds of Magnolia ‘Mr Julian’ are shedding dangerously early. As you see here three have already shed and others are just hanging on.

Prunus ‘Jo-nioi’ has now shed onto the ground.

Magnolia x veitchii still has plenty of green leaves lower down.

2019 – CHW
The storms have caused major damage at Burncoose as well as here. One of the elderly beech trees by the tree fern shed a huge limb which brought down another decent 40 year old beech. Then a second beech tree fell last Thursday into the other walled garden. Fortunately after we had just dug the Christmas trees growing here. I had put it in the annual tree report as one to fell next year. What is left of the other one needs to go now too.

Fuchsia procumbens in the nursery. Leafless now outside but still with fat edible fruits and some still unripe ones.

Toona sinensis ‘Flamingo’ in the nursery with good autumn colour.

2018 – CHW
Rhododendron cinnabarinum appears to be full out again. This is not the first time it has been out in autumn but previously these were secondary flowers rather than the main display. Looking at the buds on the plant this would appear to be next spring’s showing.

This may be a year when there have been relatively few rabbits but those that are still around have been doing a wonderful job gnawing magnolia branches where they can reach them easily. Magnolias must be kept within wire netting surrounds for as long as possible!

2017 – CHW

These are the plants delivered yesterday from Crug Farm as additions to the collection here:

Acer sikkimense WWJ11613
Acer sikkimense WJC13674
Illicium philippinense CWJ12466
Sorbus ullungdonensis BSWJ 12640
Meliosma myriantha v. discolour MF 97132
Turpinia ternata CWJ12360
Aristolochia semepervirens BSWJ13600
Dactylicapnos ventii WJC13786
Holboellia latiflora ssp. Chartacea HWJK2213d Dark Flowered
Acer eryranthrum FMWJ13157
Acer laevigatum FMWJ13439
Betula insignis ssp. fansipanensis FMWJ 13149
Clethra fabri FMWJ13037
Dendropanax cf. kwangtungensis FMWJ13274
Ilex chapaensis HWJ946
Ternstromia kwangtungensis FMWJ13402
Euonymus porphyreus BSWJ9377
Lindera neesiana BSWJ13984
Merrilliopanax alpinus BSWJ13939
Tetracentron sinense v. himalense WJC13818
Neolitsia sericea Yellow Fruit CWJ12830
Schefflera macrophylla
Schefflera rhododendifolia
Schefflera aff. chapana

The three sorts of schefflera are for the show tunnel at Burncoose to grow on for Chelsea 2018 together with other species growing there. Schefflera will be one key theme of our stand. Wonderful architectural plants! I spent the afternoon today picking out 100 to 130 plants from the frames and greenhouse here to plant out in the new Isla Rose Plantation on Monday 11th December.

2016 – CHW
Jasminum mesneyi is full out above the tower on the lawn. It is growing out of the wall hidden within a clump of Jasminum beesianum. Very pretty indeed and odd to find a yellow flower on anything in December.

Next door the small quinces on Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Geisha Girl’ have turned yellowish orange and are being eaten my mice, rats or pheasants. Terrible smell.

Down the bank the tender Salvia x jamensis ‘Hot Lips’ remains in full radiant flower. It has survived here for several winters.

Hanging over the wall above the salvia is a flower of Magnolia grandiflora.

All on a coldish afternoon in December! Amazing in a week when we have had our first touch of frost.

2015 – CHW

Still none of the forecast heavy rain.

Hydrangea ‘Fireworks’ at The Hovel turning still has the odd decent flower and has now been out since late June.

Hidden beside it is a Rhododendron moupinense full out in the shade. The odd flower photographed a week or two ago was therefore not an aberration or a secondary flowering.

Prunus Shirotae nearby has lost many of its leaves but what remain are a rather lovely yellow. So is the younger one at the cash point.

1944 – CW
Camellia oleifera very good but not at its best. Still an odd flower on Magnolia delavayi and Auriculatum hybrids. Camellia sasanqua past its best. First Hamamelis out and some heath. Very wet autumn and moors flooded right across for some weeks.

1922 – JCW
Very few bulbs above the ground. C sasanqua in flower but very few buds. A few lapagerias. Erica hybrida opening. Cotoneaster salicifolia very nice at the reservoir. Some Maddeni x nice.

1905 – JCW
A useful lot of daffs are on the move, of all sizes and ages, but the King Alfred blood is most prominent. C sasanqua is good. A few coums show flower. Some roses going yet. Primroses are very late.

1900 – JCW
A good few five year olds through the ground. Picked this years crop of rhodo seed.