2023 – CHW

Burncoose on a sunny but cold day. Few camellias in flower yet on the main sales beds. A few things out in flower here and there but still not much. A later spring season than for a few years which is good news.

Camellia ‘White Swan’ with the odd flower.

The camellia sales beds – full with good healthy plants.

Genista ‘Porlock’ just starting to flower as normal.

Kalmia angustifolia ‘Rubra’ still showing its dislike of the recent cold weather with droopy leaves. It will soon pick up.

Cercis chinensis ‘Avondale’ in flower rather unexpectedly early.

As usual Pseudocydonia sinensis with extremely early new growth.

The Pittosporum and Ceanothus beds well stocked and looking good for spring sales.

Nandina domestica ‘Firepower’ still with good red tints.

Nandina domestica ‘Woods Dwarf’ not quite as good.

Syzygium paniculatum ‘Newport’ with minor frost damage. Trim out with no problem.

Leptospermum scoparium ‘Pink Cascade’ with a few errant flowers now.

Coronilla glauca ‘Variegata’ is normally out now.

Clematis armandii nearly in flower – again a bit later than normal.

Azalea ‘Salmon Kirin’ out at the garden entrance. ‘Kirin’ was out here just after Christmas.

2022 – CHW

Storm Dudley was a non-event in Cornwall yesterday but today we face Storm Eunice.

On my return from Cheshire Jaimie had prepared vases of things which have come out while I have been away. These pictures do not do them justice.

Michelia martinii – over the last four years the odd few single flowers but, this year, the first proper full flowering beside Bramble Field track. A good yellow and much larger flowers than ever before.

Jaimie’s new magnolia hybrid is stunning even if blown open a little early. This is its third year of flowering and, now, one can see its full potential. Registration comes closer and I hope to get more pictures of the tree itself. We need to think about a name.

A vase of Magnolia ‘F J Williams’, Magnolia ‘Philip Tregunna’ and Magnolia ‘Bishop Peter’.

Removing the potholes from the Porthluney beach car park perhaps prematurely before Storm Eunice.

Corylus avellana with the catkins fully extended. One sees these all along the motorway verges.

Magnolia mollicomata ‘Werrington’ now full out.

Camellia reticulata ‘Dr Clifford Parks’

Work moves on apace in the Kitchen Garden and Frankie has got through to the top bit and burnt the infestation of Lonicera nitida.

2021 – CHW
Planting the yellow magnolia collection (Phase 1) and a few specimen trees in Tunnel Field (two acres) at Burncoose. It does not look a big pile but there are 60 different yellow magnolias here! In 20 years’ time quite an addition to the woodland garden if we can keep the deer and rabbits away from the plants for a bit.

Plenty of space for Phase 2 – more yellow magnolias, deciduous azaleas, Matsumae cherries and other taller shrubs. Rhododendrons will have to wait. Specimen camellias in the autumn. At least we have made a start on a dry day.

This camellia hedge was bought from the nursery 10 to 12 years ago. It now shields this property on both sides of the entrance in Perranwell. A very good advert for Burncoose and camellias as a windbreak hedge.

Acacia dealbata in full flower as a hedgerow tree also in Perranwell. Flowering away despite the Beast in the last week and about 25ft in height. Absolutely stunning and I had to stop and photograph it despite having to make a detour to do so as the road was closed in Frogpool.

Another holly which I had hoped might be the true Ilex dipyrena but, so defoliated is this plant, that I am not at all convinced. The purple colouring on the new growth looks, perhaps, more like Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Prince’ or ‘Blue Princess’?

A 50 year old Lithocarpus pachyphyllus had lower branches removed a couple of years ago and is now suckering from the base.

A newly planted Polyspora speciosa (KWJ 12204) has gorgeous red new growth and veining but, sadly, the one flower has been destroyed in the Beast.

While planting here we suddenly notice dripping white sap running down the trunk of a 20ft tall self-sown Abies grandis. A branch high up had snapped in the wind and hence this sap deluge. I have seen this before in moderation from sawn off lower branches but never as much energy as this being wasted.

2020 – CHW
Magnolia ‘Mount Pironga’ is flowering properly on the drive for the first time. This is a new New Zealand hybrid which is performing well. Not yet in the Burncoose catalogue but will be soon.

Magnolia campbellii ‘Lamellyn’ is out early as usual on the drive. Better, I think, than Magnolia campbellii ‘Werrington’ or Magnolia campbellii ‘Sidbury’.

The deciduous azalea nearby which always flowers way out of season has buds which will shortly burst. I have however seen it out six weeks earlier. I must remember to check the one at Burncoose.

2019 – CHW
After a Great Gardens of Cornwall meeting I stop at Tregoose, a garden between Trewithen and Grampound, to admire their wonderful snowdrop collection. Something I know very little about although galanthophilia is a well-known gardening passion for some. I can well see why! Some varieties were over today, a few still to come out. Some of these varieties would be very expensive to buy but they are indeed collectable and another different great start to spring. Exciting enough to become a galanthophile myself?Galanthus nivalis ‘Wendys Gold’

Galanthus nivalis ‘Sam Arnott’

Galanthus nivalis ‘Augustus’

If you are sick of snowdrops by now that is enough. Otherwise click here to see loads more varieties.

2018 – CHW
The last Rhododendron hookeri has blown over in the Rireii Opening. Not a major problem as we cleared and replanted most of this area last spring leaving this veteran rather exposed and in the way. Conversely another bit of Chinese plant collecting history bites the dust.

Country Life appears today with Caerhays on the front cover and a good article encouraging visitors to visit the garden. Perfect timing for our opening to the public too.
Here is a copy of the front cover

I can hardly remember the journalist and photographer coming about a year ago now but they have indeed got most of their facts right. Click here to read the article.

2017 – CHW
Jaimie and I take a day out to visit Tuckermarsh Plants near Gunnislake but in Devon. Mark Fillan showed us around what is quite a small but interesting nursery which Roy Lancaster wrote up recently. This is very near Champernowne Nursery so that is how deliveries to Burncoose could be made.Clare needs to get in touch to consider an order this spring. He has plenty of stock of :Beschorneria septentrionalis – a Mexican species with dark green leaves which will tolerate full shade and dry soil. 2L

Fatsia polycarpa – 3L. This particular clone was found by Edward Needham formerly of Tregye. It has especially narrow leaflets on its finely cut leaves. Very nice flower too and totally unlike Fatsia japonica.

Dasilioron mequeriomexensis – looks like a puya.

These would be available to us at trade prices.
Coming on for the future is a large batch of Mahonia bealei ‘Cornish Silver’. This too originated from a Needham introduction. One stock plant was in full flower. Orangy-yellow!

Also Mahonia gracillipes x fortunei.

I think both of these would be well worth reserving as new plants for 2018.Also of interest for the future might well be some of the shrubby Mexican dahlia species which Mark is growing from seed. Some are conservatory plants and some are not. They all flower very late in the year and some still had a few leaves:

Dahlia australisDahlia dissecta

Dahlia rupicola

Other novelties which we saw included:

Clethra luzmariae (similar to Clethra pringleyi but a suckering dense shrub)

Aucuba confertiflora – which we lost at Caerhays in the cold in 2012

Arbutus canariensis – tender

Mahonia russellii – a tender Mexican species which will not cross with the Chinese ones

Mahonia hartwegii – a Roy Lancaster introduction from which Mark has made jam from the fruits

Then an hour’s frustration with satnav trying to find Roundabarrow nurseries which was just the other side of Gunnislake (the Cornish side) but through a council estate and up a long track to the hilltop. One of the most difficult places to find that I have ever encountered.Roundabarrow grows seed and cuttings largely to order from wild seed collectors and notable gardens. Their main customer is Nick Macer at Pan Global Plants and much of their production is solely for them. The trade lists which we see are much more limited.

A large new multispan tunnel contains so many rare novelties that it was hard to know where to start looking in their ‘sweetshop’.

We need to ask now for the supply of:

Daphne bholua varieties – several

Dichroa cynea

Dichroa gzum

Schefflera delavayi – plenty ready in 3L in six weeksEucryphia ‘Dwarf’ – a tiny shrub of unknown origin

Eucryphia ‘Dumpling’ – a bit like Eucryphia milliganii

Salvia daubneyi (spelling?) – tall growing and still in flower

There were hundreds of schefflera seedlings growing on which would be ready for 2018 and should be reserved now. The new popularity of schefflera needs responding to in our catalogue then:Schefflera brevipediocarpa

Schefflera rhododendrifolia

There were other varieties/species too.

We took away a few plants which will be added to the bill for our next delivery:

Carpinus omiense

Carpinus fargesiana

Quercus bushii ‘Seattle Trident’

Pittosporum parviculum

We plan to invite Paul Adcock to Caerhays in mid May to collect rare enkianthus cuttings and to have a go at michelias too. Also our evergreen Carpinus kawakamii. Also in the autumn to collect magnolia and other seed. We need to get more onto the Roundabarrow bandwagon for the future. A very tidy and well run operation.

Our magnolia scions had all been grafted. He still has some stock for us of Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ (smallish still) and ‘Delia Williams’ (add five to our order).

Attended the Trewithen Nurseries closing down sale with Andrew and Justin. A huge crowd of upcountry nurserymen and hundreds of the public which meant the 600 lots took six hours to sell and prices were ‘reasonable’ without being daft either way. Heligan were big buyers so we had to bide our time. Not how we would have lotted up and laid out an auction!

I managed to buy 48 trays (x20 plants) of deciduous azalea liners for £350. It would have cost £1,600-1,700 to buy these from a liner nursery so a bargain. Also 60 odd Crinodendron patagua for £90 and 200 good agapanthus liners for £190 (in the car park Justin resold 40 for £80).

Surprisingly prices did not drop off towards the end and we only bought a few of the 2L camellias which looked good and none of the rather tatty scented rhododendrons.

Two van loads for Justin to take away. Total purchases circa £1,200. A tiring day as you have to really concentrate to bid at a trade auction like this. The auctioneer knocked down a lot of rubus to me which I did not bid on and I suspect no one else did either but at £25 for 20 who cared?

Amusing to watch other estate owners pay way over the odds for some things they could have bought for cheaper at any wholesale nursery. Five hundred tiny 4-6’’ one litre griselinia liners for £500. Later lots of three litre 3ft plus griselinia made only £2.30 each. Twenty truly awful Magnolia ‘Yellow Lantern’ for £200. Suckers and sales – that is why you have them!