Prunus laurocerasus – common laurel in full flower already!
This is listed on the planting plan as Rhododendron arboreum ‘Tony Shilling’. However, unlike the plants on Bond Street which are pink as they should be, this looks like the true Blood Red arboreum.
A Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ sister seedling (and not as good) showing up in the mist outside the front gates.
Prunus conradinae (hirtipes) now full out and on time according to the reference books. A Wilson introduction.
2018 – CHW
A Great Gardens of Cornwall meeting to chair and then a quick trip around the garden at Trewithen with Gary Long and Tom Hudson. Crisp but sunny late pm.
A plant which Jennifer Trehane calls Camellia cuspidata var cuspidata (or C. cuspidata to mere mortals!). Very clearly one of the parents of Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’ – the other being Camellia saluenensis. C. cuspidata has flowers which open out flat as you can see although this is not quite how ‘Cornish Snow’ normally displays itself. A second old plant had slightly less impressive flowers. (The supposed C. cuspidata at Caerhays fell over but has reshot from the base and no flowers recently. Asia needs to propagate. Also Camellia taliensis.) Very pretty and worthwhile early camellia.


Calm, warm and still conditions encourage more magnolias to start to open outside the back yard and elsewhere.Neither of these magnolias are named but quite nice, early flowering seedlings as they are and well worth their place. The tepals show some wind damage from last week and some are pale with a bit of green/white where they have been blown open too early.
2016 – CHW
Several lots of new plants have arrived today from Glendoick and Rezo nurseries in France. Rhodos and bamboos. Attached are the lists of what has come – Glendoick List & Rezo List.
2003 – FJW
First flower on Magnolia ‘Bishop Peter’.
1981 – FJW
First on Tin Garden Magnolia ‘Diva’ seedling.
1962 – FJW
East wind started.
1930 – JCW
Six days of frost have cut Rhodo’s and the Gordonia, but we have had no ice on the pond yet. Heath of 3 kinds are good.
1928 – JCW
Just as in 1927 say 25 species of Rhodo’s including Mackenzianum and 25 hybrids. No Magnolia as in 1913 but Gordonias, some flowers of the early Kobus ½ open.1927 – JCW
Heaths fairly good, Rhodo lutescens and moupinense very good. Blood Red hybrids well out, some Barbatum and Scabrifolium. Prunus pissardi and conradinae just coming out. [?] Dediconia is the next. Camellia speciosa is beautiful.
1924 – JCW
Cold NE wind and frost for a week and all Rhodo’s bloom is cut out for the time but the early stuff has hardly any buds in any case. The heaths are very nice.
1917 – JCW
About 4 days ago the frost broke, the hardest since 1895, nothing much is dead. Rhodo lutescens, mucronulatum and moupinense have begun to open.
1916 – JCW
Prunus pissardi over, several daffs open, Caerhays daff very good, Rhodo fargesi is very nice by the Barbatums. Blood Red hybrids remain good. Rhodo oleifolium very good, the first Camellia reticulata is open.
1914 – JCW
The Prunus pissardi just starting. Only Cyclamineus and its hybrids with Soleil d’Or are out of the daffs. A few Arboreum x Thomsonii open, none of the Mrs Butler x. The following species open Rhodo moupinense – lutescens – argenteum – mucronulatum – barbatum – pink arboreum – blood red arboreum – micranthum – dahuricum – racemosum – sutchuenense.
1913 – JCW
I found a small spray of Pyrus malus open. The Thomsonii x Arboreum lot are very good, and there are some Mrs Butler x Arboreum open.
1897 – JCW
Yellow crocus nearly over, blue and white at their best.