Some of the magnolias planted over 20 years ago are covered in bud.

Placing out the last of the camellias.

A camellia x williamsii ‘J. C. Williams’ – one of the 100 planted over 20 years ago and now large impressive shrubs.

Signs of recent frost but camellias are resilient!

2024 – CHW
During garden tours here people often scatter compliments about complements about concerning plant knowledge. In an idle moment I had a good look at all the genus starting with the letter ‘A’ on Trees & Shrubs Online.

The genuses that I have never heard of before which are listed included:-

Ackama – New Zealand
Adenandra – South Africa
Adenocarpus – Noth Africa
Adinandra – South & East Asia
Anagyris – Mediterranean
Aphananthe – Asia. Australia
Ascyrum – Chile
Atraphaxis – South Europe

Scores more species within some of these genuses as well.

Although Trees and Shrubs have little information on any of these genus (and few pictures) the extent of ones ignorance and the excitement of discovering and growing new plants is what gardening is all about. Others may get excited about collecting in the wild but I would always happily settle for trying to grow their discoveries properly. That has been the history of the garden here, in reality, with the addition of our hybridisation programme.

Last flowers on Magnolia ‘Philip Tregunna’ below the Engine House.

Sadly our best young Persea thunbergii appears to be dying. Rot at ground level.

As we saw last summer rot at the base of our largest surviving Magnolia sprengeri var. diva. Lots more dieback but still one branch with decent flowers. Luckily we have lots of other plants of flowering age.

Magnolia campbellii var. mollicomata ‘Burncoose Tennis Court’ is nearly white. I saw a good plant at Tregothnan recently beside their tree paeony bed.

Rhododendron monosematum (AC 5978) with its very hairy new growth below Slip Rail.

Three seedlings of Rhododendron sutchuenense which are much the same starting to flower properly.

Great to have a good young clump of Rhododendron calophytum flowering properly. Our best plant once grew near George’s Hut but died 30+ years ago.

Acacia verticillata flowering here for the first time since planting.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Les Jury’ is a very fine red variety with a very different shape as the buds open to when they are full out. Strangely we only have young plants of this well known New Zealand bred variety.

Then on the Isla Rose Plantation.

Another plant of Magnolia ‘Black Swan’ in the Isla Rose.

Magnolia ‘Darkest Purple’ x M. campbellii ‘Betty Jessel’ is good but, yet again, I can find no registered name.

Magnolia ‘Strawberry Shake’ (M. ‘Joe McDaniel’ x M. ‘Purple Gaze’) is getting better and better. A good new addition to the Burncoose offering.

Magnolia ‘Angel’s Landing’ (M. ‘Pickard’s Opal’ x M. sprengeri var. elongata) is starting to make a good impact.

Ribes malvaceum covered in flies and bees. The scent is not that nice but very noticeable. One to propagate for Burncoose.

Magnolia ‘Dark Bird’ is not MSI registered and no listing in the Eisenhut book as to its parentage.

Magnolia ‘Sentinel’ is a Gresham hybrid. Seen a lot worse!

Magnolia ‘Avocet’ (M. x veitchii ‘Isla’ x M. x soulangeana). The two very different growth habits are already obvious but this is a good variety developing well. Bred by Tim Thornton in 2003.

First flowers just showing on Staphylea holocarpa ‘Rosea’.

2023 – CHW
A few pictures of the family and guests over the weekend.Baby Zara at breakfast.

Colour coding a new magnolia hybrid above the Old Kennels.

Isla and Jaimie beside the new magnolia.

Under a seedling Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ in Old Park.

Isla and Beatrice with the new magnolia bud.

All 4 grandchildren – Serena & Katie.

Zara stars again at The Vean.

Jaimie and Neil try a martini or two.

Then to Tregothnan where a heavily pruned young Magnolia campbelli was flowering well as a result of the pruning.

Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Sasaba’ as an established small tree in full sun. We grow this in shade above Hovel Cart Road.

The original 1920(ish) Magnolia campbellii at Tregothnan. 10 years ago this looked elderly and decrepid but much new growth and rejuvenation of late.

Acer sempervirens (A. creticum) as a large tree with a semi evergreen habit and distinct leaves. Our small tree looks tiny in comparison.

Tregothnan from what was the old garden windbreak now removed.

Corylopsis pauciflora – a startlingly good plant.

2022 – CHW

The Gardening Weekend moves on to Trewithen.

The Magnolia mollicomata on the main lawn was at its absolute best.

The group do the admiring!

Magnolia foveolata (WWJ 11955) sadly with no flowers but 15-20ft tall.

Laureliopsis philippiana in all its trailing glory (not Laurelia sempervirens which is similar but without the trailing branches).

Trewithen’s Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ seedling.

Outstanding bark on Clethra barbinervis.

Camellia japonica ‘Senator Fletcher’

Ilex koehniana – a very upright habit.

Magnolia maudii – very different to the Tregrehan plants.

Schefflera macrophylla at about 10-12ft in height.

The new sculpture at the southern edge of the garden made from old metal parkland fencing posts. Odd but each to his own!

2021 – CHW
Picked up the replacement Quercus engleriana yesterday from the nursery. As a grafted plant it will need at least two years growing on before being large enough to plant out.

The original Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ has, thankfully, escaped the frost reasonably well particularly lower down.

First flowers on Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ outside the back yard.

The beech tree trunk nearly finished despite brief very heavy showers with a bit of hail.

A tree damaged Camellia x williamsii ‘Donation’ pruned up to reshoot in a more even manner.

Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ and Forsythia x intermedia ‘Lynwood’ out together – yellow and pink!

Forsythia x intermedia ‘Lynwood’ looking splendid.

Rubus tricolor looking good with Erica arborea.

Unfrosted Echium pininana and Forsythia x intermedia ‘Lynwood’ make an unusual combination in early March!

Erica arborea showing a little frost damage and Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ with flowers just opening.

A branch blown out and on the ground from the original 1913 planted Magnolia campbellii.

Magnolia campbellii ‘Darjeeling’ and Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ make a wonderful colour contrast.

Corylopsis spicata and Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red’.

Corylopsis spicata and Camellia x williamsii ‘Brigadoon’.

Magnolia ‘Philip Tregunna’ in the distance. The best magnolia today in the garden by far. Stupendous!

Lizzie retrieves the windblown branch of Magnolia campbellii to sit on the slate slab outside the front door. It is too big for a vase.

This afternoon spent showing Duchy and Prince Charles’ favourite forester around the magnolias here. The government wants tree planting, but UK nurseries are sold out in the pandemic and tree planting without control of squirrels and deer is a waste of time and money. A proper strategy and acceptance of practical reality beyond ‘woke’ and BLM demands / social media dreams is still light years away.