20th March | The Garden Diary

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CONTRIBUTORS:

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2024 – CHW

About 50 riders in the rain at the Fourburrow Hunt Meet. Rather too wet for any antis presumably.

A Worcester College reunion for several friends. Two of them I had not seen for 40 years.

Clematis armandii ‘Apple Blossom’ below the greenhouse was one Roy Lancaster commented upon. The true ‘Apple Blossom’ is rare in cultivation.

The Worcester reunion now looking at magnolias rather than hounds (Joe Sharp, Richard & Jacky Morris, Richard Stovin Bradford, Jeremy & Natalie Johnston, John & Pru Folliot Vaughan).

A young Osmanthus yunnanensis in flower properly for the first time. Now the record tree of this species has been pollarded good to see a youngster taking over. Previously deer nibbled but now too large.

Enkianthus serrulatus just out and still leafless – the first Enkianthus species in flower as usual.

The first yellow magnolia to show – Magnolia ‘Petit Chicon’ in Kennel Close.

Magnolia ‘Gold Finch’ is also out. Nothing 2 days ago.

Magnolia campbellii ‘Princess Margaret’ at its best.

Magnolia ‘Atlas’ nearly at its best on the way to George’s Hut.

Rhododendron pseudochrysanthum just out below Donkey Shoe.

Camellia reticulata ‘Lila Naff’ looking very fine by Higher Quary Nursery.

2023 – CHW
The view across to the drive from the front of The Vean today. Splendid in the sun.

Magnolia ‘Vulcan’ in The Vean garden.

Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ on the drive.

The view down the drive from Red Linney.

Then, further down – 4 magnolias in view with ‘JCW’ top right just coming out.

Magnolia denudata ‘Forrest’s Pink’ and Magnolia campbellii ‘Alba’ seedling half way down between the two previous photographs.

Magnolia ‘Bishop Michael’.

Today the magnolias on the drive are at their absolute best. Karol has made the customary video.

Camellia lapidea newly planted.

Frankie has installed the new water pipe from the old main to the tank above Higher Quarry Nursery.

I was sent a newspaper advert about the garden opening on May 8th 1960. Admission 2/6, children 1/3. Today £10.00. Thats inflation for you.

2022 – CHW

Still a strongish east wind.

Magnolia ‘Fairy White’ is nearly over.

Whereas Magnolia ‘Fairy Cream’ is still in tight bud.

The rest of the elderly Gevuina avellana has blown open. Last year we cut down most of it as it had suffered in dry summers. Fortunately new shoots are already evident from the base.

Magnolia ‘Atlas’ more or less full out but already wind battered.

A Camellia lutchuensis hybrid which is, I think, called ‘Scentuous’. (On the plans it is C. ‘Scentuous’ x C. lutchuensis’.)

Rhododendron ‘Else Frye’, another scented one out far earlier than usual.

Rhododendron impeditum ‘JC Williams’ just showing colour on Burns Bank.

Magnolia loebneri ‘Wildcat’ at its best in the teeth of the wind. It may look sunny in these pictures but it is far from warm.

2021 – CHW
A shot of the record sized (height) Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta in all its finery, but a cloudy day, at Burncoose.

Magnolia amoena at Burncoose. I have never seen it flower better especially on low down branches even if it is a fairly unexciting species.

Rhododendron spinuliferum. The Burncoose form is much darker in colour than our plant in the Rockery. The one I saw at Trewithen was different again in colour – reddish but different shaped flowers to these.

Then back to the greenhouse at Caerhays to see what was out in the greenhouses.

This is a small growing but true to form Magnolia mollicomata by the newer greenhouses with the true ‘lightbulb’ shaped flowers as they open.

Camellia reticulata ‘Red Crystal’. Enormous flowers and an excellent bit of propagating as these reticulatas are difficult from cuttings and are often grafted instead.

Camellia ‘Night Rider’ which grows by the mist houses at Burncoose. Not a very vigorous grower but what a colour when first out. Darker even than ‘Midnight Magic’ we saw a day or two ago?

Camellia yunnanensis grown from February 2018 set seed. Another new species for the collection here.

Camellia trichocarpa – unusual buds.

Asia has successfully propagated our elderly and very rare pure white form of Rhododendron racemosum.

Paulownia elongata flowering in a pot in the greenhouse. A gift from Malcolm Pharoah and Marwood Hill Garden. I do not think I have ever seen a tiny paulownia in a pot do this in the nursery.

Osmanthus americanus now in full flower.

A young and new to us Magnolia ‘Simple Pleasures’ with its first flowers. Simple indeed!

Magnolia ‘Festirose’, in a similar state, with its first three flowers. A bit different perhaps.

These were the seedlings sent by Jim Gardiner this week:
Stewartia malacodendron
Magnolia fraseri
Magnolia ashei
Pinus yunnanensis (wild collected dwarf form from Yunnan)

2020 – CHW
The magnolia lecture and tour is completed with around half the 24 attendees actually turning up. Strong cold easterly winds pick up in the afternoon as Jaimie, Michael and I visit Tregrehan.

This is the original Trewithen form (ie George Johnstone’s) of Camellia reticulata. Very different to our 1931 plantings below Donkey Shoe.

Rhododendron veitchiorum in the glasshouse – not much scent surprisingly.

White Lapageria flowers still out (Lapageria rosea var. albiflora).

Clianthus puniceus ‘Maximus’ an exceptional show.

Grevillea ‘Fireworks’ just starting to flower as a large shrub under glass.

An unnamed wild collected Hedychium which Tom gave us a plant of last year. Tender and spring flowering. It grows in crevices in rocks and spreads to new crevices with long extending roots.

Euonymus trapococcus – bark.

Tom’s Magnolia sprengeri (TH 2823) was planted in 2005. It is delightful and massively different to our Magnolia sprengeri ‘Diva’. Seed was collected from a lowish altitude (2,000ft) in a roadside gutter below a hillside which had been totally felled. A lone survivor of what was once a wild colony of plants.

Three superb plants of Magnolia maudiae (all slightly different) were the showstopper for the visit. Seed collected (not by Tom) from a selected plant in a Chinese temple originally. Huge flowers and much larger than anything I have ever seen on M. maudiae here. The scent is very similar to Magnolia doltsopa.

Tom thought this was a grafted Magnolia sprengeri ‘Marwood Spring’. We did not!

Wonderful bark on Meliosma simplicifolia subsp. rigida which had flowered for the first time last year but failed to set any seed. Our Meliosma oldhamii does not have bark like this but it did set seed last year.

Magnolia maudiae var. platypetala just coming out.

Betula albosinensis ‘Pink Champagne’ growing in a clump below the ponds.

Rhododendron fansipanense as we saw from Tregye at the Rosemoor show last Saturday. Ideal for hybridisation as a new and unknown species while we think how to occupy ourselves during lockdown.

Enkianthus serrulatus is the first species to flower each year. Greenish white.

Camellia trichocarpa with its amazing bark. Older plants not flowering very heavily but a smaller plant was. Tom kindly gave us a plant as our cuttings seem to have failed.

Schefflera bodinieri with an extraordinary leaf structure as you can see. The petioles on the leaflets are of different lengths.

Acer sikkimense just coming into leaf. Here just the bark.

Tom’s Melliodendron xylocarpum is just as florescent as ever and now 40ft tall. The second best plant seen in flower today.

The evergreen Quercus marlipoensis just planted out.

Strobilanthes rankanensis – Asia has this in full flower. We were given a plant of this last year by Lawrence Banks.

Illicium simonsii full out by the tennis court at Tregrehan. Attractive dark bark and red buds on last year’s new growth.

Persea brevifolia with red new growth just starting.

Debregeasia longifolia plastered in flower. A most peculiar shrub of about 6ft in height and a similar width.

2019 – CHW Higher Quarry Nursery now planted up with a nice crop of young rhododendrons from Glendoick. They will grow on here for around three years before being moved out into the garden itself.

Fritillaria meleagris in the nursery. Quite variable in colour with the buds and open flowers very different.

The Beaufort Hunt are visitors at the Four Burrow Hunt meet on the beach. Seventy to eighty riders and 400+ followers/spectators.

Hunt video, click here for short video clip.

2018 – CHW
On the train to London for the Garden Society dinner. Very few flowering plants on show for obvious reasons and no magnolias at all. Evelyn Boscawen had a nice display of Camellia reticulata varieties.

I showed Abies delavayi and Photinia prinophyllum which were photographed last Sunday.

2017 – CHW
A part planting day amid the usual chaos of the house opening for the first time and 40 Italians on the first house tour! Wet and noisy they were too.

The young Magnolia ‘Princess Margaret’ is not too bad but smaller flowers than the older plant which is more sheltered.

Magnolia ‘Crystal Chalice’ is just coming.

Magnolia ‘Cleopatra’ is a bit battered in the wind but promising.

Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x ‘Deep Purple Dream’ shows potential for the future but damaged today.

2016 – CHW
Off to Tregothnan with our gardening weekend guests where we are shown around by Evelyn Boscawen. Great and generational changes have been made to the gardens to replace windbreaks and to fell the huge Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red’ in the garden to rejuvenate them from the base.The rather horrible (if you do not like variegation) Rhododendron ‘President Roosevelt’ is out beside the summerhouse and flowering well in full sun now that the dying tree canopy of ilex oak and scots pine has been removed.

Much evidence of badger digging and badger lavatories all over the lawns. Rabbits and deer also a major problem in the arboretum but loss of shelterbelts means more wind damage to flowers and evergreens.

Rhododendron praestans above the ponds is a fantastic colour.

A newish planting of Camellia reticulata hybrids is particularly good. These are such difficult and temperamental plants to grow. Grafted plants snap off easily, they have a leggy habit which makes staking difficult and are very fussy about soil and shelter not to mention their attraction to deer.

We see:
Camellia reticulata ‘Crimson Robe’

Camellia reticulata ‘Lasca Beauty’

Camellia reticulata ‘K O Hester’

Rhododendron arboreum, the blood red form, is the best thing in the garden today.

Just above it is a huge Camellia reticulata ‘Francie L’ is full out and excellent with a bit of wind damage and a branch split out.

A eucalyptus species has white flower forming below last year’s seed pots and is really quite nice in the sun. Not sure of the name.

Michelia foveolata (or perhaps Michelia platypetala) is flowering away nicely in a sheltered spot by a good Magnolia nitida. This species is doing well at Burncoose but no flowers as yet or at Caerhays.

What a pity there is not more time to look more closely at other rare plants (Maytenus boraria) or the huge number of other Camellia reticulatas in their national collection.

2015 – CHW
‘Magnolia Mania’ continues with yet another still day. We may be lucky tomorrow for the wedding. David and Jenny Knuckey (my long since retired partners from Burncoose) are doing Serena’s flowers. The nursery have failed to send up the bowls or oasis with the stockplants for the tent. Not a good start so I am keeping a low profile.

It is interesting to compare what the New Zealander’s sell as Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ against the true original Magnolia ‘Lanarths’ that still grow today at Lanarth near St Keverne on the Lizard Peninsula. True ‘Lanarth’ is a small growing and spreading magnolia of probably no more than 15 to 20 feet in height. The flowers are mollicomata shaped (ie lightbulb and cup as they open). It is a shy flowerer and one true plant took 50 years to flower here. The New Zealand form is much more erect and vigorous. The flowers are larger and more campbellii (ie erect) shaped in bud. If one had to choose which to grow yourself the New Zealander would win but that does not mean it is true to name!Exactly the same is true of the New Zealand Magnolia campbellii ‘Alba’ which is a very poor imitation of the real thing in every respect.

The true campbellii alba has not a hint of pink, at the base, and is a far larger and more upright pure white.

New Zeland Magnolia campbellii ALBA — A New Zealand Magnolia campbellii ‘Alba’

CAMELLIA 'Anticipation Variagated' — CAMELLIA ‘Anticipation Variagated’

Camellia ‘Anticipation Variegated’ towers over the main ride and is well worth being more widely grown. It is the large flowers not the leaves which are ‘variegated’.Questing further to photograph more ‘Endangered in the Wild’ plants for Chelsea 2015 we locate three species of ‘yew-like’ Torreya above Hovel Court Road. Torreya nucifera and Torreya taxiflora are labelled. Planting records suggest the third is Torreya grandis. Despite rabbit damage shortly after planting all three are making into decent small trees now.

1972 – FJW
Magnolias nearly at their best – Donkey Shoe Robusta, Philip T, Campbellii and Caerhays Belle = first

1959 – FJW
Magnolias coming to their best. The prize must go to the Donkey Shoe Robusta. Campbellii excellent – no Michelia yet – Red Admirals in Beech Walk superb. Best Rho sutchuenense hyb above crino hedge – best show of Camellias on St Ewe hedge.

1943 – CW
Many daffodils over – part mild season – Magnolia campbelli mollicomata, Sargentiana, Campbellii over or nearly over – Michelia wonderful, some branches weighed down with flowers. Large lot of Rho Royal flush in 40 Acres. Blood red at its best. Auklandii arboreum beginning. Still some fuschias. Very dry.

1931 – JCW
Kobus is the first magnolia as in 1929. The blood red hybrids are good and so is Cam speciosa.

1929 – JCW
150 flowers on the early Kobus show white.

1926 – JCW
Isceuticum, Roxieanum, a new Irroratum and Martinianum all should flower for the first time this week.

1915 – JCW
Bob came in from France for two days. Frost last night hit the Thomsoni hybrids hard, Mrs Butler hybrids just coming on. Princep Mary not open, not much colour yet.

1911 – JCW
We are far from Princep Mary or Mag halleana. Argenteum and Arboreum nice, most of the Arboreums are over. Some Ciliatums over, some very nice, some double C reticulata.

1907 – JCW
We are now close to 1902. Caerhays trumpet is at its best. Anenome alpinina open, and Sir Watkin.

1904 – JCW
Some days behind the above but I picked some very nice P in seedlings, Horsfieldii out.

1902 – JCW
Several Princep Mary, North S, some C J Backhouse, an old Emperor, most of the Sir Watkin, a few M Humes, two King A, a fair lot of Magnolia halleana, saw the Tregothnan Rho argeteum with 300 flowers.

1901 – JCW
Snow which melts and none of the above open.

1898 – JCW
A few Princep Mary open and most of the Kate Spurrell.