2019 – CHW
A mild warm week with everything rushing out into leaf. The day before yesterday a tour with Joe Sharp after the annual stockbroker meeting.
One Staphylea holocarpa ‘Rosea’ nearly full out now with the flowers gently fading to white.
And the other one nearby. Identical I think but very fine! These photographs will form part of my new article on Staphylea.
Back on the night sleeper which terminated at 5.11am at Plymouth. Not much sleep but we finished the last of this year’s planting in the morning. Mainly hydrangeas, fuchsias and some oddments.A few good camellias on the way:
Camellia ‘Midnight Magic’ – still a sparse flowerer at a young age.
A proper full planting day – 60 to 70 magnolias put out plus 100 or so other rarities all over the garden.Prunus ‘Umineko’ is just out (Prunus incisa x Prunus speciosa) and very fine. Hellish name though!
2016 – CHW
More planting in Kennel Close of magnolias, carpinus, crataegus and aesculus (two full loads) which covers previous losses and fills up the third planting coupe nearest the road.While Michael and Jaimie fetch the second load a chance to catch up on what is out:Magnolia ‘Felix Jury’ has its first five flowers. I do not know how we have come not to plant this wonderful hybrid until recently? It is too good to miss from any serious magnolia collection. Perhaps we have others tucked away which have not flowered yet.
A second 2012 planted Magnolia ‘Betty Jessel’ has its first two flowers.
The magnolias and some conifers are getting the extra high netting around them to prevent deer damage.
2015 – CHW
2000 – FJW
Trevor’s digger left. Mags at their best – glorious weather.
1992 – FJW
Magnolias at their best only frosted ones near Backyard and one in Bond St, Drive Bank mag fine. New Phillip Tregunna has won FCC.
1991 – FJW
Still very wet – Mags good despite early frost except for Bishop Peter and early M above crino hedge.
1931 – JCW
Very hard frost on March 9, Rhodo’s just recovering and Lutescens leads a long way and the Camellia speciosa has been good owing to the buds opening almost at once when the frost left.
1929 – JCW
The rain came after 25 days without.
1928 – JCW
All blooms knocked out 8 days ago, new begin to show and Wilsons plants give most of these. Manglietias felt the cold very much indeed. Michelias hardly at all.
1925 – JCW
Very much as in 1922. The Kobus is again the first Magnolia. Absence of wind and of hard frost has given us great beauty of flower, masses of bloom and hardly a sopt on them.
1922 – JCW
Double [?] is very good. Prunus conradinae too, one or two Auklandii a good red and one or two Auklandii x white show colour. The early Mag kobus is good and not the other. Clematis armandii has been very fine for a long while.
1918 – JCW
Blackthorn came out a week ago, well ahead of 1914.
1914 – JCW
I found the first bit of Blackthorn in the Battery Walk.
Half (bare) the Princep Mary open, some Mag halleana, Rho ciliatum, Rho primulinum, Rho argenteum well out and at their best. R barbatum going over, most of the blood red hybrids are very good. Mrs Butler x coming along, double C reticulata all open. A good few daff seedlings open.
1908 – JCW
P M most of them have had the pollen out. M halleana shows colour. Most of the K A, some C J Backhouse, late year.
1905 – JCW
Princep Mary half of them open, a few M hume, Forde nearly, most of the King A’s, Monarch thrusting bud well, one White Queen, Mag halleana open.
(Hand Written note attached to Garden Book Page)
Rhodo’s in flower at Caerhays 1931
* = in flower in 1932
Repens, Scabrifolium*, Spinuliferum*, Sulfureum*, Irroratum*, White Pulfureum, Lutescens*, Intricatum*, Baileyi, Hippopaeoides*, Quinquefolium*, Hemidartum*, Stewartianum*, Sutchuenense*, Keiskii*, Obtusum*, Delavayi*, Racemosum, Honewellianum, Glischrum, Barbatum*, Pink Arboreum, White Arboreum, Albrechtii, Fargesii*, Neriiflorum, Anthospaerum, Meddianum, Floccigerum, Cyanocarpum.