2022 – CHW

Why are hen pheasants so random and inept at making nests?

Maddenia wilsonii with a full set of densely hairy new leaves and looking healthy above Crinodendron Hedge.

Attractive and dainty new growth on a young Meliosma pungens.

We missed this acer on last weekend’s Maple Society tour – Acer cappadocicum ‘Aureum’.

Another Magnolia ‘Honey Liz’.

Maddenia hypoleuca is also now in leaf. We saw the flowers earlier. Both these rare species of Maddenia appear in garden records and it is good to have both now back in the collection. The leaf forms are fairly similar.

Young Acer erianthum trees which I failed to photograph last Saturday.

Magnolia sinensis in bud, flower, and as a whole, ancient tree.

Acer sterculiaceum subsp. franchettii with its bronzy new growth and (more or less) three lobed leaves. A Cornish record tree.

Magnolia x wieseneri beautifully scented and full out today.

Crataegus jozana (NE Asia) flowering here for the first time as a newly planted small tree. No picture or proper description in the RHS guide to Hawthorns and Medlars by James Phipps. Not in Hillier’s either?

First flower on Magnolia ‘Illini Gold’.

Acer sterculiaceum subsp. sterculiaceum in Kennel Close. The same bronzy hue and more regularly three lobes to the young leaves.

Acer macrophyllum

x Sorbonaria fallax ‘Likjornaja’ – finally out in flower and developing into a small tree.

Wonderful bronzy new foliage on Betula fansipanensis as well.

Deutzia longifolia in Tin Garden – what a flower! I need to compare this with D. purpurascens and the rather smaller flowered Deutzia ‘Dark Eyes’ which Burncoose sells. I have not yet begun to sort the newer deutzia species in my own mind and as now planted here.

First flowers on Rhododendron [?].

Rhododendron klossii (T6346) planted in 2012 from Tom Hudson (not in the Pocket Guide to Rhododendron Species).

2021 – CHW
Following Elizabeth’s 95th birthday tour here in April her son, Alverne Bolitho, has sent this picture of the tree planting at Trewidden of Magnolia ‘F J Williams’ which was her birthday gift from Caerhays. My great aunt, Mary Williams, moved to Trewidden following the death of her husband, Rt Hon Charles Williams, in 1955. Elizabeth Bolitho worked at Caerhays for Mary and met her future husband, Simon Bolitho, here in the early 1950s. A little bit of Williams-Bolitho family history.

Flowers on Magnolia ‘Moonspire’ – bluish-yellow in bud opening yellow and pink. An odd combination. Again, this variety gets better each year it flowers.

Rhododendron layering today in the garden. An elderly and flopped over Rhododendron floccigerum gets the treatment at both ends. This is one of my favourite rhodos and a better colour than the three fairly recently planted new plants from Millais or Glendoick.

Paeonia delavayi just into flower outside the front door and on the lawn.

Zantedeschia aetheopica in full flower already and quite pickable if we were going to Chelsea in a week or so.

Barry Humphries (of Dame Edna and Sir Les Patterson fame) holding a branch of Quercus lamellosa during a garden tour today.

Barry Humphries and Rhododendron ‘Fragrantissimum’.

Barry Humphries meets chef Kevin Murray, but he did not stay to lunch and went on to the Tresanton! More gladioli there perhaps?

2020 – CHW
As we and many tens of thousands like us struggle through the government’s advice for employers on reopening the workplace and other missives one is tempted to agree with Starmer and Sturgeon that this all lacks clarity. They of course miss the point.Boris is trying, gently, to encourage the country back to work and to get out of the mindset of doing nothing. It is an attempt to change our mental approach and attitude. Of course the new ‘rules’ are confusing, a bit rushed and full of unwitting contradictions which enables the political opportunists to get the knives out.So a gentle push to normality without a stampede for the moment. Boris clearly hopes that with common sense and ‘awareness’ we can gradually recover the will to live and that the snowball will gather pace as it rolls down the hill.Does Boris think that, in time, we will all accept some more COVID deaths as a price worth paying for our freedom? When the stampede occurs, as it will, whatever advice we are given along the way, it may well be impossible to reverse successfully.I would have to say that this is all common sense and logical.We will reopen the beach café from this weekend with a limited takeaway service only, rigid new protocols for staff and customers alike and new risk assessments etc. Likewise the nursery.So a hell of a lot to think about and do today! What a joy to be doing something positive and now we await the announcement on changes to the ‘furlough’ regime from Rishi Sunak later today.This is another elderly late flowering red evergreen azalea clump below The Hovel. Some flowers are semi-double. No idea of the name but worth propagating simply to preserve it. If Asia grew 10 this would do the trick as with the one already rooted from beside Rogers Quarry. No name here either but that one is a much darker red.

As far as I can pin this old clump to a name it is Azalea ‘Pink Delight’.

We once grew a glade of big leaf rhodods tucked away here in shade at the back of the drive. The 2005 to 2009 ponticum removal left them exposed to cold winds and then two huge ash trees fell through them. Only two remain scarred but one has a few very pale near white flowers. There were species other than sinogrande seedlings here originally and we might try again with a bit more clearing up.

One seldom gets close enough to a flower of Aesculus hipposcastanum to see the flower properly (and compare it to Aesculus hippocastanum ‘Baumannii’ – the double form as seen recently). The white flowers have yellow blotches which then turn red as here.

Azalea ‘Whitethroat’ making a good start. Rounded and slowish growing as a clump.

The few Wilson 50 azaleas by White Stiles / Hovel are starting to make a show.

Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda is certainly a spreader! These new shoots will all have to be cut off soon to keep the clump in check.

Himalayacalamus falconeri has attractive stem nodes and is making a decent clump.

New growth and flowers on Sorbus wilsoniana.

Acer campbellii var. frangipanense with flower tassels which I had not seen before.

This is not Enkianthus cernuus rubens but the mistake has to be forgiven I suppose? It is a nice red form of Enkianthus campanulatus but nothing more.

Acer platanoides ‘Royal Red’ has fine new leaves.

Acer heldreichii looks very much like an A. platanoides!

Azalea ‘Coccinea Grandiflora’ making a good show.

First flower is out on Rhododendron ‘Lem’s Monarch’.

You can see the size properly here of Michelia x foggii ‘Allspice’. 20-25ft.

Rhododendron ‘Pushy Purple’ just planted above the shop. A very strange colour mix which I first saw (with an even longer name) on the Millais stand at Chelsea two years ago.

2019 – CHW
Exciting news! Meliosma oldhamii (formerly Meliosma pinnata var. oldhamii) has produced a number of flower heads at the apex of its stems. It has never flowered before here but looks as though it will in seven to ten days. If it performs in Chelsea week we need photographs even if this means cutting a flower to view and photograph it properly. I suspect Tregrehan and Borde Hill especially will be interested. A Wilson introduction in 1900 but I know of no existing mature plants in the UK.

Heard the first cuckoo calling at 10am from Old Park or Brownberry Woods. Saw three swifts at dusk last night which appear to be nesting in the castellations above the Rabbit Warren.

An unnamed Wilson 50 clump of azaleas flowering by The Hovel.

Magnolia x wiesneri just about to open. Might make Chelsea just.

Enkianthus chinensis in a group of three of which one is wrongly named. Exceptionally large flowers in large clusters. The leaf is bigger than other species too.

Two plants which are too far out for their usual Chelsea appearance this year:
Rhododendron ovatum

Rhododendron kiusianum (Azalea kiusianum)

Another first time flowering here for Rehderodendron kweichowense. Just one flower so far but, unlike other Rehderodendron species, the flowers are in a clear panicle. The second new Rehderodendron species to flower here this year. Rehderodendron indochinense flowered much earlier. Rehderodendron kwatungense has still to perform.

Magnolia ‘Summer Solstice’ full out 10 days earlier than usual and another Chelsea defector.

2018 – CHW
Jaimie and the garden team have given a ‘light’ pruning (as we discussed a week or so ago) and a heavy mulch of dung to Rhododendron stenaulum (now renamed Rhododendron moulmainense) which was defoliated in ‘The Beast’ and had its early new growth killed then too. The smaller, original, wild collected and 100 year old plant behind it is still fine but we hope that the main larger plant will now reshoot from the stem perhaps lower down and recover. Few rhododendron species with smooth peeling bark respond well or at all to pruning but this same thing happened nearly 30 years ago after the 1990 hurricane and we gave it then a similar treatment which proved successful. This is a very tender species in an extremely warm and sheltered spot but ‘The Beast’ still ‘got’ it.

I will report on progress in future months but the peeling bark proves that the main stems are still alive and still look amazing.

2017 – CHW
Another visit to Burncoose to catch up with and complete the Chelsea programme. Loading Monday. Press releases sorted and finalised today.Slug damage on magnolia leaves in one of the tunnels. You can see the slimy trails. You can also see from these pictures how easily a slug can eat all the new leaves as they emerge and kill or greatly stunt the growth of individual or newly planted plants. Beware and get the slug traps or bait out. Look for the culprits on wet days or in the damp early mornings.

Rosa rugosa ‘Frau Dagmar Hastrup’ – just coming out and a very gentle colour. Too delicate to take to Chelsea I fear but Rosa roxburgii may make it.

Calceolaria ‘Camden Hero’ is nicely out for Chelsea and put aside in quantity.

Salvia officinalis ‘Albiflora’ is however too far out to go. Take off the pile to be loaded.

Corydalis ‘Berry Exciting’ is just producing its flowers and will be fine. Perfect even! What a colour contrast.

Argyranthemum ‘Raspberry Ruffles’ is a new introduction to us this year. It too is looking perfect for 10 days’ time with loads of bud which will open in the forecast sun for the next few days.

Geum ‘Tequila Sunrise’ is another new plant to us and fine for Chelsea.

Rhododendron ‘Graffito’ has shot out since last week and may be too far out to go on the lorry? Time will tell but I fear this one will not!

Rhododendron calostrotum subsp riparium ‘Nitens’ is now just in flower and may well fit the edge of the Chelsea stand.

Rhododendron ‘Germanica’ might well make it too.

Now a real oddity for Chelsea. Lonicera subaequalis ‘Ogisu’. A very blue hue to the leaves and extraordinary flowers. One to make the judges think.

Parthenocissus ‘Star Showers’ will be great at the show for a bit of unusual variegation. The flowers are showing up too. Train it up one of the Harrod obelisks I think.

Protea ‘Little Prince’ are perfect for the show – these flowers last for weeks.

A self sown wild strawberry in flower – Fragaria vesca. Pity to pull it out.

I have been trying to photograph Dianthus ‘Mrs Sinkins’ for three or four years. The plant is hugely popular and they all get sold before we ever see a flower. These are for an order and not for Chelsea.

Tiarella ‘Appalachian Trail’ will be spot on for the stand as will the other tiarella varieties. The heucheras are ‘good to go’ too.

Hachenochloa macrantha ‘All Gold’ will definitely not. Shitty little plants which have grown badly and seem to have wind or frost damage.

Kolkwitzia amabilis ‘Pink Cloud’ has very little flower yet and will not make it either. Too tight in bud.

Cornus kousa ‘Blue Shadow’ is about right. Not quite sure about the name yet? Where is the ‘blue shadow’ the judges will say.

Magnolia ‘Gold Crown’ is a perhaps. Nice bit of green in the yellow flower.

Hydrangea petiolans ‘Semiola’ has no flowers yet. Nice leaves but hide it in the background perhaps.

Rhododendron ‘Polaris’ should be fine to go.

Now to the show tunnel to catch up on progress with our key plants for the Chelsea stand.
The surround for the central pool on the Chelsea stand has now been painted.

The gigantic Beschorneria flower has grown 2ft in a week and the side flower shoots have all appeared. How in the hell will we get it on the lorry as it is 12ft tall already and the lorry only 10-11ft? It will have to lie on the tree fern trunk at 45°. After the show if we do not sell it we can cut the flower off for the return trip.

The Cardiocrinum giganteum however has not moved much into flower. Very fat stalk but little progress sadly.

Look how perfect this Acer palmatum ‘Ukigumo’ is – it is going to be! What a colour to show up well in a tent where the light is not great.

The huge jasmine is worryingly too full out and scenting the whole show tunnel. We do however have others not so far advanced as this so it may just be ok.

No flowers yet either on the Chatham Island forget me nots. We did have them last year.

However the Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty’ has a flower on the way. It looks black today but will open dark red.

Stewartia rostrata is plastered in bud which should open in time.

Time to clip the box balls ready for the big event. If you do it actually at the show the judges will realise. This is one of those small show ‘tweaks’ which only those with serious show experience will know!

Another fabulous acer.

The calycanthus buds are perfectly poised to be fully open for judging on 22nd May at 9.00am – or so we hope!

Plants in the show tunnel are starting to be moved to the paths ready for loading on the lorry. Only 30% of what you see here will actually be fit for London.

Gerry and Louisa doing the final painting on the central surround for the pool. I had no idea they knew how to blend and mix paint to create the colour and feel to go with the central fountain. Quite a pair of artists!

Goodness we are so lucky to have such an experienced, dedicated and professional team. It is not just plants and horticulture when it comes to designing and making a circular stand as large as ours will be.