13th May | The Garden Diary

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2025 – CHW

John Marston writes back to say that he agrees that our Magnolia ernestii has red buds very similar to his but quite unlike his second tree which does not have red buds.

Flowers on a newly planted Weinmannia trichosperma which had been in the Burncoose show tunnel for some years.

Vallea stipularis (bought from Treseders in 2020) getting established opposite the front door. An attractive Chilean plant which prefers to be scrambling up through something else – unlike here.

Four flowers have shed on the Parastyrax species nova overnight as we make a video. Bleddyn collected this in Northern Vietnam only in 2017. Is it a completely new genus or is it going to end up being classified as a Rehderodendron species which it seems to resemble more than any Styrax?

Euonymus oxyphyllus in flower properly for the first time here. Crug collected (as usual!)

A young Euonymus tingens about to flower. Our old tree has a much different habit in its dotage.

Rhododendron ‘Tinkerbird’ is a smellie that flowers later than most of the others. Burncoose bought this in originally from Stervinou and it has proved tenderish and difficult to get going in the gardens. Lost it at Burncoose twice. Here a well-established clump.

Rhododendron ‘Royal Flush’ – yellow form.

Rhododendron ‘Chip Lima’ is excellent.

The Enkianthus flowering for the first time which I think we grew from seed. (APA 112-C31-027064). Looks like a very good form of Enkianthus rubens.

2024 – CHW
The swans have hatched a new brood of cygnets. Not sure how many yet. 3 of the last years brood are still sulking in the lower moor. Saw 2 Kingfishers in their full plumage.We only have one really mature Malus and I think this is Malus x purpurea by the Camellia ‘George Blandford’.

Light yellowish-green new growth on a male Podocarpus matudae.

Podocarpus spinulosus also has attractive new growth today.

Magnolia ‘Copeland Court’ was cut back by the Beast from the East in 2018. After being cut down it did reshoot and even flower. However it tried to flower last autumn and is now definitely dead as you can see. One for the digger.

Magnolia fraseri var. pyramidata is pretty dull in flower and much, much earlier in the year than I remember our 3 original small trees by LQN.

Euonymus kachinensis (BSWJ 11668) with its first flowers here and yellowish new growth. Not sure it looks very happy.

A couple of good young Rhododendron arizelum flowering well above HQN.

First flowers out on Rhododendron ‘Tally Hoo’ – early again!

Two more good forms of Rhododendron loderi which go unnoticed by Schima superba.

Rhododendron morii from Glendoick with bronze new growth which our plants have never had.

New growth on Pseudotaxus chienii.

Wisteria ‘Black Dragon’ is never a very spectacular show here. Few flowers and rather hidden by the new growth.

2023 – CHW
Populus purdomii growing away quickly. The reddish new growth fades quickly.

Salix purpurea ‘Nancy Saunders’ slow to leaf up.

This magnificent deciduous azalea at Donkey Shoe has never had a name. It is close to A. ‘Daviesii’ and A. ‘Northern Highlights’ but not quite the same blotching and a bit paler.

Michelia figo nicely out now by George’s Hut but some rain damage evident as it is on many rhododendrons battered in the recent downpours.

Cladrastis kentuckea still not in leaf.

First flowering here of Magnolia ‘Illini Gold’ (M. brooklynensis x Unknown). Quite nice but not really a pure yellow.

First flowering of Crataegus jozana.

And of Crataegus horridus.

Salix magnifica looking very fine.

Rhododendron ovatum full out.

2022 – CHW

As the Chelsea team start to pick out the plants for the Burncoose Nurseries stand in the Great Pavilion ready to load the first lorry on Monday it is time to give you all a quick preview of some of the key plants which we hope to feature.

This year has seen a warm, mild, and frost free spring so the plants in our show tunnel are perhaps two to three weeks more advanced than in most years. The result is that many of the plants which are regular favourite shrubs for Chelsea are already over (Magnolias and Enkianthus) and we have therefore had to come up with new things which visitors to Chelsea may not often have seen on our stands before. An interesting challenge.

It seems strange to be entering into the hustle and bustle of Chelsea preparations after two years of lockdown. Dusting off old lists of things not to forget, wherever did we put the seed rack and what should the post covid daily staff London expenses actually be?

It will get more frantic yet as we are still 10 days away from the inspection of our stand by the Chelsea judges. Enjoy the plant preview but notice that several things are still in tight bud and may or may not make it to the stand.

A. Trees and larger shrubs

Calycanthus floridus [ALONGSIDE] Calycanthus raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’

Cornus ‘Venus’ with its numerous gigantic white bracts. [ALONGSIDE] Cornus kousa ‘Milky Way’ with its starshaped bracts.

Toona sinensis ‘Flamingo’ – the pink early spring foliage has faded to cream (but not yet green). [ALONGSIDE] Acer palmatum ‘Ukigomo’ with its startling white foliage that glows in the light of a marquee.

Our very own Plant of the Decade (2010 to 2020) – Viburnum plicatum ‘Kilimanjaro Sunrise’ – should be spot on for the show.

Aesculus x mutabilis ‘Induta’ [ALONGSIDE] Physocarpus ‘Dart’s Gold’

Zenobia pulverulenta ‘Raspberry Ice’ [ALONGSIDE] Zenobia pulverulenta ‘Blue Sky’

Cornus alternifolia ‘Argentea’ – another plant which shows up well in a tent.

Acer shirasawanum ‘Moonrise’ [ALONGSIDE] Wisteria brachybotrys ‘Shiro-kapitan’

B. Smaller shrubs and herbaceous plants – several of these are entirely new to our 2022 mail order catalogue

Cornus canadensis – excellent groundcover for the front of the stand to mirror the larger Cornus trees behind. [ALONGSIDE] Senecio ‘Angel Wings’ a showstopping plant in the shade of a tent.

Will the lupins be in flower in time? Lupinus ‘Masterpiece’ probably if we have a warm week.

Abutilon vitifolium [ALONGSIDE] Calothamnus quadrifidus – is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia

Kalmia polifolia ‘Newfoundland’

Trillium luteum which may be over. [ALONGSIDE] The stunning red flowers of Astrantia major ‘Ruby Wedding’.

The novel and unusual Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Greenapples’. [ALONGSIDE] The new to us Centaurea ‘Jordy’.

Achillea ‘Moonshine’ will offset beautifully with the new Farfugium japonicum ‘Wavy Gravy’. [ALONGSIDE]

Podophyllum versipelle ‘Spotty Dotty’ is not new but especially well grown plants this year. Even if the flowers do not make it on time the foliage speaks for itself.

Another novelty Salvia gregii ‘Blue Note’ and the leaves have quite a scent too.

An old favourite but some years the flowers are already over – Primula japonica ‘Apple Blossom’.

2021 – CHW
Syringa vulgaris ‘Carpe Diem’ just out on the drive. Newly planted this year to add to the lilac collection on the drive.

Bob has purchased two young Aberdeen Angus bulls to work with our suckler herd as replacements for the Charolais bull. The bulls were squaring up a bit!

Magnolia laevifolia ‘Summer Snowflake’ contrasting gorgeously with Rhododendron niveum.

First flowers on Rhododendron degronianum hept. ‘Oki Koki’.

Allen Coombes has questioned the naming of an ancient shelterbelt in the Auklandii Garden of Quercus myrsinifolia as perhaps being Quercus glauca?

Here are Alan’s comments to me:
Are you sure of the identification of your Q. myrsinifolia? It looks a little like Q. glauca as myrsinifolia normally has narrower leaves. If you look closely at the underside of the leaf Q. glauca has hairs pressed against the leaf surface, looking like 2 hairs coming from one point, Q. myrsinifolia is nearly glabrous. If you can send a close up photo of the leaf underside I may be able to tell, these species have been confused for a long time. There is a specimen at the Hillier Herbarium of Q. glauca from Caerhays, grown as Q. myrsinifolia, collected by David Hunt in 1997. It was described as having leaves downy beneath.Here is a picture of the underside of the leaves. I do not easily see the double hairs he refers to even with a magnifying glass.

To which Allen replies:
Yes, these hairs are not always easy to see. On the last photo PS120033 I can see them just inside the top margin of the lower leaf, they all point in the same direction, from the base of the leaf towards the apex, so I would call this Q. glauca. I suspect it is one of these that David Hunt collected.

View 13th May 1897 – 2020