First flowers on Magnolia wilsonii.

I have just watched John Marston’s video of Magnolia ernestii ‘Red Bud’ and rushed off to see if our plant also has red bud coverings to its future flowers. It did but not (today) have buds as large or red as those at Gorwell Garden but they are certainly reddish. I have sent our pictures to John.

Good flower on a young Rhododendron polyandrum below Donkey Shoe.

A hidden away and easily forgotten Rhododendron ‘Fragrantissimum’ near the Quercus acuta.

A good flowering year for Rhododendron concinnum.

Flowers just coming on Rhododendron ‘Polyroy’.

Flowers on Acer laevigatum (FMWJ 13439) which I have not seen before.

2024 – CHW
I see what I fear is a rather sick shelduck by the pond. Never seen one here before.

Last few flowers on Magnolia ernestii.

John Marston sent me a picture of his M. ernestii which he is planning to register as ‘Redbud’.

Aucuba aff. chlorascens (BSWJ 11815) nicely in flower.

I find we do have two young plants of Rhododendron hunnewellianum with its distinctive new growth. Our plant by LQN died years ago and the one at Burncoose looks sick.

I then find an unknown plant of Rhododendron aberconwayi by George’s Hut.

Magnolia x foggii ‘Jack Fogg’ just coming out but no great scent as yet.

2023 – CHW

A newly planted Acer kawakamii. The old tree in the Aucklandii Garden died last year, and the stump came out when the digger was last here. The one beside the drive died several years ago. A ste

Cotoneaster silverstrii flowering well below White Styles. One of the first to show flowers in our newish collection of c.30 species.

Rhododendron wadanum ‘Album’ – sub species of Rhododendron reticulatum perhaps? Surely a Rh. reticulatum subspecies would have some evergreen leaves?

Staphylea colchica ‘Black Beauty’ now into leaf. It will get darker yet.

Juglans major has interesting new growth. As nice as Juglans ailantifolia?

Rhododendron ‘Mrs Lionel de Rothschild’ is one we always forget to propagate from cuttings. Need to remind Asia.

This clump of Rhododendron formosum in the Higher Quarry Nursery Bed was cut back hard 3 years ago but already a good show of flowers (possibly better). Many of the scented rhodo’s would not respond well to this sort of chopping back but formosum has. Unexpected!

Rhododendron ‘Tibet’ a (new to us) williamsianum hybrid, flowering well in the nursery. These plants will need to get planted out next spring. On reflection I think it used to grow on Hovel Court Road in the williamsianum hybrid groups there?

A rare flower on a struggling big leafed rhododendron. Despite watering of the nursery bed these plants had horrid time in the drought and produced little new growth and only small deformed leaves as you see here.

A newly planted Abies delavayi with good new growth.

The Pheasant Eye daffodils on Hovel Court Road still good in May and, as usual, the very last of the daffodil season.

Rhododendron augustinii nearly over with the new growth coming. All too brief a flowering season.

2022 – CHW
Exciting looking early results in germination of the many scores of rhododendron seedlings sown at the nursery this year.

Excellent flowering of the Caerhays bred Rhododendron ‘Rescassa’.

Rhododendron ‘Mrs Lionel de Rothschild’

Leaf and flower on Acer henryi.

Rhododendron ‘Nancor’ and Rhododendron ‘May Day’.

This fuchsia had flowers left on it in late December and here it is in flower again already.

First flowers out on Paeonia delavayi.

Syringa microphylla ‘Superba’ by the front door.

At Burncoose to welcome the arrival of our entry for Plant of the Year at Chelsea. From Eire comes a new iris with yellow leaves.

Rhododendron roxieanum

Rhododendron concinnum

Rhododendron lindleyi

Not sure if this is Southern Marsh Orchid or, more probably, Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula) except that its leaves are plain green and not black spotted as were the ones seen at Bonython which were also lighter in colour in the flowers. Anyway these grow on the verge (when the council manages not to cut them) opposite the entrance to Gargus Farm on the turning to Caerhays.

2021 – CHW
James Williams sends me pictures of Acer palmatum ‘Scolopendrifolium’ on the drive at Burncoose Nurseries which was just coming into leaf. It is equally stunning in its yellow autumn colour.

Also, from Tregullow, his plants of Rhododendron ‘Colonel Rogers’ which is a Rhododendron niveum x Rhododendron falconeri cross. Very splendid this year. Last year it had relatively few flowers.

Rhododendron reticulatum full out in the Rockery.

Azalea ‘Black Hawk’ just coming out. A good contrast soon between the other colours.

Rhododendron kiusianum was cut back hard two years ago and has responded well with more larger flowers.

A plant of Rhododendron tethropeplum with larger than usual flowers in the Rockery. This plant was being swamped by a Podocarpus which has now been pruned back. I had completely forgotten it was here.

Berberis amurensis var. latifolia (from Korea) is now developing into a substantial shrub with attractive new foliage and flowers.

Azalea oldhamii just out but sparse flowering this year even on youngish plants.

Rhododendron neriiflorum making a decent show. Another species which had died out here now making a comeback.

2020 – CHW
The weekend newspapers come close to saying that the lockdown was a grotesque reaction to what has proved to be the reality but, while public opinion is still firmly with a very gradual easing of restrictions and remains fully in approval of the lockdown policy, it is impossible for them to come clean. The interesting article about Harold Wilson’s response to the 1968 flu epidemic should be a ‘must read’ for the ‘undecideds’ about all this. Facemasks were worn, 20,000 people died, the country was panicked and some schools shut. There was however no lockdown and restaurants remained open if not exactly full. It is of course public opinion about the NHS in particular that has forced the government now into creating an economic catastrophe for which we will all pay (including the NHS).I have always admired Matthew Ridley since I knew him at school. Because he is a viscount and a landowner he is naturally derided by the more left and climate change supporting journalists. However he writes sense and, over the weekend, encouraged us all to take more vitamin D (or exposure to the sun). The lack of vitamin D, he feels, makes viral/flu epidemics worse in the depths of winter. A few statistics to prove it but, as always, the common sense approach could very easily be adopted by everyone.Clare from Burncoose thinks my Prunus pendula ‘Stellata’ from the other day in the diary is Malus ‘Royal Beauty’ or Malus ‘Echtermeyer’. She is very probably right. Part of the fun of this diary is to be corrected from time to time on assumptions / incorrect labelling.Jaimie found another 1999 planted Magnolia x wieseneri flowering in Penvergate.

He has been creating a lot of new layers. Here are some pictures of previous years’ work which will need moving and replanting in the autumn having been hugely successful. It has however taken four years to get this far.

Rhododendron ‘Cowslip’ is another williamsianum hybrid.

The base of one of the two huge clumps of Rhododendron loderi ‘King George’. You have a job to see the best of the crowns.

An upright trunk of a dead Pinus insignis is being invaded with strands of honey fungus as you can see but leaving deliberate deadwood like this provides much for woodpeckers to do as can also be seen.

Although the elderly Magnolia macrophylla fell over it has still come into leaf.

Rhododendron klossii (CW & T 6346 to 10m 19.1.12) is not in any reference book. Nearly leafless as the new growth emerges.

I had forgotten about this Acer cappadocicum ‘Aureum’. Here with flower and seeds emerging.

Cornus florida ‘Red Giant’ slowly emerging into colour.

Ilex yunnanensis with new growth and flower showing. I saw this at Rosemoor. Odd that it was not grown here before as far as I can see.

This plant of Magnolia ‘Ossie’s Yellow’ is doing rather better than the other.

Halesia macgregori with its first flower. Another plant has flowered profusely at a smaller size than this.

Michelia x foggii ‘Jack Fogg’ has made a good show above Crinodendron Hedge.

The remains of a Rhododendron thompsonii after being hit by a tree.

Near enough to Azalea ‘Northern Hi-Lights’ but not quite. The more I look at Mr Galle’s book on azaleas that lists thousands of deciduous varieties the more stuck I get. Without more pictures the book becomes a pointless list of names with descriptions of just a word or two.

Two Rhododendron heliolepsis of which one is much darker than the other.

My favourite species – Rhododendron floccigerum. This very old plant struggles on having falling over as you can see.

A good late flowering Rhododendron sinogrande (seedling) tucked away in shade and shelter.

Rhododendron makinoi or one of its hybrids. Very sparse flowering as this species seems always to be.

Unusual to see an Embothrium flowering only two years from planting.

A huge clump of this deciduous azalea and nice enough too. One of 40 to 50 clumps here in need of the (very elusive) expert on them.

Rhododendron prunifolium – another old plant at the Four in Hand. At least this one is relatively easy to spot and Mr Galle’s book even has a picture to confirm!

2019 – CHW

To Wakehurst by 9am to be met by Ed Ikin. 500+ acres of garden so, in three hours, we only really managed some of the Himalayan and Chilean garden plants and a few of the New Zealanders. Much talk of change and ripping up the past to create new things. An American prairie with bison or cattle in place of many Chinese things? Progress or change for the sake of political correctness dressed up as climate change science? Overall a superbly managed garden (and much more) with 37 gardeners on the staff. You need a week to see it all properly. 400,000 visitors but, under an ancient arrangement, National Trust members get in for free so you now pay to park as at the Savill Garden. 17,500 people have joined their own membership scheme.

A few of the superb specimen plants we saw:

Carpinus rankanensis in full flower

2016 – CHW
Magnolia ‘Sunburst’ (‘Woodsman’ x ‘Butterflies’) is nicely out in Penvergate. Strangely Magnolia ‘Yellow Bird’ is nearly over beside it while ‘Yellow Fever’ is not showing at all. Normally they are out together and ‘Sunburst’ is later.

We have seen the rare Magnolia officinalis var biloba in flower before. Planted in 1997 it has been showing for four or five years. The buds are slightly windblown but still a superb delicate pink on opening.

Another smaller Magnolia ‘Sunburst’ on the drive is just showing. This is ‘up there’ with Magnolia ‘Lois’ at this stage of its flower but fades quickly as you can see on one flower.

Magnolia ‘Genie’ below Donkey Shoe is still quite a sight. These plants do flower for six to seven weeks which makes them pretty special in the magnolia world.

Hidden away below it is another fairly mature Michelia x foggii ‘Jack Fogg’ with rather more pink in the flower than Michelia x foggii ‘Allspice’ seen a few days ago.

Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Black Beauty’ is looking good. The best thing is the light creamy white insides to the near black tepals.

Our largest Magnolia rostrata has flower buds showing pink very high up. This was given to us by Tom Hudson when our original plant died 20 plus years ago. We have another through the hedge beside Mr Rogers Quarry but no flowers here yet.

Magnolia ‘Randy’ is looking good. This one was inevitably always pinched when we planted it at Windsor.

Magnolia ‘Sunray’ is a very quick fader to a dullish cream colour.

Another Michelia x foggii ‘Jack Fogg’ seems to lack as much pink in the bud as the one seen earlier.

The Lindera obtusiloba is finally full out with its ‘mustard yellow’ flowers. The one I photographed at Rosemoor in March was out much earlier and very pale by comparison.

A second glorious day with the garden overflowing with scent and people!

2015 – CHW
Still windy and unsettled.  The rhododendrons for Chelsea are rushing out in the coldstore and probably too far out now.  The new growth has started to etiolate so we have put them outside in the yard.  The trouble with coldstores, even with artificial light, is that they affect the natural metabolism of the plant and, in evergreens, can cause premature leaf drop.

Two linderas in flower.  The relatively newly discovered (and easy from seed) Lindera aggregata, an evergreen with silvery undersides to its leaves, has tiny and uninteresting flowers.  Lindera obtusiloba normally flowers in March, well before the leaves, but this year the flowers are only appearing now.  We have several new lindera species so more to look for with the planting plans.

A few newer rhododendrons catch the eye: The pink form of Rhododendron edgeworthii is a stunner.  Rather better than our own ‘BertsOwn’ a similar but less striking edgeworthii hybrid.

Rhododendron johnstoneanum ‘Double Diamond’ may be a weak and insipid, short lived plant but it is superb too although here slightly blemished by the heavy rain.  I remember a mauve form growing at Trengwainton called, I think, ‘Johnny Johnstone’ but possibly different parentage? Presumably of Trewithen origin?

Rhododendron ‘Silver Sixpence’ – good nursery seller but I had forgotten we also had mature plants here.