10th October

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CONTRIBUTORS:

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2019 – CHW

Magnolia obovata ‘Pink Flush’ now has ripe seed showing on a brown seed pod at the very top of the young tree. Asia will need the long handled pruners to get it quickly before the squirrels do. A lower down seed pod is still not yet ripe or shedding.

A remarkable find which I have not seen here before. Our largest Daphniphyllum macropodum has rot in the base and is slowly dying. However, in its death throws, it has decided to set seeds. These are round and green on attractive purple stalks in panicles. The flowers have purple stems in April and these suddenly stand out again in the autumn. They are not quite ripe but Asia may wish to gather some anyway. There are plenty here.

Cornus capitata with much larger fruits than the kousa varieties yesterday. They are not yet quite ripe either.

2018 – CHW
The first fruits on Zanthoxylum armatum. The most obvious armaments appear as the prickles on the stems and branches but the fruits seem well protected too.

Wonderful autumn colour again this year on Lindera umbellata.
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Rhododendron ‘Yellow Hammer’ with its secondary autumn flowers which are nearly as copious as the spring offering.

2017 – CHW
Amazingly Michelia ‘Mixed up Miss’ still has flowers showing. Quite a few in fact. Is this how it gets its name rather than from the flower colour? No other michelia is doing this in the garden.

From a distance I thought this was Rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’ in flower but it is actually an elderly Rhododendron decorum with secondary autumn flowers. Certainly the leaf shape and trunk say decorum. Never seen this before.

The second grass cut is only a day or two from completion now.

2016 – CHW
The seed picture quest continues. What is by now clear is that not only is this a very poor magnolia seeding year but it is also a poor seeding year for many types of plants including camellias and a lot of rhododendrons. Styrax seem to be the exception and are all laden with, as yet unripe, spherical seed pods. Staphylea colchica has ‘bladder nuts’ which have ‘burst’ (ie the pods have deflated) and are ready to gather.

Staphylea trifoliata has pods which have turned red like its leaves. These too are ready to gather.

Styrax serrulatus has seeds which are green and only half swollen.

Styrax hemsleyanus which has individual flowers rather than flower clusters is similarly ‘unready’.

Corylopsis spicata has a few unripe seed spikes.

Conversely formerly pink Magnolia sieboldii seed pods are losing their colour and shedding orange seed fast.

Acer palmatum ‘Osakasuki’ seed is turning from reddish to brown and is very nearly ripe.

Rhododendron polyandron has seed pods which are browning and very nearly collectable.

Lithocarpus pachyphyllus (an evergreen oak) with a large viable ripe oak seed.

Lithocarpus pachyphyllus (an evergreen oak) with a cluster of small and totally unviable and useless acorns even though they are ripe.

Quercus myrsinifolia has very tiny acorn clusters. They certainly are not ripe and I do not think they will now ever swell or develop properly.

Rhododendron megacalyx has swelling seed heads but they are still far from ripe. One we must collect and propagate this year.

Nearly ripe Camellia sasanqua seed. Three seeds only on this plant and none on the seven others in this group unless Asia has picked already?

Magnolia cylindrica seedpods are ripening well but not yet quite shedding their seeds. You could probably risk picking them (as I have) and ripening them on in the greenhouse.

Enkianthus cernuus rubens is plastered in small seed which are still far from ripe. I wonder if they ever will be. Perhaps the old plant has tried but has not the energy to complete the process.

2015 – CHWJust missed the autumn colour on Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Strawberry’ which is really a spring show rather than an autumn one but not bad at all.

Nearby is a good young plant of Podocarpus acutifolius which has a strange flattening of some of its stems rather like Salix udensis ‘Selika’ or Cryptomeria ‘Sekkansugi’. I have never seen this before in a podocarpus and wonder if it is an abnormality or not? Quite attractive but I cannot remember the specific name for this feature other than ‘flattened stems’.

2000 – FJW
First Sasanqua flowers on plant nearest side door seen.

1949 – CW
A very long dry summer. Big leaf rhododendron growth small. The 2 Sinogrande by big group of Barbatum about dead. White Sasanqua by stables nearly over, others well out. One Decorum out and a nice bit of Repens, also a lot of Yellow Hammer. All Auriculatum hybrids over. Still some Magnolia delavayi and both forms of Grandiflora. Cyclamen good.

1943 – CW
Daffodils up and quite a lot of pink Sasanqua Camellia now out.

1936 – JCW
Returned from Scotland. They have cleared the main opening and wait for the screen before planting.

1920 – JCW
There are about 25 species of rhodo showing flower.

1917 – JCW
The hydrangeas remain good. Lapagerias and cyclamen wane, no roses to speak of. Clematis paniculata nears its best.

The Garden Diary

A Cornish garden diary from Caerhays Estate over 100 years

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