Magnolias flowering outside the Back Yard. Not secondary flowers this time but a seasonal mix up after this odd summer.

Heptacodium miconioides still flowering away.

Araucaria angustifolia with ever growing cones.

Secondary flowers on Magnolia virginiana ‘Havener’ in 40 Acres. Ripe seed on the same tree.

The first flowers on our recently planted white Lapageria.

The pink one in flower beside it.

2022 – CHW
The Liquidambar’s start to turn colour.

Tree surgery to remove limbs off an old Pinus insignis by the Hovel which were threatening the drive. Another Health & Safety expense which is probably justified in terms of risk.

A single pale secondary flower on Magnolia ‘Plum Pudding’.

Schima khasiana with many less flowers than last year.

Another Schima khasiana with very few flowers too and the other 2 plants have none. Hopefully Susyn Andrews can help confirm if these are indeed Schima wallichii and Schima argentea when she visits next week.

First flower high up in the sun on the first ancient, white Camellia sasanqua.

Autumn colour on various cercidiphyllums.

2021 – CHW
A letter from Duncan Donald with a welcome box of bulbs of Narcissus ‘White Star’ bred by JC Williams and, until now, lost to cultivation.

2020 – CHW
I got the identification of the fungus at Burncoose totally wrong a few days ago. It was of course not a ‘Tuft’ but, in fact, Honey Fungus. Much like the fungi growing in these pictures on an elderly beech which may have to be felled. Armillaria mellea.

Doing a bit of research on Sunday I think that what we have growing as Schinus polygama is correctly named. I also think that Melicytus crassifolius is likely to be correctly named despite the shape of its leaves. Although we have never seen yellow flowers or white berries the growth habit of the plant seems to marry up and the leaf shape seems to be a bit variable in the reference articles online. Not listed in Bean or New Trees.

I am fairly sure that I have planted Schinus latifolius and Schinus molle here in the past and the nursery once stocked a few of the latter. This causes me to think that one of the unnamed plants below Tin Garden may well be Schinus latifolius which Bean says is closely allied to S. polygama but without the spine tips on its twigs/branches with ovate or elliptic leaves. Certainly it is different from the Schinus polygama growing above the greenhouse especially as regards the leaf shape and the lack of such pronounced spine tips. Bean says however that S. latifolius has larger leaves than those shown below.

S. latifolius leaves, when placed in water “after a short time, will start to start and jump as though they were alive, while at the instant of each start a jet of oily matter is discharged into the water. Thus we have in every leaf a sort of vegetable battery which will keep up its fire until the stock of ammunition is exhausted” (Lindley).

I had better put this to the test!

Schinus latifolius (?) leaves. I cannot smell any turpentine when I crush them.

Schinus latifolius (?) leaves in a glass of water.

There was zero movement at first but tiny movements on the smallest leaves after a few minutes. Perhaps, or did I imagine this? Perhaps the ‘jumping’ only occurs when the new leaves are formed in the spring?I fear this is not Schinus latifolius but it was a nice experiment!

2019 – CHW
Cotoneaster franchetii with its usual display below the tower. These fruits get carried by birds and mammals into cavities in walls and under slates capping walls where they grow and are both a nuisance and hard to dig out properly.

Carpinus caroliniana showing some autumn tints but only here and there. If grown away from the wind it might perform better?

The bark on Acer rufinerve’Hatsuyuki’ is as striped as ever but now also some purple tints on the leaves at the ends of its branches.

Laurus azorica with swelling flower buds which will soon be out. This has grown into quite a tree! It won’t be flowering in April as the reference books say about this Canary Island laurel.

Alongside it Eucryphia moorei in full flower. This tree blew over in the 1990 hurricane but was righted and pollarded. It is now back to 20-25 feet tall but rather off the beaten path and rather late into flower this year. The Burncoose plant by the mist houses often has the odd flower in the early spring.

2018 – CHW
Mespilus germanica in Kennel Close is absolutely laden with fruit which are approaching being ripe. I need to investigate how one should begin to eat these but believe they are best turned into jam?

Magnolia ‘Sweet Sixteen’ has a single seed pod.

Amazingly Cercis canadensis ‘Flame’ has a crop of flowers. It was covered in flowers in the spring so I am unsure whether this is secondary flowering or whether the plant has simply got its seasons out of line after the drought.

2017 – CHW
The young Stewartia henryae has superb red autumn colour for the second year after planting. None of the other stewartia species do this with us. I bought this from Esvelt and we must plant more!

From a distance I thought this was a styrax with secondary flowers. Impossible of course! Close to Styrax japonicus ‘Snow Cone’ has its first crop of very white coloured seeds glowing in the light sun. Well worth collecting soon when ripe.

Pterocarya rhederiana ‘Fern Leaf’ was only planted in the spring. It certainly lives up to its name and is well worth its position. Propagated in Holland by a new nurseryman.