27th October

FJ Williams Profile Picture
FJW 1955-2007
CH Williams Profile Picture
CHW 2015-
JC Williams Profile Picture
JCW 1897-1939
C Williams Profile Picture
CW 1940-1955

2023 – CHW

A trip to Burncoose where the camellias are even earlier than in the last few years.

Fascicularia bicolour has grown away on top of a wall in the car park but only in maturity has it started producing a show. Not yet as good as the one which used to grow in the old conservatory at Burncoose House.

Fascicularia bicolour
Fascicularia bicolour
Beschorneria calcicola is a new catalogue entry for 2024.
Beschorneria calcicola
Beschorneria calcicola
Camellias galore in the tunnels but poor pictures on a very overcast day:-
Camellia japonica ‘Alba Simplex’.
Camellia japonica ‘Alba Simplex’
Camellia japonica ‘Alba Simplex’
Camellia × williamsii ‘Beatrice Michael’.
Camellia × williamsii ‘Beatrice Michael’
Camellia × williamsii ‘Beatrice Michael’
Camellia x williamsii ‘Brushfield’s Yelllow’.
Camellia x williamsii ‘Brushfield’s Yelllow’
Camellia x williamsii ‘Brushfield’s Yelllow’
Camellia x williamsii ‘Charles Michael’.
Camellia x williamsii ‘Charles Michael’
Camellia x williamsii ‘Charles Michael’
Camellia ‘Cornish Spring’ (in October!)
Camellia ‘Cornish Spring’
Camellia ‘Cornish Spring’
Camellia vernalis ‘Yuletide’ full out and likely to be well over by Christmas.
Camellia vernalis ‘Yuletide’
Camellia vernalis ‘Yuletide’
Camellia x williamsii ‘John Pickthorn’.
Camellia x williamsii ‘John Pickthorn’
Camellia x williamsii ‘John Pickthorn’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Narumigata’ nearly over already.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Narumigata’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Narumigata’
Good early colours on Metasequoia glyptostroboides.
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Three new Sorbus varieties now in stock but no berries to be seen.
Sorbus hemsleyanus ‘John Bond’. Very white undersides to the leaves.
Sorbus hemsleyanus ‘John Bond’
Sorbus hemsleyanus ‘John Bond’
Sorbus ‘Wisley Gold’.
Sorbus ‘Wisley Gold’
Sorbus ‘Wisley Gold’
Sorbus ‘Leonard Messel’.
Sorbus ‘Leonard Messel’
Sorbus ‘Leonard Messel’
Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’ just finishing flowering.
Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’
Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’

2022 – CHW
A press release from the RCM Group attached. Several of the Pickard Hybrids were sourced from Burncoose over the years.The Amos Pickard Hybrids Collection
Held at Canterbury Cathedral

Queen's Green Canopy Planting Ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral 20 October 2022
Queen’s Green Canopy Planting Ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral 20 October 2022

2021 – CHW

Viburnum rhytidophyllum flowering out of season or secondary flowers? It should be out in May.

Viburnum rhytidophyllum
Viburnum rhytidophyllum
Schefflera rhododendrifolia now well established and growing well. Intricate patterns on the new growth.
Schefflera rhododendrifolia
Schefflera rhododendrifolia
Schefflera rhododendrifolia
Schefflera rhododendrifolia
Illicium philippinense with late red new growth.
Illicium philippinense
Illicium philippinense
A few berries ripening on Viburnum hoangliense for the first time.
Viburnum hoangliense
Viburnum hoangliense
Flowers appearing on Berberis xanthoclada but only on the sun facing side of the bush.
Berberis xanthoclada
Berberis xanthoclada

2020 – CHW
A greenhouse foray to see what else Asia has propagated.A nice batch of Dacrydium cupressinum which will be saleable next spring.
Dacrydium cupressinum
Dacrydium cupressinum
A newly potted batch of scented rhododendron liners. Saleable by next May at Burncoose or here.
rhododendron liners
rhododendron liners
Vernicia fordii has now even better autumn colours than 10 days ago.
Vernicia fordii
Vernicia fordii
Vernicia fordii
Vernicia fordii
Masses of seedling rhododendrons (mainly species) pricked out into cell trays.
seedling rhododendrons
seedling rhododendrons
Another seed gift from Raf Lenaerts just pricked out and potted of Machilus yunnanensis. This is not in Hillier’s or New Trees either. Plenty of excellent seedlings which appear to be evergreen?
Machilus yunnanensis
Machilus yunnanensis
Machilus yunnanensis
Machilus yunnanensis
A batch of Cephalotaxus fortunei cuttings set in 7cm square pots.
Cephalotaxus fortunei
Cephalotaxus fortunei
A good tray of magnolia seedlings ready to pot on in the spring when still dormant.
magnolia seedlings
magnolia seedlings
A good saleable crop of Euonymus moupinensis for the nursery.
Euonymus moupinensis
Euonymus moupinensis
Asia has rooted cuttings of Tom’s peculiar narrow leafed bay tree which grows beside Tregrehan House.
bay tree
bay tree
Trays and trays of rooted scented rhododendrons.
rooted scented rhododendrons
rooted scented rhododendrons
Camellia yushiensis flowering as a liner.
Camellia yushiensis
Camellia yushiensis
A large batch of different camellia species rooted originally from 2018 cuttings from Tregrehan. Many new ones to us here for planting out one day.
different camellia species
different camellia species
The mist bench absolutely crammed with rhododendron cuttings which, so far, look to have few failures. An excellent exhibition of ‘how to do it’ by Asia.
rhododendron cuttings
rhododendron cuttings
rhododendron cuttings
rhododendron cuttings

2019 – CHW
Ripe seed forming on Crabiodendron yunnanense.
Crabiodendron yunnanense
Crabiodendron yunnanense
Acer takesimense showing good autumn colour.
Acer takesimense
Acer takesimense
Acer takesimense
Acer takesimense
Cornus florida ‘Cherokee Chief’ with similarly good red and purple colouring.
Cornus florida ‘Cherokee Chief’
Cornus florida ‘Cherokee Chief’
Rhododendron keysii with a decent flower. There is nearly always a flower on this rhododendron right through every month of the year.
Rhododendron keysii
Rhododendron keysii
Euonymus alatus with its usual spectacular colours.
Euonymus alatus
Euonymus alatus
Hydrangea aspera from Lord Howick – a fairly insignificant flower but clearly a rarity.
Hydrangea aspera
Hydrangea aspera
The first flower on Camellia ‘November Pink’ in October this year.
Camellia ‘November Pink’
Camellia ‘November Pink’

2018 – CHW
Malus hupehensis is full of small reddish crab apples in only its first year after planting in the Isla Rose Plantation. A quick result!
Malus hupehensis
Malus hupehensis
Malus hupehensis
Malus hupehensis
More unusual fungi.
fungi.
fungi.
fungi.
fungi.
The new five seater gator has arrived and the work on cutting back the laurel on the Main Ride is proceeding well.
cutting back the laurel
cutting back the laurel
Two very different but splendid orchids given to us recently as presents. I know nothing about orchids!
orchids
orchids
orchids
orchids

2017 – CHW
The seed on Magnolia officinalis ‘Biloba’ is still not ripe and splitting.
Magnolia officinalis ‘Biloba’
Magnolia officinalis ‘Biloba’
Squirrels open up the seed clusters on Lithocarpus pachyphyllus and devour the biggest seeds. This cluster was carried 20 yards or so from the seeding tree.
Lithocarpus pachyphyllus
Lithocarpus pachyphyllus
Lithocarpus pachyphyllus
Lithocarpus pachyphyllus
Lithocarpus pachyphyllus
Lithocarpus pachyphyllus

2016 – CHW
The Symplocos paniculata clump outside the front gates was photographed again today by Jaimie in the sun. A quite splendid show! Why do not more people grow this?
Symplocos paniculata
Symplocos paniculata

2015 – CHW
A quick trip up the drive late in the afternoon to see what a tractor is doing in the watermeadows (cutting rushes) brings me to the rather dull Cornus walteri and its trusses of black berries. The tree is still in full green leaf and there are not that many berries to be found except at the top of this Record Tree which we looked at earlier in the year in flower. You might expect good autumn colour soon but I do not recollect anything standing out on this cold, windy corner.

Cornus walteri
Cornus walteri
Cornus walteri
Cornus walteri
Buddleia lindleyana still has violet purple flowers out at the very end of the racemes although it is nearly November. No other buddleia could match that.
Buddleia lindleyana
Buddleia lindleyana
Buddleia lindleyana
Buddleia lindleyana
Buddleia lindleyana
Buddleia lindleyana

The two large clay pots beside the front door have plants of Camellia sasanqua ‘Hugh Evans’ which are now well out and doing well. They must have both doubled in size in a year and the deep rose pink flowers are a good size for a sasanqua. Certainly much larger than the tiny old sasanquas nearby on the wall featured over recent weeks.T here may well be more sasanquas out in the garden now and that will be the next quest.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Hugh Evans’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hugh Evans’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hugh Evans’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hugh Evans’

1999 – FJW
Flowers on Camellia noblissima by Georges Hut.

1974 – FJW
George Blandford died – he started work at Caerhays in 1900 and was in the garden feeding pheasants when he was taken ill.

1941 – CW
Camellia oleifera out also white and pink Sasanqua and one hybrid. Rho Yellow Hammer good and a few flowers on Auriculatum hybrid. Hardly any colours yet except Acer rubrum and some maples. Leaves seem late in coming off. Fuchsias at their best. Some flowers on 2 or 3 Maddeni hybrids. Counted over 20 flowers out on my old garden Magnolia.

1934 – JCW
I sowed about 24 seeds of Camellia near the door. They should do well if the sea sand does not touch them.

1917 – JCW
No C sasanqua yet. R neriiflorum has a good many flowers open.

1916 – JCW
Lapagerias good, cyclamen on the wane. Cassia good. Hydrangeas nice.

1901 – JCW
About 8 or 10 two year olds up and two 5 year olds. I picked the first Sasanqua. Some very good Papa Gontier about, I alata very fine.

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