2021 – CHW
Another visit to the greenhouses to see what was out in flower or in berry.
After the grass cutting on the banks the autumn cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium) have suddenly appeared in profusion. Pink and white forms. A timely cut.
Silvery indumentum on the newer growth and a fine snake bark stem developing on Acer tegmentosum ‘Valley Phantom’.
The rhododendron species and hybrids planted out today from Millais were as follows:
– Rhododendron Veryan Bay
– Rhododendron Loderi Helen
– Rhododendron Loderi Pink Coral
– Rhododendron Loderi Sir Edmund
– Rhododendron campylocarpum
– Rhododendron davidii EN4213
– Rhododendron degronianum hept. ‘Oki Koki’
– Rhododendron flinckii
– Rhododendron kyawii AC3049
– Rhododendron piercei
– Rhododendron pubicostatum
– Rhododendron recurvoides
– Rhododendron taliense
– Rhododendron wasonii
– Rhododendron wiltonii AGM
Some went into the former Orchid House Nursery bed along with several others from previous plantings.
The large Acer griseum below Kennel Close has peeling bark right up into its extremities which looks wonderful in the evening sun.
I had a moan yesterday about the drought persisting. Just look at these half defoliated, drooping and half dead hydrangeas on the drive in shade but near the roots of a huge Pinus insignis. There are plenty more like it and the position remains critical. Hurricanes in North and South Carolina so we may get the tail end of this next week – hopefully!
2017 – CHW
At last some time off to look around the garden properly without anyone hassling me!
We are starting to build a new shop and sales point at the entrance to the garden using the slab base from the old plant sales point.
A trip in the new four seater mule. Luxury which I fear will make me idle! Styrax serrulatus is producing a good crop of seeds but they are far from ripe yet. 1991 planting but very rare in cultivation. Asia needs to grab these in three to four weeks.
Compare and contrast the seed pods on two ‘Chinese lantern trees’ as we used to call them as children when collecting seeds with Dad. Properly ‘bladder nuts’ of course!Staphylea colchica
Clearly the name is in the leaf not the seeds! Pinnata has trilobed seeds pods even if also pinnate leaves! Asia need to get picking them now.The Michelia doltsopas have virtually no seeds this year unlike last when they were plastered. Plenty of seedlings growing on but this is all I could find low down on the old plant by Georges Hut. Strange as we had no frost to damage the pollen. Perhaps they just flowered too early in the year for pollination? The few seeds there are are far from ripe.
Must remind Asia or Jaimie to collect the huge seed pod on Magnolia officinalis var biloba in Penvergate in 10 days or so.
We all agree it is a bad magnolia seedling year but in the rireii opening the Magnolia sargentiana var robusta is laden with seed pods which are nearly ripe.
High time Asia collected the Magnolia sieboldii sinensis seed too from the original surviving wild collected plant. Magnolia sieboldii is ready now too in its various named forms. Big wedding today below the castle. Marquee from London which they started to put up on Tuesday. £25k cost we reckon as it was huge and upraised – not that the area is really that uneven. Sadly they are not staying in any of our accommodation and we have ‘bridge players’ at The Vean instead. Mary described the marquee decoration as ‘Chelsea chique by the sea’. She was on security/bouncer duty for two and a half days. They did not trust us last night not to pinch the silver! I sneaked one picture of the bride and snuck into the yard after the guests were all in the tent at 5pm.
2015 – CHW
A last clethra in full flower. It is labelled Clethra tomentosa which is a new species to me. A suckering plant of about six to eight feet with no great scent today in the rain. The other clethras nearby are long over as is Clethra delavayi which we normally think of as being late or even the last to flower. Hillier’s says Clethra tomentosa is a late flowering US species.
