22nd September

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

Interesting secondary new growth on Meliosma sp. TH5092 from North Vietnam.

Meliosma sp. TH5092
Meliosma sp. TH5092
First flowers on a young Schefflera aff. enneaphylla (HWJ844).
Schefflera aff. enneaphylla (HWJ844)
Schefflera aff. enneaphylla (HWJ844)
Schefflera pauciflora (WWJ 1199) with flower and seeds.
Schefflera pauciflora (WWJ 1199)
Schefflera pauciflora (WWJ 1199)
A replacement Schefflera macrophylla getting going now. Will the deer leave the leaves alone?
Schefflera macrophylla
Schefflera macrophylla
One plant in a large group of Rhododendron davidsonianum has decided to put on a show of secondary flowers. No sign of a flower on any other plant of this species that I can see today. Not a good sign I fear for the one flowering.
Rhododendron davidsonianum
Rhododendron davidsonianum

2022 – CHW

To the greenhouse to sort out piles of plants for different areas to plant out in the next few weeks.

Eucryphia lucida x cordifolia still has a few tail end flowers out.

Eucryphia lucida x cordifolia
Eucryphia lucida x cordifolia
Sorbus needhami with fruits even though still in pots.
Sorbus needhami
Sorbus needhami
Sorbus needhami
Sorbus needhami
First fruits on a pot grown Malus toringo.
Malus toringo
Malus toringo
Also on Malus ‘Prairie Fire’ – this is going to be a wonderful tree in the Kitchen Garden.
Malus ‘Prairie Fire’
Malus ‘Prairie Fire’
I was expecting real crab apples on Malus baccata but, when I look it up, the fruits are exactly like this. Most attractive as well.
Malus baccata
Malus baccata
Malus baccata
Malus baccata
Bischofia polycarpa as grown away well in the frame and doubled in size since April.
Bischofia polycarpa
Bischofia polycarpa
Lysionotus aff. kuangensis (HWJ 625) is an extraordinary thing which I must have bought from Crug Farm without having any idea what it was. Looks tenderish and perhaps a rockery plant? When I look it up it does need a frost free greenhouse and it is a creeping plant from the Himalayas. Rather large drooping flowers from equally odd, reddish buds in an odd formation. Clearly it flowers progressively over a long period. We have just the damp place in the Rockery for this next spring.
Lysionotus aff. kuangensis
Lysionotus aff. kuangensis
Lysionotus aff. kuangensis
Lysionotus aff. kuangensis
Lysionotus aff. kuangensis
Lysionotus aff. kuangensis
Ziziphus jujuba struggles here and has only grown to around 10 feet in the 35 years. My brother lighting a fire too close to it many years ago didn’t help. It should be producing edible fruit now but all I see is a few tiny yellow flowers. It needs Mediterranean warmth as it is very late to come into leaf each season. On reflection it has done better this year in the drought.
Ziziphus jujuba
Ziziphus jujuba
Ziziphus jujuba
Ziziphus jujuba

2021 – CHW
More pictures of Ross and his clearance of the valley / river bottoms under Manassick, Sentries and Parnalls Hill. Posterity may enjoy how it looks today.
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
clearance
During a recent wildflower survey Salix triandra was identified here. I fear it is no more in this particular location but seed will probably germinate. This is the almond-leaved willow which is a UK native tree cultivated for basket making. The ‘withy moor’ further up the valley also has this species.

2020 – CHW
Dead elms removed from the roadside below Rescassa as requested by the county council.
Dead elms removed
Dead elms removed
Asia labelling up 32 new plants from Crûg Farm.
new plants
new plants
The list of arrivals:
Daphniphyllum paxianum BSWJ9755
Escallonia myrtilloides BSWJ14329
Hydrangea angustipetala f. macrosepala CWJ 12441 x 3
Hydrangea aspera kawakamii Formosa BSWJ7025 x 3
Hydrangea heteromalla from Vietnam HWJ938
Hydrangea hirta?
Hydrangea longipes v. fulvescens BWJ8188 x 3
Hydrangea serrata Crug Cobalt BSWJ6241a x 3
Ilex gagnepainiana FMWJ 13168
Lindera neesiana BSWJ13983
Oreopanax mutisianus BSWJ14912
Oreopanax sectifolius BSWJ14355
Parastyrax sp. nova BWJ15185
Paulownia taiwaniana BSWJ7134
Photinia serratifolia v. ardisifolia NMWJ14513
Rhodoleia aff. Henry (DJHV0640 or BSWJ11782-two labels on a plant)
Rhodoleia parvipetala FMWJ13422
Schefflera gracilis HWJ622
Stachyurus macrocarpus BSWJ14678
Staphylea bumalda BSWJ11053
Strobilanthes flexicaulis BSWJ354
Strobilanthes wallichii
Ternstroemia gymnanthera BSWJ12948
Ternstroemia aff. chapaensis WWJ11918
Viburnum parvifolium BSWJ6768
x Didrangea Ytiensis BSWJ11790Also the list of plants bought from Nick Lock:
Berberis hypokerina
Buddleja tibetica
Cotoneaster affinis
Euonymus wilsonii
Frangula alnus ‘Aspleniifolia’
Pomaderris elliptica
Viburnum fordiae
Viburnum phlebotrichum
Viburnum taiwanianum
Viburnum wilsoniiTom gave us a Deutzia longifolia.The pile of plants to go out into Old Park today.Philadelphus and deutzia species go out on the bank below White Styles field. This will cheer up the visitor route to Old Park later in the year.
Philadelphus and deutzia species
Philadelphus and deutzia species
Plenty of berries on Cotoneaster noujanensis which was planted a year ago.
Cotoneaster noujanensis
Cotoneaster noujanensis
Cotoneaster noujanensis
Cotoneaster noujanensis
Also red then black berries on Cotoneaster wilsonii planted at the same time. None of the other 15 or so new species have any obvious berries as yet but none have died.
Cotoneaster wilsonii
Cotoneaster wilsonii
Cotoneaster wilsonii
Cotoneaster wilsonii
Aesculus wilsonii laden with conkers again this year. Last year’s crop germinated well.
Aesculus wilsonii
Aesculus wilsonii
Salix gracilistyla ‘Mount Aso’ with its new buds showing already. This is a male form which will have silky pinkish-red catkins. Planted by the old dog kennels.
Salix gracilistyla ‘Mount Aso’
Salix gracilistyla ‘Mount Aso’
Salix gracilistyla ‘Mount Aso’
Salix gracilistyla ‘Mount Aso’
Zelkova sicula curana has established well in its first year. A rare shrubby species with ovate serrated leaves.
Zelkova sicula curana
Zelkova sicula curana
Zelkova sicula curana
Zelkova sicula curana
Schima superba is flowering rather better this year than last. Some flowers already on the ground. Tom said yesterday that his Schima species were performing well but ours are having a second year off.
Schima superba
Schima superba
Schima superba
Schima superba
Photinia serratifolia x ardisifolia from Crûg has growth with some leaves heavily serrated/prickled and some totally un-prickled and un-serrated.
Photinia serratifolia x ardisifolia
Photinia serratifolia x ardisifolia
Photinia serratifolia x ardisifolia
Photinia serratifolia x ardisifolia
Photinia serratifolia x ardisifolia
Photinia serratifolia x ardisifolia

2019 – CHW
One always forgets that Elaeagnus x ebbingei flowers in the autumn and produces orange seeds in the spring. There is a big clump above the fernery flowering away nicely at present. The flowers are very fragrant.
Elaeagnus x ebbingei
Elaeagnus x ebbingei
A fine array of Dicksonia antarctica seedlings are coming up here and there in dark shady wet places around the fernery.
Dicksonia antarctica
Dicksonia antarctica
Dicksonia antarctica
Dicksonia antarctica
Yet more unusual fungi which may or may not be edible?
fungi
fungi
fungi
fungi

2018 – CHW
A morning gathering seeds and evergreen cuttings here this Monday for propagation for the nursery by a third party specialist propagator. We cannot grow everything ourselves and many rarities are so difficult to propagate that it is best to have more than one person trying. The add-on benefit is that we may get new replacement plants for some of our aging rarities. Perhaps the most important thing overall! Fifty separate sets of seeds and cuttings were gathered by four of us in three hours with a careful route plan.The first ancient single pale pink Camellia sasanqua has sprung open in a bit of drizzle. I looked only two days ago. About three weeks earlier than last year but about on par with the norm over 20 years. The other old sasanquas are a bit later especially the smaller flowered darker pink one. The camellia season is starting all over again. Marvellous!
Camellia sasanqua
Camellia sasanqua
Camellia sasanqua
Camellia sasanqua
The big find today was Symplocus paniculata simply plastered in blue berries. Last year there were only a few here and there. The drought has brought its own benefits in the seed production of plants which like a hot dry summer.
Symplocus paniculata
Symplocus paniculata
Symplocus paniculata
Symplocus paniculata
We go on to take cuttings of three separate species of Torreya. We saw two species with green fruits a couple of weeks ago. Today Torreya grandis’ fruits are still green but they are splitting and most were collected from the ground. A single seed in each green capsule with lots of sticky pith around it which has an odd smell.
Torreya
Torreya
Torreya
Torreya

2017 – CHW
You do not very often see Euonymus japonicus growing in Cornish hedgerows but here a bush full of seed pods which are turning red nicely but no colour on the leaves yet.
Euonymus japonicus
Euonymus japonicus
Euonymus japonicus
Euonymus japonicus
The Newton barn conversions are starting to take shape and are rising again out of the ground. One is an almost total rebuild but we have managed to retain two walls on the second.
Newton barn conversions
Newton barn conversions
Newton barn conversions
Newton barn conversions

2016 – CHW
We have all missed the first flowering at Caerhays of another new clethra species. Clethra monostachya has leaves similar to Clethra delavayi but a different growth habit or so it appears so far.
Clethra monostachya
Clethra monostachya
Clethra monostachya
Clethra monostachya
The March 2016 new planting above the Auklandii Garden where we ripped out the laurel hedge looks well with, as yet, no obvious casualties.
March 2016 new planting
March 2016 new planting
March 2016 new planting
March 2016 new planting

2015 – CHW
Cornus kousa ‘Gloria Birkett’ had the best and largest red fruits on any cornus in the garden last year. They are hanging in profusion and swelling but not turning red just yet. I wonder why this exceptional variety is not more widely available?

Cornus kousa ‘Gloria Birkett’
Cornus kousa ‘Gloria Birkett’
Cornus kousa ‘Gloria Birkett’
Cornus kousa ‘Gloria Birkett’
Cornus kousa ‘Gloria Birkett’
Cornus kousa ‘Gloria Birkett’
Beside it I find a young plant of Heptacodium micinoides in full flower. A strange plant with nicely peeling bark that can achieve a height of eight to ten feet but does not seem to live more than 20 years. Two others have died recently. It makes a nice aftermath to the hydrangeas. One would guess it was Chilean but it is actually Chinese although it only came to the UK in 1980. A plant which Burncoose could do a lot more to promote as something different.
Heptacodium micinoides
Heptacodium micinoides
Heptacodium micinoides
Heptacodium micinoides
Heptacodium micinoides
Heptacodium micinoides

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *