A new species to us although I may have seen it in the nursery from Stervinou – Lomatia ilicifolia.

Schefflera gracilis which we have stocked but plants of this species from low altitudes will not take any frost at all. Here a decent size after only 8-10 years.

Woodwardia radicans carpeting the borders behind the main greenhouse. A great way to really cover a steep bank and one for us to try to obtain.

Hakea eppiglottis in flower. A new species not seen before.

Erica scoparia from the Mediterranean showing buds.

Comarostaphylis discolor subsp. discolor from Mexico and Guatemala. A new genus to look up. I guess closely related to Clethra judging by the flower buds.

The view across a pond in the walled garden.

Parsonsia – never heard of it but a small tree (no species name on label).

Rhododendron rubiginosum var. rubiginosum.

Rhododendron edgeworthii.

A carpet of Trillium chloropetalum.

Xanthorrhoea glauca which are given winter protection. Another species of Xanthorrhoea beside it.

A view across the walled garden.

Rhododendron scabrifolium var. pauciflorum nearly over. Our Rh. scabrifolium had white flowers.

Said to be extinct in the Wild – Rhododendron kanehirae from Vietnam. Not that exciting an azalea species.

Euphorbia stygiana growing as a fine clump.

Gaultheria griffithiana from the Himalayas. We should try more of these Gaultheria species.

Arctostaphylos pumila in flower.

Petteria ramentacea from the Balkans in full flower against a wall. I fear our small young plant has died in the winter.

Holboellia latifolia with male and female flowers amid virtually no leaves as yet.

Schisandra

with orange flowers on a wall.

Coprosma robusta in flower. The flowers of this genus are easily recognisable.

Cyathea medullaris outside and flowering with no protection.

A really dark blue form of Rhaphithamnus spinosus. Far better than ours. They also have the Record Tree of this species and it really is a tree! So this can be near white, light blue, or near purple in flower as we have now seen.

Rhododendron scopulorum – highly scented.

Watsonia tabularis – rather different in flower to other species of Watsonia.

Now into the country of origin themed woodland garden.

Machilus thunbergii from Japan – we grow one other species but not this one.

Rhododendron horlickianum – tender and smellie. We have never grown this at home.

More and an even better clump of Trillium chloropetalum.

Plagianthus regius just coming into flower – a huge tree. Need to plant out another at Caerhays.

Pittosporum ralphii as a huge clump. I failed to recognise this earlier in the week at Glenwhan.

Ilex kingiana which is even more large leaved and distinct the ours. Seed evident now as at home.

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Aristotelia serrata in flower.

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Magnolia insignis which was wild collected in Northern Vietnam. The first time I have seen several of this species although all their Magnolia sapaensis seem very similar to M. insignis and not at all like our M. sapiensis with the little leaf growing out of the trop of the flower bud. Are the two the same? Need to see some flowers.

An unknown species of Polyspora from Vietnam with enormous leaves that have slight serrations at the edges of the leaves.

Acacia riceana in flower as a large tree.

Coprosma propinqua from New Zealand – no flower.

The view of the border filled with different Polyspora – all wild collected and several different but unknown species here awaiting identification and classification.

Prunus cerasoides just about to flower – Himalaya and Thailand.

The tender and rare Widdringtonia whytei seems to survive well. It comes from Malawi.

Nothofagus x leonii (N. glauca x N. obliqua). A naturally occurring hybrid in the wild in Chile.

Notelaraea ligustrina – Australia and Tasmania – another unknown and new genus.

The view down from the New Zealand/ Chilean plant collections.

The extraordinary Latua pubiflora from Chile. A medium sized shrub.

Drimys winteri var. andina as a mature tree here unlike yesterday’s small one.

Myrceuugenia exsucca with large quantities of ripe orange seed. Myrtle like in leaf.

Prumnopitys andina – I am still in a muddle over the naming of Prumnopitys species.

Pinus montezumae and Embothrium coccineum growing together.

Abies kawakamii.

Pinus pinea with flowers opening.

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Schefflera littorea – another new species.

Schefflera brevipedunculata from Vietnam.

The largest Taiwania cryptomerioides that I have ever seen. Here a huge trunk.

Phoebe bournei which Burncoose has for sale but we have yet to see a flower.

Dipentodon sinicus which I have seen at Tregrehan in flower.

Wild collected seed from Itoa orientalis germinated and growing well in a tunnel but, sadly, not in the garden which is just like our own plantings at home. Stunted, leafless and struggling.

Encephalartos natalensis in the conservatory (heat source pump).

Lotus macularus nicely in flower.

Berberidopsis beckleri with ripe fruits trained against a wall and looking very fine. We have started to grow and sell this excellent but rare species at home.

Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’ at the entrance – not sure of the significance of the name to Logan?

Next door was the privately owned Logan House Garden. Built in 1702.

We saw this Sambucus species in the Botanic Garden as well where it has also naturalised widely but what is it? Really quite attractive and does not look like an Elder from a distance.

Is this an Aristotelia or even a tender Hoheria species? Attractive flowers but no label here of course. I think I have seen this at Ventnor but not in flower.

Huge trunks on Sciadopitys verticillata – larger than anything at Osborne House.

Ribes speciosum full out by Logan House. As large a specimen of this as I have ever seen.

An avenue of huge and excellent Rhododendron sinogrande beside a wet ditch. Some had died but their self created layers have survived and are thriving.

Gigantic trunks on Eucryphia cordifolia – never seen anything faintly this large in Cornwall.

The garden is clear of brambles and fallen trees but very over mature and in need of a major replanting programme to bring it back to what it once was. Spectacular Araucaria and Cedars provide shelter to Logan Botanics over the adjacent wall and deer fences. All tidy and maintained but the rhododendrons especially are nearing the end of their natural lives and huge scope to do so much more. There is apparently a record sized Embothrium but we could not find it and the gardener had no idea where it was.

Back to 27th April 2026.