2025 – CHW
Magnolia ‘Todd’s Forty Niner’ is showing colour evenly all over but no flower is yet actually out.
Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’ performing at its best in the sun over a month late.
Magnolia campbellii subsp. mollicomata ‘Lanarth’ (the true form from Lanarth) just out above Orchid House Nursery.
Magnolia campbellii ‘Valentine’s Torch’ with a few yellow buds opening white. Blown open and nothing showing yet on our other two trees of this variety obtained originally from Mount Congreve.
The Embothrium above Roger’s Quarry which was nearly dead has had a haircut but I doubt it will reshoot.
Michelia doltsopa ‘Fairy White’ is now coming out properly.
The first plants from Burncoose for the shop are tucked away in the greenhouse. We open the garden on Monday 10th.
Just a hint of colour on the magnolias outside the Back Yard.
2024 – CHW
Rather surprising to find flowers out on Sorbus aff. ligustrinum (HWJ 948) planted in 2010 in Kennel Close.
Rather surprising to find flowers out on Sorbus aff. ligustrinum (HWJ 948) planted in 2010 in Kennel Close.
Flowers tassels on the Hazels are already full out in the layby at Pittsdown Farm.
Rhododendron ‘Bo Peep’ (Yellow) suddenly out on the Drive. The pink form is always a few days later into bloom. More or less on time for this I think.
We head off to plant 15 new German bred magnolias in Kitchen Garden.
They more of less full the bottom end of the Kitchen Garden above the Old Dog Kennels.
Prunus ‘Kursar’ out below the tower.
Camellia japonica ‘Midnight’ out in Kennel Close.
First flowers out on Rhododendron ‘Red Admiral’ by George’s Hut.
2023 – CHW
Unusual to see seed heads on Hoheria populnea ‘Variegata’. Unaffected by the cold spell.
Severe deer nibbling of the lower branches on the evergreen Viburnum triphyllum and very recent too.
Illicium macranthum (BSWJ 11809) with buds close to opening. Plenty of them too.
What looks like Guinea Fowl excrement on an Ilex cornuta. Looks odd from a distance.
Still a good show of berries on the Corokia which the birds have left alone.
A sickly Rhododendron arboretum post drought below Slip Rail.
Buds with colour on Camellia lutchuensis but no flower open quite yet.
2022 – CHW
Walking off the path to Rookery I find an excellent young Rhododendron grande flowering away unobserved until now. When I look this up it was planted in 2004 and from seed collected by Mr & Mrs Greswell from Taunton in 1998. It was collected in Milake, Danda, Nepal (these spellings may well be wrong). Sadly I do not remember them or planting this myself so I probably did not!
Rhododendron arboreum – seven plants put out in 2009; six survive (5392 – an RCMG seed distribution I guess). Four just into flower today and some lower branch pruning on a nearby magnolia needed to give them more light.
A big consignment of new plants from Burncoose from my annual ‘wish list’ accumulated from what I have seen on webcasts and garden videos in lockdown. Lots of new specimen sized new German bred magnolias amongst them from Michael Gottschalk. Also perhaps 30 new varieties of magnolia from Magnoliastore to add to the collection here.
The Magnolia campbellii seedling by the arch has opened a lot more in four days. Looking good beside the Azalea ‘Hinomayo’.
2021 – CHW
A cold east wind is coming and possibly snow even for us in the next few days. A walk through Old Park, then Brownberry Wood and Bond Street.Gunnera manicata and snowdrops below the old hunt kennels in a bog. They have thrived here for generations despite frequent inundations.
A cold east wind is coming and possibly snow even for us in the next few days. A walk through Old Park, then Brownberry Wood and Bond Street.Gunnera manicata and snowdrops below the old hunt kennels in a bog. They have thrived here for generations despite frequent inundations.
Early signs of leaves shooting on the Gunnera in today’s sun.
At this time of the year Gunnera rhizomes can easily be extracted from the ground as the old roots die off. This huge rhizome could readily be lifted and chopped up to make more plants from sections of the rhizome.
This is the bank where the new additional collection of bought in bamboo species will be planted before long.
This is Pseudosasa japonica. A re-establishing and developing clump after the huge bank of it here in Old Park flowered and died 30 or so years ago.
Corylus avellana catkins in the sun. Quite a few catkins were seen even in December but they got frosted or blown away then.
Bluebells sprouting out of the ground in early February! Earlier and earlier.
Old Park in the sun. A few camellias just showing.
The two sluice gates were overrun by the floods last week.
This track was under water as were the whole of these water meadows.
Prunus laurocerasus about to come out into flower.
A huge clump of Camellia x williamsii ‘St Ewe’ on Bond Street.
Still red crab apples in profusion on one of the three different malus on Bond Street. This is the smallest and bottom one of the three (see earlier attempts at naming the three of them).
Mahonia (then) ‘species nova’ given to us by Roy Lancaster and planted below the dump on Bond Street in 2008 (two plants). I must ask Roy to identify it and send him these pictures. In too much shade today, unfortunately, for it to do well but, after last summer’s tree trimming, it now has more light than it did.
The typical branch/trunk formation on Magnolia dawsoniana.
Daphne bholua ‘Mary Rose’ is just coming out in a pot. At Tregullow last week they had a 6-8ft tall multi stemmed one full out in a huge pot by their back door. Amazingly good and the Burncoose label still there for all to see! I did not have the camera to hand.
