2024 – CHW
Crataegus laevigata ‘Crimson Cloud’ has only a very few fruits this year.
Everywhere I look things have grown so exponentially this summer that quite a bit of pruning is needed in younger plantations. Here a Styrax is competing with the Taiwanese form of Trochodendron aralioides.
Taiwanese Trochodendron with multiple, as yet unripe, seed heads.
The fruits on Cornus capitata are still nowhere near ripe.
Flowers and buds on Desfontainia spinosa but one of the 3 plants has died over the summer.
Hydrangea aspera ‘Tatiana’ from Tregrehan nearly over.
This Camellia gigantocarpa has still never flowered or shown any sign of a bud.
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanille Fraise’ only has the odd pinkish flower left. The rest are now nearly brown.
The first Camellia sasanqua flowers will not be long as you can see here.
2023 – CHW
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Mainstreet’; A huge plant today nearly 20 years after planting.
The huge clump of Pieris japonica above the wall has all died in the drought.
Sorbus aff. karchungii with its first seed clusters. 2017 planted.
Carpinus fargesiana with its first small seed catkins. This is in the heat of the Isle Rose. Other plants in Kennel Close of this species have yet to produce catkins. Carpinus fargesiana is a dull species compared to Carpinus fangiana!
Carpinus omeiensis has not enjoyed the drought but is just about OK. Odd leaf habit which makes this one easily recognisable.
Cupressus austrotibetica was planted only in 2017. Making a good tree.
Carpinus shensiensis also struggling but still alive.
2022 – CHW
A seed head on Schefflera pauciflora (WWJ 1199) but far from ripe yet. Large leaves unlike the S. pauciflora in the Aucklandii Garden.
Magnolia sapaensis has dropped seed heads in the drought. Earlier this year these germinated well from last year’s crop.
Horrible leaf drop under rhododendron suoilenhense! Fear for this clumps survival.
Schefflera delavayi with several huge flower heads not yet out
Catalpa duclouxii which blew over and was pollarded and uprighted is recovering well as we had expected that it would.
2021 – CHW
Many seed heads on Magnolia sprengeri ‘Burncoose’ but by means all of them are swelling up with seeds.
Many seed heads on Magnolia sprengeri ‘Burncoose’ but by means all of them are swelling up with seeds.
This Acacia baileyana has doubled in size since planting this spring.
Crataegus laevigata ‘Crimson Cloud’ with nearly ripe berries.
Bupleurum fruiticosum covered in yellow seed heads by the Playhouse.
2020 – CHW
A delivery of rhododendrons from Millais Nurseries for planting out soon.
A delivery of rhododendrons from Millais Nurseries for planting out soon.
Alniphyllum aff. eberhardii has developed enormous leaves and is making headway.
A few seeds only this year on Ehretia dicksonii.
Fitzroya cupressoides with its wonderful trailing branches.
Peumus boldus just into flower. A small tree now.
Rhus chinensis just coming into flower.
Ilex cornuta (BSWJ1118) has much more spined leaves than the older plant by the Auklandii Garden which featured in the holly inspection day.
2019 – CHW
Jaimie has discovered a veritable sea of self-sown Amomyrtus luma (formerly Myrtus luma) seedlings above the Four in Hand.
Jaimie has discovered a veritable sea of self-sown Amomyrtus luma (formerly Myrtus luma) seedlings above the Four in Hand.
The three large established plants of Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Venus’ above the Hovel Cart Road are producing a number of root suckers as shown here. These could readily be lifted and potted up by Asia. I have not seen this before in younger Enkianhus but the very old Enkianthus perulatus do do this above the Fernery and outside the Front Gate.
A youngish Lithocarpus cleistocarpa with the first ever gigantic (but still unripe) seed heads which we have never seen here. This is the third oak species fruiting for the first time that we have discovered this year after two dry summers. The old L. cleistocarpa flowers copiously but has never produced any seed clusters like this. Very similar in shape to those of Lithocarpus pachyphyllus. This L. cleistocarpa was grown as a cutting from the old record tree by Philip Tregunna circa 40 years ago.
Dendropanax japonicus with a seed head below Donkey Shoe. Still unripe and we missed the earlier flowers altogether sadly.
The peahen has now abandoned her nest and its eggs above Tin Garden as we expected.
One of our own grafted magnolia seedlings (FJW on sprengeri) has annoyingly produced three shoots from below the graft which have taken over without us noticing. We will have to cut them out but it may be too late to save the grafted plant.
2018 – CHW
A full day meeting on the website and a garden tour with Julie this Tuesday to try to get our brains back to normality.The quince fruits are just starting to turn from green to yellow.
A full day meeting on the website and a garden tour with Julie this Tuesday to try to get our brains back to normality.The quince fruits are just starting to turn from green to yellow.
Under Rosa roxburgii all the hips have suddenly shed from the shrubs onto the ground. They are still small and green and far from ripe. The plants have responded to the drought by shedding baggage.
Seed heads have formed sparsely on Platycarya strobilacea.
Plenty of good flowers still on Schima superba. Flowers on the other species are now virtually over.
2017 – CHW
The base and electric/water supply to the new cash point and shop is now well in hand. Fortunately the pull throughs in the alkathene pipe have worked to get the new cables to where we need them without digging a new trench.
The base and electric/water supply to the new cash point and shop is now well in hand. Fortunately the pull throughs in the alkathene pipe have worked to get the new cables to where we need them without digging a new trench.
2016 – CHW
A Burncoose management meeting to review the latest accounts to 31st August (all good) and the plans for next year. The front cover of the 2017 catalogue and the Chelsea pages are all sorted already and the first proof of the new website plant list is nearing completion so the catalogue designers can then get to work. A few more new plant entries for 2017: Agastache ‘Blackadder’ is an attractive late flowering dark blue purple. Quite a show in a herbaceous border for September and growing to about two feet.
A Burncoose management meeting to review the latest accounts to 31st August (all good) and the plans for next year. The front cover of the 2017 catalogue and the Chelsea pages are all sorted already and the first proof of the new website plant list is nearing completion so the catalogue designers can then get to work. A few more new plant entries for 2017: Agastache ‘Blackadder’ is an attractive late flowering dark blue purple. Quite a show in a herbaceous border for September and growing to about two feet.
Pennisetum ‘Sky Rocket’ has an attractive variegated mix of colours with late blackish flowers. Outside there is more yellow in the leaves and more white in the tunnels.
Euphorbia cyparissus ‘Orange Man’ is not in flower but its feathery blue green leaves are attractive and certainly not obviously euphorbia like. I await the flowers next spring with interest.
Calluna vulgaris ‘Silver Fox’ is one we have had once before but you can clearly see how it gets its name. Whitish in bud opening light mauve with not all the flowers coming out at once to give a foxtail appearance.
We have over 200 new catalogue entries already and plenty more I expect to go into proof number two but, this year, we are well ahead of ourselves with the photographs so not too many blanks on the website in January.
2015 – CHW
Seeds on both of the original Camellia saluenensis (light and darker pink) collected by George Forrest in 1917 near Tenguegh in Yunnan. The seeds are large enough to be viable but would probably turn out to be hybrids.
Camellia vernalis outside the nursery window has always had somewhat irregular or erratic variegation. It is not really a variegation; more a sign of chlorosis but the plant is equally healthy whatever the leaf form. Out before Christmas usually.
Cotoneaster microphyllus has some but not many berries. I suspect the chickens and pheasants have cleaned up.