2024 – CHW
40-50mph southerly gale with very heavy rain (½ an inch per hour) forecast from 4pm to 9pm. It just started raining as we got in with the dogs. Look at the undersides of the leaves on the Magnolia grandiflora on the top wall.
Ross spent yesterday evening tidying up and stacking his wood piles.
We have now decided to spare this clump of Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Squarrosa’ at least for the moment to give more wind protection.
Another casualty of the drought – a 5 year old big leafed rhododendron seedling.
Two 17 year old dead snakebark maples with the usual black fungal infections at the bases.
Secondary new growth on the tops of Lithocarpus lepidocarpus planted in 2008.
Euonymus hamiltonianus ‘Rising Sun’ covered in pink seed capsules.
Vaccinium corymbosum with early autumn colour.
Not a day to be out at sea.
Very late flowering on a trio of recently planted Hydrangea involucrata. The colour fades quickly and there are very few flower bracts.
On a hot dry bit of Burns Bank a nearly dead large camellia which has not survived the droughts. It might reshoot if cut down soon.
Cotoneaster franchetii hangs over Dicksonia antarctica in what was once the old wooden Playhouse.
2023 – CHW
An inspection of newer things in the Tin Garden area.A 2022 gift of an unnamed Prunus species from Burma (JP184) has interesting secondary new growth.
An inspection of newer things in the Tin Garden area.A 2022 gift of an unnamed Prunus species from Burma (JP184) has interesting secondary new growth.
Cercis canadensis ‘Hearts of Gold’ is growing away well.
Quercus muehlenbergii is not!
One plant of Paulownia fortunei smashed up in the wind while the other one is so far intact. Lots of bud visible already for next spring.
Ilex aff. gagnepainiana (FMWJ 13468) has made huge growth.
Plenty of berry on Sorbus hupehensis with, currently, a mottled appearance.
A secondary flower on Magnolia ‘Pink Fruity’ – neither pink nor fruity!
Magnolia ‘Pickard’s Ruby’ x M. ‘J.C. Willaims’ with a number of poor secondary flowers.
Calocedrus macrolepis var. formosana planted very recently but doing well.
2022 – CHW
At Burncoose the other day there was an estate wide water crisis as the estate well had dried up. No water for anyone until it fortunately rained enough that night for the sunken pump to be under water again. I have never seen the Burncoose pond as low as this in 40 years although it is fair to say the nursery pumped out and pinched a lot of pond water when the borehole pump failed in late July. 6-8 feet of water gone and the Gunnera all dead on the island. A pity not to have cleared out the silt and rebuilt the odd cattle damaged wall edge while it was so drained. The well overflows into the pond so all will be restored to normal before long.
At Burncoose the other day there was an estate wide water crisis as the estate well had dried up. No water for anyone until it fortunately rained enough that night for the sunken pump to be under water again. I have never seen the Burncoose pond as low as this in 40 years although it is fair to say the nursery pumped out and pinched a lot of pond water when the borehole pump failed in late July. 6-8 feet of water gone and the Gunnera all dead on the island. A pity not to have cleared out the silt and rebuilt the odd cattle damaged wall edge while it was so drained. The well overflows into the pond so all will be restored to normal before long.
A fine show of cones on Abies procera at Rosemoor where Steve was visiting to add to our website photography database.
The RHS just sent the Plant Award certificates for awards won at springs shows this year and back to 2019. These will add to the large collection on the estate office walls.AM Rhododendron ‘Maisie’ (Jamie’s cross)
AM Magnolia ‘Mr Julian’ (Dad & Philip Tregunna’s cross of many years ago)
FCC Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ (Jaimie’s cross)
FCC Magnolia ‘Margaret Helen’ (New Zealand bred)
FCC Rhododendron ‘Michaels Pride’ (Charlie Michael retired as head gardener in 1955 and I suspect that this had never been exhibited for an award before)The recommendations from the RHS Rhododendron, Camelia and Magnolia Group have to be ratified by the RHS Woody Plant Committee and hence the delay. Few people know what an AM or FCC actually means. The judges take a view on a cut flower show bench exhibit as has always been the case back to the 1800’s (I assume). An Award of Garden Merit follows RHS field trials and means something very different and more important commercially. However, now that RHS shows have thankfully moved out of London for good, the award system is there to encourage plant breeders as it always did.
AM Magnolia ‘Mr Julian’ (Dad & Philip Tregunna’s cross of many years ago)
FCC Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ (Jaimie’s cross)
FCC Magnolia ‘Margaret Helen’ (New Zealand bred)
FCC Rhododendron ‘Michaels Pride’ (Charlie Michael retired as head gardener in 1955 and I suspect that this had never been exhibited for an award before)The recommendations from the RHS Rhododendron, Camelia and Magnolia Group have to be ratified by the RHS Woody Plant Committee and hence the delay. Few people know what an AM or FCC actually means. The judges take a view on a cut flower show bench exhibit as has always been the case back to the 1800’s (I assume). An Award of Garden Merit follows RHS field trials and means something very different and more important commercially. However, now that RHS shows have thankfully moved out of London for good, the award system is there to encourage plant breeders as it always did.
2021 – CHW
A visit from the Cornwall Fungus Recording Group. Due to petrol shortages only four surveyors made it to Caerhays. They resurveyed Forty Acres Wood where a lot of work was undertaken in 1982.
At that time DISCHLORIDIUM LAEENSE was discovered growing on a Dicksonia antarctica. Hopefully they will re-find this very rare (in the UK) Australasian fungus on our tree ferns. A description of this inconspicuous fungus is attached together with a drawing (2205). Visually not exciting but, in terms of mycology, rather more so.
You seldom see ripe seed heads on Zantedeschia aethiopica as here.
A nice lot of hydrangeas hung up to dry in the boiler room. Hopefully the colours will, in part, be retained when dried out. Great for Christmas flower arrangements.
Calicarpa psilocalyx with a full crop of flowers.
2020 – CHW
I thought it time to have a look again at our ilex species collection to see what had berries. To my surprise (and perhaps showing my ignorance) I find more in flower than in berry!Malus x micromalus covered in small yellow fruits. When we saw this in flower earlier this year it was pure white and not pink as Hilliers state it should be (Malus baccata x Malus spectabilis as it was labelled when it came to us in 2005). Well worth Asia growing from seed.
I thought it time to have a look again at our ilex species collection to see what had berries. To my surprise (and perhaps showing my ignorance) I find more in flower than in berry!Malus x micromalus covered in small yellow fruits. When we saw this in flower earlier this year it was pure white and not pink as Hilliers state it should be (Malus baccata x Malus spectabilis as it was labelled when it came to us in 2005). Well worth Asia growing from seed.
Ilex brioritensis should flower in May to June according to ‘New Trees’ but here it is in flower with no fruits. We used to mistakenly call it Ilex dipyrena until corrected by Susyn Andrews in 2011. Another species in ‘New’ Trees which has been growing here above the greenhouse for 100 years and is now a large tree which we have propagated regularly.
Ilex latifolia is setting a good crop of berries on a young tree which Tom Hudson thought was correctly named.
The two Ilex dimorphophylla were a picture today as small upright shrubs as you can see here. One is about 12ft tall; the other 6-8ft only. Planted in 2006/7. What an attractive species this is. Small trees really rather than shrubs.
Styrax japonicus ‘Westpelaar’ fruiting away as a small young plant with its attractive brown leaves.
Ilex ficiodes also has flower buds which are not yet out and no berries. I have however seen flowers on this small tree in the late spring. Secondary flowering after a dry early summer?
First flowers on Osmanthus heterophyllus which is performing at the correct time of the year.
Flowers on Ilex cornuta as well. I do not ever remember seeing fruits on this species and Hilliers say they are ‘sparse’. There is another form of this species with a rather different leaf shape to check in the next couple of days.
2019 – CHW
The daffodil bulbs go in at the Tin Garden memorial planting. The varieties included (with breeders names and RHS awards):-
St Agnes – P.D. Williams 1926 AM April 1934
Beryl – P.D. Williams 1907 AM April 1936
Brunswick – P.D. Williams 1931 AM April 1947
California- P.D. Williams 1945
Halvose – P.D. Williams 1927
Lanarth – P.D. Williams 1907 FCC April 1936
Larkelly – P.D. Williams 1930
Nancegollan – M.P. Williams 1937
Parcpat – M.P. Williams 1937
Tresamblé – P.D. Williams 1930 AM May 1958
Jaimie has presented us with a large potful of another Hedychium species to go up on the top bank near the clump of white flowered Hedychium coronarium. This is the yellow flowered Hedychium gardnerianum. So we now have three species growing outside and a tender one in the greenhouse (Hedychium densiflorum ‘Assam Orange’, H. gardnerianum and H. coronarium). I need to bring over from the nursery Hedychium greenii (red flowers) and Hedychium aurantiacum (orange) to start a collection of these colourful and attractive autumn flowering plants which are easy to grow from seed.
2018 – CHW
The second and darker old Camellia sasanqua is now coming out.
The second and darker old Camellia sasanqua is now coming out.
The Hydrangea paniculatas on Hovel Cart Road have had the necessary haircut.
This laurel on the main ride was only cut back three weeks ago but it is already shooting away.
2017 – CHW
Hydrangea aspera robusta is at least two months later into flower than Hydrangea aspera villosa or Hydrangea sargentiana varieties. As such rather a gem to propagate.
Hydrangea aspera robusta is at least two months later into flower than Hydrangea aspera villosa or Hydrangea sargentiana varieties. As such rather a gem to propagate.
2016 – CHW
I have bust the camera so you will have to put up with poor pictures for a bit as the old model is rather inferior. On the day I saw the first single pink Camellia sasanqua out by the front door Karol photographed Camellia [Karol to add] full out in the greenhouse. I now need to see how this compares to other years as a date for the first camellia flower?
I have bust the camera so you will have to put up with poor pictures for a bit as the old model is rather inferior. On the day I saw the first single pink Camellia sasanqua out by the front door Karol photographed Camellia [Karol to add] full out in the greenhouse. I now need to see how this compares to other years as a date for the first camellia flower?
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanille Fraise’ has got much redder in the last 10 days.
Tilia henryana on the drive does have ‘bristle like’ teeth on the leaf edges but is nothing like as bristly as the Penvergate plant. No flowers here unlike Penvergate although there have been in past years. Hillier’s says T. henryana is very slow growing but this plant certainly is not. Is it wrongly named? I think not on past autumn flowering.
Cotoneaster ‘unknown’ above The Hovel has large, oval, orange fruits but not in profusion and only in the centre of the large bush. This proves it is not Cotoneaster microphyllus which has reddish pink fruits. Could it be Cotoneaster perpusillus, a Wilson introduction? Very few cotoneaster species have orange fruits. Perhaps these will turn from orange to red later? Or is it Cotoneaster wardii or Cotoneaster sternianus? Perhaps just the very common Cotoneaster conspicuus (red berries) introduced by Kingdom Ward in 1925. Its size, age and prime location suggest a 100 year old Wilson or Forrest introduction and it does not really fit with the plants we sell as C. conspicuus in the nursery today. Please would someone put this plant out of its misery with a correct identification? There are more, better, pictures if you search the blog.
2015 – CHW
At last Hoheria sextylosa ‘Pendula’ is out after weeks of waiting impatiently. A wonderful drooping canopy of flowers so late in the season. Hillier’s says mid to late summer flowering!
At last Hoheria sextylosa ‘Pendula’ is out after weeks of waiting impatiently. A wonderful drooping canopy of flowers so late in the season. Hillier’s says mid to late summer flowering!
Nearby is Hoheria sextylosa with a much more erect habit. The flowers are larger on the newer growth where a branch got hit by a tree and has then reshot than on the top of the tree.
Hoheria populnea ‘Variegata’ and ‘Alba Variegata’ which grow nearby (yellow and white edging to the leaves) have had no flowers at all this year. Both are very tender and defoliate a bit in the slightest frost despite being very well sheltered and mollycoddled.
Around the corner and, to my amazement, Eucryphia moorei is full out. I normally think of this as the first eucryphia to flower and I have certainly seen it out in May at Burncoose. Here it is positively the last. Beyond it there are just a few flowers left on Eucryphia ‘Nymansay’. Could it be that this species flowers twice a year or are there different forms which flower at different times. The original Eucryphia moorei below Slip Rail blew over in the 1990 hurricane but has reshot from the base while the plant featured here was grown at Burncoose and planted about 1995.
’17 This lime has leaves more heart-shaped and elongate and the margines serrate, not dentate than Tilia henryana, so it is clearly not. Furthermore leaves of T. henryana are always a brighter, slightly yellow green, independent on soil reaction.
’15 Eucryphia moorei from SE-Australia is rarely seen on the continet, with its nice pennate leaves. I recommend to remove the second, leaning stem to prevent further leaning.
Re post on 2nd October. I think you would find Hedychium densiflorum ‘Assam Orange’ hardy. I’ve had it outside here in Dorset for years (in well-drained soil) and it always produces masses of fruits, which actually last longer than the rather fleeting flowers. H. greenii I think is more risky.