2020 – CHW
Pictures from Burncoose seem to prove that what we found here earlier this week was Ilex verticillata. The plants in the nursery have berries and a leaf form identical to our 30 year old plant.

This is the large stock plant of Ilex mutchagara at Burncoose with Rob Toy in front of it. No flowers or berries to be seen!

We saw Acer ‘Silver Cardinal’ (formerly x conspicuum ‘Silver Cardinal’) with seed heads at Bonython. The Burncoose tree is now performing in a similar way.

I think that this is a fine display of Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare) growing on a dead rhododendron stump at Burncoose. A common fungus on dead and decaying woodland trees and shrubs but not always as fine a show as this.

The head keeper photographed a blackthorn in full flower above Portholland this week. You can just make out a ripe sloe in the picture as well. Of all the secondary flowerings showing up this autumn this is perhaps the most remarkable to date. The heatwave in May to June and subsequent dry summer has certainly fooled quite a number of plant species which do not usually do this.

For those of you who think of the threat of further lockdown restrictions as an absurd further catastrophe for the economy do please view this half hour film seen by 1.5m people already and sent to me by David Lake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=8UvFhIFzaac&app=desktop. Unlike the alarmist bleatings of the BBC and government funded scientists this is a rather different scientific view representing totally different arguments involving research from many experts around the globe nicely presented by an Irishman. COVID has killed only marginally more people than the 2018 flu outbreak. The supposed second peak represents simply more testing and catching up with more people who have had the disease. Those countries who have used lockdowns have fared no better than others who did not. The escalation of the outbreak follows different patterns in colder and hotter climates but both are comparable and predictable. Why do not more journalists pick up on and develop these well-argued scientific facts?

2019 – CHW
The first and only seeds ever found on Lithocarpus cleistocarpa. About six to eight acorns seem large enough to be viable. The seed clusters blew to the ground in the recent wind but appear viable. Half sent on to Tom Hudson.

Then the first fully formed seed clusters on Lithocarpus variolosus (NH 79). Not huge and, again, only a few potentially viable acorns. We have seen flower stalks on this small tree in recent years but these are the first to have ever matured into proper seed clusters. Jaimie commented that he has known this smallish tree for nearly 20 years but never expected to have to climb it to collect seeds. It was from a wild collected batch of seed given to us by Nigel Holman from Chyverton. It came here along with Nigel’s collection of Quercus oxyodon which is now of a similar size and was planted out in 2000.

Ross has started a second fire below Higher Quarry Nursery and the path is nearly clear. The laurel hedge has taken a battering but will recover quickly with, now, more light.

The latest beech tree to come down (today) has a colony of wild black bees who are decidedly displeased at events. Ross will ring an apiarist tonight to see if he can box them up and then rehouse them early tomorrow. We sadly had no idea they were high up in the trunk.

This is going to be a really decent large area for replanting in February. Lots of thought and fun in the design as we have literally hundreds of plants to go out this time around.

2018 – CHW
A few new things and oddments in flower at Burncoose today:Phymosia umbellata is a new conservatory plant to us. An odd bud formation and quite an attractive autumn flower? I have never seen this before.

Neolitsea sericea flowering away in the autumn in the greenhouse as a young plant. This is an evergreen autumn flowering tree which I need to inspect here in maturity. I did not realise it was an October flowerer. No scent here today.

Lespedeza thunbergii flowering away just as the rather similar Indigofera species are finishing. Quite a show today as it would be in an outside border to finish the season off. A shrub worthy of greater recognition.

2017 – CHW A day making 30 short one to two minute video clips for the Burncoose website. Mainly for the topical tips section but also for individual ‘plant care’ articles. This week was the sixth and last day of filming at Caerhays and Burncoose over the course of the year. About 60 clips are now live on YouTube and also embedded in the website while 70 more still have to be edited before going live. Shayne House, the cameraman and editor of these films, thought we would only do six to eight per day. We have probably achieved four times that with lots of different people featuring in individual shoots. We have four categories or sections of topical tips on the site (amateur, woodland garden, herbaceous and greenhouse) for each month and four to eight tips in each section. Now we have short voice over films to accompany the tips and photographs which are already there. Progress we hope. It will be interesting to see the numbers who view the films and then buy something!

Along the way I find a lovely Hoya carnosa with its flowers dripping in nectar in the greenhouse. A good addition to the existing care article for hoyas as we stop to film it and its last year’s cuttings which are growing on well.

A large cyclamen corm seems to have been rescued by Asia and potted up in the greenhouse. It is flowering away well and soon the seeds will emerge on contorted ‘springs’ which is the cyclamen way of spreading its offspring.

A new plant for us – Lardizabala biternata (Lardizabala funaria) in a nice batch in the greenhouse which Asia has propagated from cuttings. I have never seen it in flower but two or three are now planted out here on walls. This is a vigorous climbing plant with edible sausage shaped fruit. I cannot remember how we ‘got’ a stockplant but Asia will know! Looks a bit tender but that is not mentioned in Hillier’s. A flower next year we must hope and perhaps a new climber to offer on the Burncoose website. Rather serrated leaves!