Camellia x williamsii ‘Freedom Belle’ in a vase.

Magnolia ‘Leonora’ just opening – what a colour!

The 32 varieties of x williamsii camellias set up for the lecture in a church hall. 45 attendees in person and apparently nearly 100 online. Karol sold 20 camellias at the back of the hall. Got home in exactly 4 hours.

2025 – CHW
Gorgeous scent today in the sun on Magnolia sprengeri ‘Dusty Pink’.

Magnolia campbellii var. mollicomata ‘Werrington’ (a gifted plant from one of the original ‘Lanarth’ wild collected seedlings) now nicely out.

Magnolia campbellii (ACUG 5330) was planted in 2010. Small flowers but quite a good show today.

Lizzie and the new dog; ‘Drummer’ with the Magnolia campbellii.

Prunus ‘Kursar’ just out in Kennel Close. Full out by Green Gate.

Rhododendron ririei nicely out as one would expect now.

Rhododendron grande just showing on Hovel Cart Road.

The original Magnolia campbellii now has hundreds of flowers open after the gales and ‘Spring has Sprung’ at Caerhays.

Magnolia campbellii ‘Valentine’s Torch’- yellowish buds and quite a show today.

Magnolia campbellii x campbellii var. mollicomata ‘Raffillii Group’ planted in 1978 is starting to make a show today.

Another Magnolia ‘Valentine’s Torch’.

Rhododendron ‘Bo Peep’ – pink and yellow forms full out on the drive.

2024 – CHW
One cannot really let the RHS get away with this article about out 1902 large scale Gunnera beds in Old Park. They have demonstrably not spread or invaded anything in 122 years and yet Gunnera manicata x Gunnera tinctoria hybrids are now deemed to be invasive and now banned from sale by nurseries.

How do we know that these original plants are (apparently) now a hybrid and not Gunnera manicata? In 2015 the RHS asked us to send them samples for testing. Nine years on we see the end result. We will not be bothering with the time or expense of future RHS investigations of this sort.

Over the last 40 years Burncoose Nurseries must have sold thousands of these plants all over the country. Graciously the RHS and Defra say we need not destroy our existing plants but cannot sell them anymore.

Gunnera x cryptica, as we must now call the 150 year old import, originally from Brazil, which we knew as G. manicata is, by the RHS’s own admission, NOT invasive.
The reason for the ban apparently is the interpretation of old European legislation.

Bans on all sorts of things often reflect the arrival of wokedom in organisations which see themselves as being on a self-satisfying crusade which they must impose on us all for our own good.

Jaimie’s new Magnolia ‘Atlas’ x ‘Lanarth’ starts to come out at the bottom of the bank in Old Park.

Just a hint of colour on the original Magnolia campbellii var. alba in Old Park.

One flower on a young Magnolia sprengeri ‘Marwood Spring’ above the Gunnera beds.

Views across the magnolia bank at Old Park.

A decent young Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ below White Styles.

Obvious close up hail damage on a Magnolia campbellii seedling but still fine from a distance.

Cock pheasants fighting it out on the lawn and oblivious to visitors. The hens are keeping well out of the way amid the frequent hail storms.

2023 – CHW
The magnolia outside the front arch now splendid!

Camellia ‘Scentuous’(japonica ‘Tiffany’ x lutchuensis raised in New Zealand) by George’s Hut.

Camellia ‘High Fragrance’ certainly is although only showing at the very top of the bush as yet.

More Camellia lutchuensis with flowers showing up better.

Camellia ‘Fairy Blush’ incredibly scented and absolutely perfect today.

An odd red rhododendron flowering out of season on just one branch.

The New Zealand form of Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ just showing at Donkey Shoe.

One of the seedlings from the same seed pan as M. ‘Caerhays Splendour’ (I think?) starting to be pretty good above the Old Kennels.

Clear evidence of squirrels biting off magnolia buds on the top path in Old Park.

And here they have chewed a large rhododendron bud.

Like everything else the catkins on the hazels are later this year.

2022 – CHW

My aunt Leo’s 80th birthday party today at The Vean with a garden tour for all the Clarke family.

The debate has raged since the 1960s as to whether Camellia x williamsii ‘Delia Williams’ is the same thing as Camellia x williamsii ‘Citation’. Delia was exhibited at an RHS show in 1963 by Trewithen where it won an award. It was named by Trewithen but it was later deemed that the two were the same and that the correct name was ‘Citation’.

The question arose again recently and here are the pictures which Jaimie has taken. Although ‘Citation’ has very variable flowers (as we have seen in this diary recently) it does not take a genius to see here that the two plants have very different flowers and that they are NOT the same.

Magnolia ‘Philip Tregunna’ and Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta.

Magnolia ‘Philip Tregunna’ at its absolute best.

Magnolia ‘F J Williams’ and Magnolia campbellii var. mollicomata.

Magnolia ‘Shirazz’ just coming out. In other years this has been one of the earliest.

2021 – CHW
At last a still and sunny day!One of the new tanks to be installed in the nursery to capture roof water.

The new multi span tunnel is now covered but the base still needs final levelling and covering with myopex.

Euphorbia x martinii already in full flower.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Mary Phoebe Taylor’ in the nursery car park in full flow.

Prunus cerasifera ‘Nigra’ early into flower in the nursery which one seldom notices or appreciates.

Then a 40 minute trip to Roche for the Pfeizer vaccination. Ten car park attendants, as many nurses and about a dozen doctors doing one dose every five minutes or perhaps 1,200 per (eight hour) day. Very efficient and very expensive. I still wonder why our local surgery could not have done it just as well?
Magnolias through the archway just starting in the evening light.

The Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ seedling outside the front gate.

Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’ is quite similar to ‘Nigra’ in flower but this one has purple foliage rather than the near black of ‘Nigra’. This is a very elderly plant growing near The Hovel on the drive. As good a show in nearly full shade as I have seen.

A good young Rhododendron grande seedling full out now on Hovel Cart Road.

I said the other day that these two camellias are rather similar:This is ‘Dr Burnside’ which has been out for a month.

And this is ‘Miss Charleston’ which is only just now starting to perform. Both equally good value.

A superb Rhododendron ririei which is performing well for the first time.

First flower on Magnolia ‘Bishop Peter’ (a ‘Lanarth’ seedling cross) which is not a good/proper colour. Early days for the rest I hope.

New Zealand Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ a superb colour this year but flowering mainly only at the very top of the tree.

A pink flowered sport on Camellia x williamsii ‘Jovey Carlyon’ which has occurred before. The rest of this large bush has white flowers.

A low down branch on the Magnolia campbellii above Crinodendron Hedge.

Rhododendron ‘Ostara’ suddenly out. I had expected it 10 days or more ago.

The original Magnolia campbellii with a low down branch full out and the late sun catching the topmost branches 100ft up.

Rhododendron sutchuenense suddenly full out too and quite excellent.

Prunus ‘Okame’ by the Green Gate. What splendid things these February flowering cherries are. There is a beauty by Tresillian Bridge but one does not see them nearly often enough! Frost proof too.