26th June 1897 – 2020 | The Garden Diary

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2020 – CHW
Boris says lockdown ends on 4th July so Serena can, finally, get married on 14th July! Stewartia sinensis on Burns Bank has very few flowers this year in common with the other species and all Styrax.

This is Acer aperantha (Wilson 136) from Windsor in 2011. It has just leafed up (badly) after the rain. I had already written it off.

Stunning and huge new growth on Schefflera delavayi.

Manglietia insignis full out but fewer flowers than last year. This was a very early acquisition from Crûg Farm which they admit was wrongly labelled as a Michelia. A decent tree today and very fine in flower.

Rhododendron ‘Pink Polar Bear’ now full out and the best thing in the garden today.

Magnolia tamaulipana will be out any day.

Neolitsea aciculata from Maypeng in Taiwan which was only planted in the spring. Good new growth. The surviving older leaves from last year were larger.

The old Stewartia pseudocamellia with few flowers too.

The record evergreen Quercus lamellosa had looked sick two months ago but has put on new leaves and growth and now looks fine after the rain.

Still odd late flowers on Magnolia sieboldii as is normal.

Styrax americanus (Kenkakee Form) is now full out and excellent.

As we enter another heatwave at least we have had decent rain over the last 10 days and everything is looking so much better. First pheasant poults to cover last Friday and a big batch today. Grass cutting complete on the drive and in Forty Acres, Giddle Orchard. We are well ahead with this in lockdown.

2019 – CHW
Magnolia sapaensis has its first flower ever out two days after I first saw the buds. The other two buds are a way behind. The three outer tepals are pink on the outside and become quickly recurved. The centre is white with a delicious scent. Unlike other species this has taken no time at all to produce flowers. Very attractive they are too on a small plant.

Good new young growth on a young Quercus uvarifolius.

Cornus walteri (formerly Cornus wilsonii) plastered in flowers across this huge bush which has layered itself several times into the drive bank as it has spread.

2018 – CHW
Hot as hell and a very dry week. Drought conditions soon.Cotoneaster ‘Rothschildianus’ is very similar to Cotoneaster ‘Exburyensis’ except in the fruit colour. Here the former is flowering well in full sun. Sometimes referred to as Cotoneaster x walteri ‘Rothschildianus’ but Hillier’s now list it just as ‘Rothschildianus’.

Tilia tomentosa ‘Brabant’ has whitish new growth fading to lime green and, today, gives an interesting colour variation in foliage from a distance. This is already a big tree 10 years from planting.

Fagus sylvatica ‘Bicolor Sartinii’ has grown slowly but its leaves are an odd shape for a beech and the colour variegation is certainly unusual.

Cotoneaster salicifolius ‘Pink Champagne’ is in full flower too. We have been trying to grow the berries of this fairly rare hybrid along with others who we have given it to. It is no longer offered for sale in the horticultural trade as far as I know. Nothing pink about the flowers though.

Stewartia sinensis is still not out except for a few flowers at the very top of the tree. Stewartia pseudocamellia is long over, Stewartia rostrata going over and Stewartia pteropetiolata just reaching its best.

2017 – CHW
My father always said that this ancient clump of deepest blue hydrangeas was the only clump of true blues in the garden. In shade and in the best acidic soil he said. Today we would say that Hydrangea ‘Taube’ or Hydrangea ‘Enziandom’ were the best blues. It has not got the black stems of Hydrangea ‘Nigra’ so I suppose the best guess at a name might be Hydrangea ‘Benelux’. However, even then, the shape of the florets is different.

Jamesia americana is about full out below Tin Garden. This rare small shrub, known as the ‘cliff bush’, was first introduced to the UK in 1862. Not a showstopper but unusual.

Styrax japonicus ‘Snow Cone’ is now full out and living up to its name. The flowers are all concentrated at the end of the branches in clusters in a rather different format to other clones of japonicus. Very much later into flower too and well worth growing.

Magnolia globosa is now full out with rather more flowers than I had expected.

The second Rhododendron auriculatum is now out but the third in this group is still some way off. The first plant does not have the greenish blotch in the funnel of the flower which this one does.

Styrax faberi is finally full out. The petals on individual flowers are recurved when full out. Not much scent today and few bees working the tree. The flowers tend to be hidden within the tree but are quite a sight none the less. Only Styrax serrulatus has still to flower this season but S. faberi is the second last species to perform and the third largest leaves of any species here today after Styrax serrulatus and Styrax odoratissimus.

2016 – CHW
I take Alice on a long garden tour in the car – plenty of questions!The lamb is delicious. Kevin’s venison less so!

2015 – CHWThe drooping new growth on Tilia henryana is most attractive when viewed from above. This rare autumn flowering tree has distinct leaves but I had not admired the form of the new growth before.

Right beside it and absolutely stunning in the sunlight is the fully fledged Liriodendron tulipifera ‘Aureomarginata’. My father detested variegated plants but I cannot see anyone disliking this. Note the reversion to green leaves on one branch as so often happens in genetic variations of this sort. One should cut this out really but it is far too far from the ground.