27th June 1897 – 2020 | The Garden Diary

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2020 – CHW
A trip up the drive now that it is cut.Very few flowers this year on the semi evergreen Cotoneaster glabratus which was so plastered in berries right through the last winter. You can see some shrivelled up here still.

A nice mature clump of Rhododendron decorum nearly over above the drive and a dead cherry – another drought casualty.

Betula insignis subsp. fansipanensis is really getting going above the drive (unlike the three in Kennel Close). The name is now Betula kweichowensis subsp. fansipanensis apparently in the new Hillier’s. Lovely dark purple new growth and look at the bark on the stem.

In the shade the few Stewartia rostrata flowers this year are pure white. More pink in the sun.

Flower buds forming on Heptacodium miconoides.

Cornus kousa ‘Gloria Birkett’ putting on a great show of flower as usual. Its strawberry fruits are exceptional too as we have seen. Planted in 2003.

A few secondary flowers still on Magnolia ‘Iolanthe’.

Tucked away in the shade Hydrangea ‘Lanarth’ looks great.

Hydrangea serrata ‘Shichidanka’ is a funny mix of pink and blue flower ‘starburst’ heads but very pretty in its own way. A dwarf shrub planted in 2003.

Azalea ‘Jane Fire’ on the drive by Magnolia ‘Rouged Alabaster’ is about the very last of the deciduous ones to flower and a very good dark red it is. Not listed in Hillier’s. Planted 2009.

The dark orangy-red Azalea indica by the front door had a few early flowers but now this ancient plant set in the gravel is covered.

2019 – CHW
Another youngish Magnolia insignis flowering well amid the foliage camellias. Flowers not as large as on the other one but nicely pink. More buds to open yet.

Escallonia tucumanensis from Argentina makes a good quick growing shrub. Very beautiful. One for Asia to propagate I think as this should be in the Burncoose catalogue. Did not turn a hair in ‘The Beast’ so seems hardy enough.

Clethra fabri (FMW 713037) with two large multiple flower spikes appearing. Dark foliage with purple undersides to the leaves. One to watch.

A newly planted Metapanax davidii with its first decent new growth. Looked a bit sick when we put it in with some dieback.

Likewise a new species to us – Lithocarpus fenestratus with decent new growth (from Nick Macer).

To complete the set of new things: below the Podocarpus clump is Schefflera sp. Nova (NJM 13118). Lengthy new growth and attractive young leaves.

2018 – CHW
A trip to look at some new and more recently planted novelties as the chance of finding new things in flower fades.Quercus buckleyi is a new plant for the 2019 catalogue. Here it is growing away well with a rather distinct young trunk. Planted in 2014. In recent mild winters this tree has been photographed as semi evergreen.

Acer laevigatum with bronzy-red new growth which looks (and probably is) tenderish. Planted this year and apparently semi-evergreen (MWJ 13439 is the Crug collection number).

Acer sikkimense has a trilobed leaf and, again, rather bronzy new growth. Hillier’s says the leaves are ‘entire’ and that it is semi-evergreen. It looks neither (WJC 13574 is the Crug collection number).

Quercus georgii is multi-stemmed even as a small newly planted tree. This came from an Alan Coombes collection and I cannot find it in any reference book under this exact name. It is planted in semi shade which I suspect is not a good idea for a Mexican oak species.

2017 – CHW
I have featured this superb white climbing rose in the diary before. A wild collection (one of three here) by Roy Lancaster but far and away the best of the batch which was enjoyed by my parents for several decades. I will have to ask Roy if he can put a name to it as Philip Tregunna’s ‘little red book’ of plant gifts and annual plantings seems to have omitted it.

The Rhododendron weyrichii (in the shade) in the Rockery is a dark red rather than the orange-red flowered plant I photographed last week. Quite a sight today but not as good as the Rhododendron auriculatum or the Rhododendron fortunei var discolor which I also showed last week.

Trip Advisor slags us off (only one bolshie late season customer for whom a 2For1 deal was not enough) for having ‘nothing to see’. Amusingly other visitors have replied to the ‘slagging off’ for nothing to see / no grass cutting / idle / useless / disgrace etc etc rather differently. Trip Advisor was supposed to protect the public from business frauds and cheats. At one level it also allows one uninformed and belligerent (ie rude to our staff) twat to accuse us of all sorts. Thankfully we get few of these horrible people and our customers are quick to refute online. Running a restaurant where these ‘twats’ complain to get a free meal must be a nightmare! Where is the fraud here?

Hydrangea longipes is almost over unnoticed by me. Not that exciting really in comparison to aspera villosa or sargentiana types which are still some way off flowering.

I had nearly missed the ‘full monty’ flowering of Eucryphia lucida ‘Pink Cloud’ although we did find a flower in December last. It is about to rain so I am playing with the new buttons on the new camera to try to get the pictures better. Total failure I fear.

The seed heads are forming on Symplocus paniculata. These will turn blue in September. I missed the flowers on this Record Tree which is easily done. It is actually a clump!

Last year’s rhododendron planting outside the front gate is taking shape with few/no casualties as yet. Rain tomorrow which will help stabilise the new growth which has doubled the size of most of these taller growing young rhododendrons. So far so good!

Gingko ‘Jade Butterflies’ has benefitted from being out in the open following the clearing and new planting here. Another unusual but very attractive leaf formation which is so different from the gingko cultivar last week.

First flower that I have noticed on Magnolia delavayi below the Lawn. Due for a chop down to battlement level soon. Plenty of buds still to open over the next few months.

2016 – CHW
Brexit sinks in and very few website orders for Burncoose over the weekend. Just time for a few more new plant pictures for 2017:Leucanthemum ‘Goldfinch’

Leucanthemum ‘Banana Cream’ – the name seems to apply more to the buds than the fully open flower unless these two are labelled the wrong way around?

Helenium ‘Ruby Tuesday’ is quite nice in flower.

The new hydrangeas are being picked out to go for sale at Hampton Court show starting next weekend:

Hydrangea ‘Magical Noblesse’ will show more green markings on the flower when out more.

Hydrangea ‘Blueberry Cheesecake’ (daft name) seems to be a form of Hydrangea ‘Ayesha’ and has blue AND pink flowers.

Hydrangea ‘Black Diamonds’ seems to be purple or red with the same name. Quite nice but not that different yet. Not much ‘black’ about it really. Dutch trying to sell on a silly but marketable name again.

Agapanthus ‘Golden Drop’ – in flower at last with pale blue flowers contrasting with the yellow variegation. Nicer than I expected.

Echinacea ‘Firebird’ is a good red.

Lampranthus orange – not obliging us by opening.

Mandevilla laxa is tender but a really wonderful conservatory climber. No obvious scent though.

2015 – CHW
At the Four in Hand a 40 year old Liriodendron tulipifera which has (as they often do) had its leader split out in the wind more than once. You have to stop and look hard to find the flowers but there are several hidden in the leaves. Liriodendron are included within magnoliacae and you can see why when you look closely at the flower. More magnolia than tulip! I saw this in flower by chance last year but how many years it actually took to flower is anyone’s guess. Liriodendron chinense at Burncoose took 25 years.

Viburnum betulifolium is about to come out. Not noted for its flowers but rather its subsequent redcurrant fruits which this has yet to produce. Planted a group of three but only one survivor. I think the other two were stupidly planted on the site of a former large bonfire.