2026 – CHW
A huge rhododendron has hit our best Magnolia rostrata and knocked off a few branches.
The short lived, and nearly dead now, Azaleodendron ‘Hardijzer Beauty’.
Rhododendron griffithianum.
Another beech tree trunk is cut up.
Rhododendron ‘Taurus’.
A decent 2 years on from planting Rhododendron niveum.
Magnolia ‘Fairy Blush’ half over while the one in Old Park is only just showing.
The as yet unnamed Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x M. ‘Goldstar’. More of the former than the latter!
Magnolia ‘Butterbowl’ absolutely excellent today.
2025 – CHW
An early flower out on Embothrium lanceolatum, ‘Norquinco’.
Magnolia x veitchii ‘Isca’ towers behind the castle.
The rare Rhododendron xichangense.
One young Rhododendron williamsianum flowering for the first time in Kennel Close.
Michelia ‘Touch of Pink’ now properly out.
The semi-deciduous Azalea ‘Fedora’ just coming on the drive.
Azalea ‘Shin-sekai’.
Rhododendron schlippenbachii with its light green leaves as a backdrop to the flowers.
Camellia japonica ‘Admiral Spry’ sporting away.
The dwarf Rhododendron canadense puts on a good show.
2024 – CHW
We also forgot to propagate Rhododendron oreotrephes.
We also forgot to propagate Rhododendron oreotrephes.
Rhododendron davidsonianum just starting to show by Donkey Shoe.
Then something rather special. The first ever flowering here, in my time, of the 2019 planted Maddenia wilsonii. Maddenias are unusual in that their flower spikes and individual flowers do not have any petals at all. Therefore they are not very showy but certainly different and interesting. The plant is only flowering on its sunny side and is very different in leaf to Maddenia hypoleuca. It is clear that Maddenias were introduced here from old planting records but had never seen this genus until recently.
Another rarity above the Crinodendron Hedge. Flowers coming on Osteomeles subrotunda. A peculiar little plant!
Lithocarpus dealbatus with its early new growth frosted or wind scorched away. Hopefully it will develop more.
Quercus liebmannii with all its leaves turned brown but the twigs and stems are still alive. We had always been told that this species is borderline hardy. Originally a gift from Thomas Methuen-Campbell.
Beside it Quercus fleurii is also covered in dead leaves. Unlike our other plants this one now has a single stem rather than several stems. Severe die back is already obvious and I am far from sure if this tree will survive.
Meliosma pungens needs higher wire netting to keep the deer off.
Myrsine divaricata with its pale green new leaves.
Jaimie has tidied up the half dead Stachyurus himalaicus. Hopefully it will reshoot.
Merrilliopanax alpinus again with its remarkable new leaves.
Pomaderris elliptica making a great show in the sun.
First flowers on some of the newly planted Viburnums:-
Viburnum phlebotrichum.
Viburnum erosum.
Viburnum sympodiale with its gorgeous purple leaves.
Another plant of Staphylea bumalda (BSWJ 115) which may replace the rather sick one which we have on Burns Bank. I also see a third plant gifted by Tom Hudson nearby.
The late flowering daffodils on Hovel Cart Road which are normally still out in flower on 1st May are sparsely covered this year and the pheasants have eaten most of them.
Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Vesta’ is out well before ‘Venus’ and ‘Victoria’.
2023 – CHW
Rhododendron ‘Countess of Haddington’ just coming out after all the rain. Thankfully undamaged.
Rhododendron ‘Countess of Haddington’ just coming out after all the rain. Thankfully undamaged.
Rhododendron ‘Else Frye’ and Rhododendron impeditum ‘J.C. Williams’.
More pictures of the new to us Magnolia ‘Wim Rutten’. This really is ‘different’ and good.
Magnolia ‘Cleopatra’ x Magnolia ‘J.C. Williams’ has extremely reddish new growth which I have seen in some other magnolias but seldom as pronounced as this.
Magnolia ‘Lemon Star’ just out and excellent as ever.
New leaves and flower on Acer campestre ‘Red Shine’.
Although this is incorrectly labelled Abies bicolor var. alcoquiana it is in fact the pretty rare Picea alcoquiana (syn. Picea bicolor). Most attractive today with male upright catkin-like ‘flowers’ and female juvenile cones. In one picture you can see a mature old cone which is evidently Picea not Abies.
Tilia paucicostata just in leaf. A rare newly introduced species not in Hilliers.
Rhododendron arboreum ‘Sir Charles Lemon’ is seldom quite as floriferous as this as a young plant.
First flowers just out on Rhododendron ‘Fragrantissimum’.
A start is made on clearing the fallen beech tree in the Rookery which fell right along the path and damaged nothing else except 2 pheasants squashed under a pheasant feeder.
2022 – CHW
Full moon tonight which Karol says will lead to ‘odd events’ – I assume he means Ukraine?
The late flowering clump of pheasant eye daffodils is just out (rather earlier than usual) on Hovel Cart Road.
Azalea ‘Hinodegiri’ and Rhododendron bauhiniiflorum on Hovel Cart Road.
First flowers on Azalea ‘Ledifolia Alba’ on the drive.
Azalea amoena and Rhododendron kiyosumense.
Azalea ‘Shin Sekai’ and Rhododendron schlippenbachii.
Rhododendron schlippenbachii and Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’.
Rhododendron schlippenbachii and Rhododendron ‘Emma Williams’.
Cornus ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ with its white bracts at about half-size as yet.
The first deciduous azaleas emerging into flower beyond the Four in Hand. Early by anyone’s standards which bodes badly for Chelsea cut flowers.
Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth’ full out now at the Four in Hand and quite a sight for visitors.
Rhododendron oreodoxa var. fargesii – a few flowers on one of the young plants.
Pittosporum adaphniphylloides with flower buds ready to open up. This plant has grown away particularly quickly.
Young plants of Rhododendron decorum out unusually early. The much older plants nearby often flower in July/August.
Rhododendron decorum and Magnolia ‘Genie’ out together.
2021 – CHW
A blackbirds’ nest in Jaimie’s garden. Without the successful use of Larsen traps the magpies would probably already have had these.
A blackbirds’ nest in Jaimie’s garden. Without the successful use of Larsen traps the magpies would probably already have had these.
I forgot to photograph the 50 or so magnolia flowers cut for today’s yellow magnolia lecture in the garage (eleven booked but only nine turned up). Here are a couple of vases of leftovers.
The large clump of Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Geisha Girl’ by the tower is in full flower today but I wonder if I have it correctly named. The flowers are orange and not peach-apricot as they should be, but I think they will yet fade in colour.
The dwarf Rhododendron russatum in the Rockery.
Magnolia ‘Yellow Lantern’ by the playhouse from a distance.
Syringa pinnatifolia just opening.
Hydrangea lobbii has indeed been killed by the February cold.
Magnolia veitchii ‘Isca’ and Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red’ seen from the lawn.
Still plenty of flowers on Camellia ‘Lady Clare’ a good three months after the first one appeared.
And the same on Camellia ‘Noblissima’ which first showed in November.
One thought on “16th April”
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Your horticultural posts in the diary are fascinating and wonderful to read day by day at the present time. Also historically valuable to set them in the context of the Covid-19 crisis. However, to insult people by using a term such as “Remoaner” shows a disgraceful contempt for your fellow citizens, who, like you have used their brains and looked at the evidence but have come to a different conclusion about the future of our country and indeed have a different opinion about its current leadership.