2022 – CHW

We have rightly been given some stick for selling Magnolia (Michelia) compressa which turned out not to be a Michelia at all but eventually one of our plants produced clusters of small rounded white flowers. The plants were bought in good faith from Holland at least 10 years ago and looked very nice plants. John Marston referred to our cockup in one of his recent regular videos about his garden at Gorwell but was naturally far too polite to lay the blame at Burncoose’s door.

Here are pictures of the true Magnolia (Michelia) compressa which has yet to flower with us but, where I have seen it in flower (Gorwell video and Tregrehan), it is a pretty dull thing with tiny flowers and not really a species to grow except in a magnolia collection.

John Marston now thinks that the errant plant is in fact Cleyera japonica and I entirely agree. Here are pictures of our two Cleyera fortunei (labelled M. compressa). One has been frosted.

Then to Burncoose for a very rare private day talking to my brother about the future and the Copper House development project. Dog walking and a television engineer failed to interrupt us.

Toona sinensi ‘Flamingo’ in the show tunnel was superb but its leaves will have turned green by Chelsea time in a month.

Malus ‘Red Sentinel’ in full flower and as good as I have seen it in flower.

I have never seen as much flower on Phillyrea angustifolia as on the 75 or so large plants which are due to go to a zoo shortly. Why eat something like this? What animal eats this?

Geum ‘Scarlet Tempest’ looking great.

Euphorbia epithymoides ‘Bonfire’ is new to our catalogue.

Epimedium x peralchium ‘Frohnleiten’ is another new addition but not that special?

The new growth on Tilia henryana is exquisite for a few days as we have seen over the years.

Centaurea montana ‘Purple Heart’ out well before expected in this early year.

Teucrium lucidrys ‘Lucky Gold’ just coming into proper golden growth. Another new plant on the website with prospects but it will not flower for quite some time.

In the Burncoose conservatory a perfectly in flower Geranium maderense. I assume that the sun has bleached the pink-purple flowers white or is this G. palmatum? Either way pure white flowers do not fit the bill!

Then on into the Burncoose garden for some spectacular sights.

Rhododendron ‘Countess of Haddington’ and Magnolia x loebneri ‘Wildcat’ opposite the conservatory.

The white form of Staphylea holocarpa was just coming out. Caerhays does not have this.

Rhododendron ‘Countess of Haddington’ and Rhododendron ‘High Sheriff’ – stunning!

Rhododendron ‘Tinner’s Blush’ and Azalea ‘Amoena’.

Camellia ‘Anticipation’ and Rhododendron davidsonianum by the lodge.

2021 – CHW
A visit to Tregrehan yesterday. Alice Boyd, Richard & Mary Carew-Pole and Andrew & Vanessa Leslie. We all enjoyed a garden together for the first time in a year. A three-hour ramble amongst the usual array of new plants.Photinia serrata ‘Pink Crispy’ is not to everyone’s taste (this in St Austell Garden Centre).

Rehderodendron kwangtungense full out against a blue sky.

A new and unnamed species of Cephalotaxus. [Perhaps Torreya jackii – thanks Wolfgang Keidel for pointing this out]

Rhododendron hanceanum; a very different and far less compact growing form than ours.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Fair Jury’ – the near white form of ‘Elsie Jury’.

Rhododendron genestrianum

Camellia ‘Hooker’ was bred by Gillian Carlyon. It is almost a Higo camellia in the shape of its stamens.

Lonicera korokowii

This looks like a holly, but it is in fact Griselinia jodonifolia.

Cryptocarya alba

Another unknown Podocarpus species. Podocarpus milanjianus.

Podocarpus spinulosus

Primnopitys ferrugineus. One of the only two species of Primnopitys from New Zealand. Formerly called Podocarpus. Tom’s Primnopitys andinus is just like ours – virtually leafless with trailing stems.

Pseudopanax ‘Chainsaw’

Nestegis cunninghamii

Pittosporum colensoi

Clethra faberi

Viburnum erubescens (perhaps now called Viburnum chingii).

Rhododendron seingkhuense (in the Rhododendron edgeworthia group).

An old plant with a label saying, ‘Hodges Pink Argenteum’. Mr Hodge visited JCW in 1924. Perhaps a niveum x argenteum cross?

Jasminum duclouxii in the greenhouse.

Grevillea ‘Fireworks’

Rhododendron nuttallii x Rhododendron edgeworthii quite superb in the greenhouse.

Bartlettiana sordida

Tom’s tamarillo with tomato like fruit.

Magnolia ‘Hot Flash’ in the walled garden.

The very dark red Camellia ‘Night Rider’ which also grows at Burncoose. Here a huge bush near the house.

2020 – CHW
How much longer can the BBC keep the death panic going?Clearly they are itching to get the death statistics ever upward from corona from the latest interpretation of care home deaths being yet another government disgrace. Only 17% of the increased death totals of care home residents as compared to a ‘normal’ year are listed as being corona related. The BBC and the new labour front bench absolutely love this.However:1. Hospitals are refusing to admit patients from care homes2. Doctors and nurses are refusing to visit care homes in person to treat ‘those presenting symptoms’3. It would seem that death certificates are not always being completed by doctors4. All of this is of course because of the unavailability of PPE5. Can private healthcare homes actually afford the repriced PPE?Or does it really show the incompetence of National Health England and of the medical profession managers? Are the additional care home deaths actually the result of poor care, lack of staff in the care homes themselves, doctors ‘forcing’ residents to sign DN Resuscitate forms and not actually corona? I say, again, that secondary consequences of lockdown may be worse than corona itself and here is more evidence.Meanwhile it is now a fact that UK manufacturers of PPE are shipping and selling it in Europe having first offered it to the NHS but been ignored. Is this really the fault of the government or is our ‘blessed’ NHS actually run by complete bureaucratic incompetents? Wonderful nurses in intensive care but the rest of the NHS management is actually responsible for not coping itself with its own supply lines. When will someone dare to say this publicly as the PPE outrage grows, and the NHS passes the buck to Hancock.I suspect, in due course, Hancock will be forced to fall on his sword and resign but how many NHS bigwigs will he take with him? None presumably!Larix kaempferi, Japanese larch, just coming into leaf. As attractive now as is its striking autumn colour.

Berberis x ottawensis ‘Superba’ in full flower and 8ft tall with a similar spread.

A paleish but very striking form of Rhododendron augustinii.

Jaimie has been doing a bit of rhododendron layering as you can see from these pictures.

Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth’ full out now.

Michelia martinii has dropped its old leaves as the new growth comes. I have looked at it several times for flowers but I can now see that I missed them!

This is Magnolia ‘Golden Goblet’ which will not be winning any prizes! Not one of the yellows that has made the grade.

Still a few decent flowers on the now nearly leafless Michelia doltsopa.

Michelia x foggii ‘Jack Fogg’ has opened a bit more.

Rhododendron macabeanum is only just starting to drop its flowers. A good long show in a hot period of weather.

Michelia foveolata now decently out – strong scent.

I tried cutting through one of Asia’s three aerial layers on Rhododendron moulmainense from two years ago. Just a very few aerial roots had come from the twig into the (still wet) moss ball. In another season we may have success. Our Irish friends told us that aerial layers took only a few months. Irish optimism! Our experience so far has been poor but we need to persevere and do more as well as being more patient for results.

Michelia ‘Mixed up Miss’ is leafless at the top of the tree but a great sight and smell today.

A young Magnolia ‘Honey Liz’ with its first flower – two others frosted in bud.

Quercus fleuryi struggles on – too tender I fear.

Michelia ‘Touch of Pink’ is a mass of flower and scent.

Rhododendron ‘Damaris’ was Dad’s pride and joy but it died at least 30 years ago. Here are the replacements looking good but now elderly too. One of this group of four died last year.

Azalea ‘Melina’ wonderful in a group. Well worth propagating.

2019 – CHW
I think those fuchsias beside the house have flowered all autumn and all winter. Now they are off again. Just shows what an ultra-mild winter means.

I have been watching Rhododendron desquamatum for several days. The wind has speeded its opening and what a sight it is if you like mauve-purple in profusion. One I must remind Asia to propagate as this is a short lived species due to over flowering as you can see.

First flowers out on Rhododendron moorei which is another that I know we have had to replace twice in 60 years. Fortunately three replacements went in last year as this clump looks pretty ‘over mature’.

Pittosporum eugenoides ‘Variegatum’ gave itself away from afar with its strong scent. The flowers go nicely with the foliage.

Rhododendron ‘Wine and Roses’ making a nice clump. The leaf undersides are a bonus.

Another couple of Dad’s hybrids – Rhododendron decorum ‘High Sheriff’ x Rhododendron williamsianum and ‘Tinners Blush’ (paler) which we need to propagate for the Tin Garden plantings next spring. Both were launched at Chelsea 20+ years ago but they will be well over by 19th May this year.

Podocarpus macrophyllus ‘Aureus’ has become a stunted spreading shrub after some 35 to 40 years. It is the new growth which turns yellowish but there is still a tinge here in last year’s.

Camellia reticulata ‘Den Burton’ with its first enormous flower by Red Linney. A new one to us from France.

The rare white form of Rhododendron racemosum (near Tin Garden) which needs propagating by Asia later in the summer.

A particularly good form of Rhododendron ‘Sir Charles Lemon’ (arboreum). Better than 2 or 3 others in the garden.

Rhododendron ‘Lady Montagu’ (Exbury Group) nicely in flower and developing into a big bush which may reach 20-30 feet.

Daphniphyllum macropodum var. humile nicely in flower with contrasting yellowish new growth.

First flowering of Rhododendron tanastylum (an Alan Clarke collection). Another one on the ‘rarely in cultivation or of doubtful provenance’ list. I doubt Alan would agree!
The first grass cut in Kennel Close is now complete and the spraying around individual
trees has also been done. Very early perhaps but it has taken Tim 3 days with the
machine now whereas it would have taken double the time by late June or early July. It
looks much better for visitors too. Hopefully a warm windless week to follow to get on
top of more of the spraying although the Rosemoor Show will interrupt proceedings
leading up to next weekend.

2018 – CHW
Another trip to Old Park to view new young magnolias flowering for the first time.

Magnolia ‘Gold Cup’ was admired at Mount Congreve. Ours has faded a bit now full out but still not bad. We have another somewhere I think but cannot remember.

First flower on Magnolia ‘Livingstone’ is a bit battered but a fine colour. A New Zealand hybrid I assume. A bit like ‘Serene’? Never seen before here. Worth buying from New Zealand for the next catalogue.

An unnamed present from Tony Kirkham at Kew in 2014. Must ask him what it is? Probably not a viburnum but not a crataegus either. Perhaps a photinia?

Magnolia ‘Theodora’ is one of Vance Hooper’s introductions I suspect. We have another on the drive. A nicely shaped flower but going over a bit here with the new leaves appearing. You can see the Magnolia soulangeana shape in the parentage as with Magnolia ‘Genie’.

A wild collected form of Rhododendron rubiginosum from Alan Clarke’s collection. Very pale to the norm but pleasant none the less. I would not have guessed what it was without the label and collection number.

A young Rhododendron thompsonii flowering for the first time. One survivor from three planted. This species is always difficult with us and our high rainfall.

Frankie has scraped off and levelled the bottom track with his swing shovel which is excellent. Good thinking by Jaimie as Frankie moves down the valley to start clearing dykes.

Attractive early new growth on the three Aesculus wilsonii (40 to 50 years old) at the entrance to Old Park. It is too high up on the 1903 Wilson introduction to see properly.

So nothing startling but Magnolia ‘Livingstone’ well worth its rather good place high up on the bank above the old kennels. Is it better than the Magnolia campbellii ‘Peter Borlaise’ seen yesterday? Too early to say.

2017 – CHW Rhododendron ‘Ginny Gee’ in The Rockery is nearly over in the shade. Light pink when it opens, fading quickly. The other plant in full sun is long over.

Rhododendron ‘Wee Bee’ is smaller growing and less plastered in flower than its neighbour.

These Rhododendron russatum are the last survivors of a once large old clump. Interesting colour variation. The podocarpus needs cutting back from the paler plant.

This is the deciduous Rhododendron reticulatum. A very old plant in full shade in The Rockery and performing well today. This is a reddish-purple form without the dark purple spots or blotches which you see in some others which can also be purple or rose-purple. One for Asia to propagate. Today it looks one of the nicest of the deciduous species. Schlippenbachii is over as it quinquefolium and albrechtii. Only weyrichii is still to come out.

Rhododendron neriiflorum died out on the drive and this is one slow growing replacement. More dwarf than I remember and less floriferous.

Now we come to a problem. This is labelled Magnolia ‘Daybreak’ but I think it may well be ‘Peachy’ based on younger flowering plants in the garden. Certainly we have two different plants but which is which? This certainly looks more ‘peachy’ than the big tree below Tin Garden which looks, to me anyway, more like a much paler ‘daybreak’. What does everyone else think?

Rhododendron oldhamii is a sparse flowerer but the new growth shoots are attractive in themselves. Very ‘furry’ leaves too.

The Euphorbia mellifera outside the library window is now massive and in full flower all over. Soon for the chop I expect.

Another picture of Isla Rose!