Two very contrasting gardens which were both worth more than a full day’s attention. Clandeboye, despite the recent death of its last resident owner, still planting. Their mulching of young trees in poorer and water logged soils was exemplary. Deer damage a major problem. The Pinetum developing nicely and the shrub border absolutely superb.

Rowallane rhododendrons approaching that level of maturity where one had to contemplate what can back to regenerate. Cherries reaching the end of their natural lives. Restoration of the rockery area extremely well done and the walled garden beautifully maintained. In the great Phytophthora ramorum scare the NT decide to remove all the laurel shelter belts around the garden. Quite why no one seems to be able to remember. In Cornwall garden owners were paid to remove ponticum and replace with large laurels. The end result at Rowallane is another wind threat to the collections and the trees in the shelter belts. This is a unique collection of Chinese rhododendron species and not nearly enough is being done to propagate, layer and replace the more ancient plants. With so many rocky outcrops new planting areas are not easy but NT budgets never seem to get as far as new plants. If this does not change this will not be the garden it is today in 20 or so years’ time which would be a serious loss to horticulture.

We had hoped to see Clematoclethra at Rowallane but it could not be located. (Subsequently found to have died in 2017). We also missed out on other record Rowallane trees this time around – Podocarpus spinulosus, Tetradium glabrifolium and Malus trilobata. Labelling at Rowallane very much better than at most NT gardens but still plenty to do especially the Pinetum area.

2023 – CHW

Malus ‘Rudolph’.

Malus ‘Candymint’.

Malus transitoria.

Malus and daffodils in the Old Kitchen Garden. Made a video today with Karol of the first year flowering.

A huge laurel branch collapsed over the path below Donkey Shoe and had to be cut up.

Thankfully no damage to the Rhododendron ‘Michael’s Pride’ opposite.

Rhododendron luteiflorum nearly out.

Not that much flower on Rhododendron burmanicum this year.

2021 – CHW
Still a howling (warm) easterly wind.

A carpet of mainly large white flowered wild violets above Crinodendron Hedge in and above the new planting where the soil was exposed after our tree felling. As we saw they are predominantly purple and smaller flowered on Sinogrande Walk.

Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Woodsman’ x Magnolia ‘Pink Surprise’ which is now called ‘LADY WOODSMAN’ or so I read in the Eisenhut book.

Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Woodsman’ x Magnolia ‘Patriot’ with its extraordinary blue flowers.

Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Black Beauty’ at its very best.

Michelia ‘Fairy Lime’ with pink tips to its petals.

Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Garnettii’ with a lovely contrast between variegated leaf and purple-black flowers.

Another superb Rhododendron niveum full out above Orchid House Nursery.

Acer palmatum ‘Orange Dream’ just in leaf with Rhododendron niveum.

One of Dad’s hybrids (unnamed) Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth’ x Rhododendron ‘Charles Michael’. This one (in a group of three) very nearly ‘Charles Michael’ which had died out on us but still hangs in there at Burncoose.

Then a real find hidden away above Crinodendron Hedge. Two Chaenomeles of which I had only ever seen one in flower. Both very old indeed. This one a tall multi stemmed shrub with single white flowers tinged pink. You can see the quinces beginning to form where the flowers have now largely finished. Nasty prickles! This is more or less certainly the true species – Chaenomeles cathayensis.

The second one is a small spreading shrub with single orange flowers. Very probably the true species; Chaenomeles japonica or Cydonia japonica.

I watched a Plant Heritage webinar on the National Collection of Chaenomeles earlier last week. The collection holder, David Ford, has 109 varieties in Surrey and all are grown in pots in his garden.

Japanese quinces may be Pyrus, or they may be Cydonia. No one is really sure of their origins. Chaenomeles are recorded as being on sale in a Bristol nursery in 1870 but were introduced to the UK 100 years earlier by Joseph Banks. Of the four species only forms of C. superba and C. x speciosa varieties are generally available to gardeners today as these have the largest and most saleable flowers.

The original Caerhays collection which still exists today is therefore:

C. speciosa ‘Umbilicata’ – Slip Rail (deep salmon-pink and very early into flower with last year’s quinces still on the tree)

C. japonica – Crinodendron Hedge

C. cathayensis – Crinodendron Hedge (biggest fruits and biggest thorns)

Perhaps over 100 years old and certainly nearly centenarians.

The best modern or new varieties of flowering and fruiting Chaenomeles seen in the lecture were as listed below. Well worth obtaining for the next Burncoose catalogue if we can. In the USA there are 450 varieties of Chaenomeles in cultivation apparently.

C. speciosa ‘Mango Storm’ – has second flowering and rounded yellow fruits

C. speciosa ‘Madame Butterfly’ – pink/bicolour

C. speciosa ‘Salmon Horizon’

C. speciosa ‘Orange Storm’

C. x superba ‘Apple Blossom’ – pink and white – variegated

C. x superba ‘Issari White’ – tiny flowers in profusion

C. x superba ‘Pink Trail’ – white flowers age to pink

2020 – CHW
While President Trump attempts to pretend he was being ‘frivolous’ when he appeared to be telling people to drink bleach, or inject themselves, or at least ‘try it out’, we are now getting to the real crunch. Business leaders reckon we have all been ‘on holiday’ for quite long enough to fuck up the economy and force us to pay back what the government has so efficiently paid us as businesses, employees, and the self-employed. Not much thanks for that of course and still plenty of aggrieved bleaters who have fallen through the net (Branson of all people!) which of course they have and will.

With Boris back I would hope (and have expected for some while) that we will be, at least business wise, be released from the worst of lockdown by the end of next week. Not the moment for a piss-up to celebrate but common sense, and work, and reality has to get going again before we fall into a state supported socialist slumber of entitlement, idleness, and inactivity as being the normal way of life. The more I hear ‘wittering’ in the media about mental stress, strain, and entitlement the more I fear for reality and our democracy.

It has been a ‘war’ and, so far at least, the vast majority have survived (including the NHS). There will be more casualties in the ‘war’ but, unless we start to ‘get on with it’, there will not be anything which we would have previously recognised to get on with! As it is ‘staying-in’ has probably caused more hardship, illness, and long term medical damage to people and the economy than corona.

Hindsight and historians will find all this to have been bonkers! Only the British public would have obeyed so readily. Just look at German and US protestors. China knows how to deal with them!

The new great ‘Satan’ from whom 75% of the plants which we enjoy today actually came?

A still overcast day where the scents of rhododendrons were quite overpowering. The rhododendrons are at their absolute best now. However it is a very early year and we do, now, desperately need real rain. It seems COVID-19 has kept the wet weather flows away. Perhaps the jet streams over the Atlantic have less pollution driving them. The breeze has been in the east for the last four weeks.

2016 – CHW
Mother always raved about a daffodil called ‘Green Howard’ which used to grow by the front gate. A poor spot and it only flowered occasionally. The flowers eventually had light pink centres despite its name. From Trewithn I seem to remember. It was a bit like this lot in a clay pot in the yard with smaller pink trumpets.

The huge Magnolia x veitchii ‘Isca’ (white) by the sales point is only now coming out while the pink M x veitchii ‘Peter Veitch’ (pink/white) is nearly over further up the garden. Odd.

Prunus ‘Beni-Yutaka’ is the best cherry for flower below the tower. These cherries came from Thornhayes nursery who have a very odd trade discount system and do not like Burncoose much.

Magnolia ‘Limelight’ with its broad spreading habit is just coming out. Really green in bud, opening pale yellow and quickly fading to cream.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Gold Rush’ is exquisite as it comes into leaf. What a delicate leaf formation.

Rhododendron ‘Emma Williams’ is a good pink colour this year. Sometimes it can be more white/pale.

The unnamed white magnolia on Bond Street is still quite a show a fortnight or so on from first viewing. Possibly as good a show today as anywhere in the garden.

Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Vesta’ is sadly full out already above Red Linney. No chance of this lasting for Chelsea this year.

Magnolia ‘Pink Kobus’ is not really a pink form of M kobus. It only really has a hint of pink in bud and you have to strain your eyes to see the pink in the tepals after that.

Acer palmatum ‘Orange Dream’ is quite special outside the front gate and well worth its place and name.

This Zantedeschia aethiopica has featured in the diary this year several times already. Now it really is full out and still it is only April. Could we cut from here for Chelsea?

I rather like the cultivated pink bluebells which I first planted here under my fuchsia collection 45 or so years ago!

2015 – CHW
A brief wander into the Upper and Lower Rockeries shows successes and failures:Only one small clump of Rhododendron russatum survives from what was a double tiered clump 30 years ago.  We have tried three times elsewhere to re-establish a clump but without success.  Seems to like poor soil and dry conditions.