The rather odd entrance sign to the gardens.

Mahonia trifoliolata from the USA and Mexico which is totally hardy at Cally.

Mahoberberis ‘Cally Rose’ was superb and the best thing in the garden today.

Xanthorhiza simplicissima in full flower as a well grown clump of this peculiar plant.

Paeonia ‘Summer Sunshine’ (P. delavayi x P. suffruticosa) – an unusual colour but not quite out as yet.

A pink/purple flowered Magnolia laevifolia x M. doltsopa from the USA which was growing against a wall – unnamed.

Supposedly Blechnum magellanicum from the Falkland Islands. A new species in reality and not perhaps the true B. magellanicum?

An unknown species of Chusquea collected by Michael Wickendon.

Nearby were excellent upraised beds of Meconopsis.

Ligustrum setidum ‘Variegata’ in full flower growing up a wall. I am unable to verify the name and Kevin was unsure. Perhaps L. sinense ‘Variegatum’?

Viburnum wrightii in bud at about 5 feet in height.

Paeonia daurica subsp. covifolia with unusual colouring on the petals.

The dwarf Salix ‘Boydii’ in flower which I have only occasionally seen before. Scottish origin in the mountains near Angus. Very rare and the catkins (as here) are a rarity according to Hilliers.

The best bit of the garden in a new bed beside the totally dilapidated and shambolic greenhouses. Trillium and Erythronium but not labelled.

Potentilla alba – a rock plant which we saw spreading well in the grassy borders and beds. Not seen before but would be a good addition to the Burncoose catalogue.

Skimmia japonica ‘Kew White’ looking superb at the entrance. In Kevin’s view the best of all the Skimmia varieties in flower.

Frost a severe issue with the new growth on lots of hydrangeas and magnolias badly frosted. Here the new growth all gone on Daphniphyllum macropodum by a wall.

Then to a 5 acre private garden at No. 3 Mill Hall (near Kirkcudbright) owned by Alan Shamash. A plantsman’s paradise alongside an east facing estuary and built on a steep slope with narrow paths down to the water’s edge. An outstanding collection of Rhododendron species from Edinburgh Botanics originally. All created in the last 45 years.

A plant I have been trying to buy since I saw it at Mount Congreve years ago – Telopea oreades. Here in full flower and fully exposed to the wind at the top of the garden.

A huge Polylepis australis with its bark. Ours seem to die long before achieving this sort of size.

Rhododendron proteoides.

A new species of Colletia to us all – Colletia ulicina. Rather smaller growing with pink flowers in season (autumn).

Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Prostrata’ – originally from Burncoose we were told.

Myrceugenia ovata var. nannophylla – a dwarf growing variety totally unlike ours.

Illicium floridanum ‘Halley’s Comet’ – outstanding and also, probably, a Burncoose plant.

The view over the estuary with tall rhododendrons.

Grevillea victoriae which normally flowers in the autumn.

Dasyphyllum diacanthoides – a tall growing evergreen shrub from Chile with daisy flowers the husks of which are evident.

Rhododendron baileyi which died out with us above the Main Quarry.

Philesia magellanica – a huge carpet on a bank but no flowers at this time of the year. Easy enough from cuttings if we had a decent stock plant.

Rhododendron rupicola var. rupicola.

Rhododendron fulvum in full flower.

Drimys andina which has died at Burncoose below the Tennis Court.

Prunus lusitanica var. azorica although the identification is arguable or contested.

Rhododendron daphnoides – totally new to me.

Rhododendron iteophyllum – totally new to me.

Magnolia ‘Kimun-cho’. Most of the other magnolias were from Burncoose.

Daphne calcicola with yellow buds in the teeth of the wind by the water’s edge.

Olearia lacunosa which has died at Caerhays and has not yet flowered here.

The suckering Polyscias fruticosa which none of us had ever seen before. Around 6-8 feet tall and multi-stemmed with reddish new growth.

A 5 star garden in a setting where one would have thought that few of the rhododendrons or other tender plants could possibly survive. A big Burncoose customer over the years who usually speaks to Steve Dance about his orders. We left 6 plants as presents which went down well with Alan who is aged 81.

2025 – CHW
A state visit to Exbury where we spent 6 hours in the garden and in Marie’s House Garden across the road.

Sambucus racemosa ‘Lemony Lace’ – a new Sambucus which Burncoose needs to stock.

Prunus ‘Mount Fuji’ which was incorrectly named. It is actually Prunus ‘Padus Colorata’.

Ulmus glabra ‘Camperdownii’ at its spectacular weeping best.

An unnamed species of Daphniphyllum.

Quercus rugosa.

Squirrel damage on a plastic label. The tree is Ligustrum confusum and not as labelled perhaps?

Exbury’s Pinus montezumae are flourishing. Ours have died at this sort of size.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Dream Boat’ is one we need to add to the collection.

The view over the River Beaulieu from the bottom of the garden.

A fine clump of 3 Glyptostrobus pensilis.

Quercus glabra which does not look like ours?

Rhododendron ‘Jessica de Rothschild’ exceptionally good.

Cupressus lusitanica ‘Glauca Pendula’ most impressive.

Magnolia cavaleriei var. platypetala (formerly M. maudiae var platypetala or M. platypetala) which we renamed correctly.

A Schefflera delavayi with wavy leaf edges and quite unlike our own plants. From Edward Needham’s collection at Tregye.

Rhododendron augustinii corner with a blaze of mauve, blue and purple.

A trip on the 1½ mile model railway adorned with ‘critters’ (here a lizard) which were bought and placed out by Lionel de Rothschild. The railway is the creation of his uncle.

The Rockery which was superb – 2000 tonnes of rocks in the 1930’s and said to be the largest in Europe.

Fagus sylvatica ‘Ansorgei’.

Then back (again) to Marie’s cottage.

Illicium mexicanum in flower.

Marcus and Marie Louise Agiues have started to plant a 20 acre field. Work began in 2022 on poor soil with deer fencing and a watering system. Here Tilia endochrysea.

Three Cryptomeria japonica ‘Golden Promise’ getting going.

New growth on Abies pindrow.

Cercidiphyllum ‘Heron’s Wood’ – an excellent form which we need to obtain.

2024 – CHW
Photos from Clandeboye Lodge Hotel and then to the 54 acres of National Trust Rowallane Garden – click here to view.

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