26th April

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CONTRIBUTORS:

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2019 – CHW

A Burncoose day over, amongst budget meetings and photography we found time to prepare a pre Chelsea video which you can see here.
[for Clare for forwarding to Adrian Agley re dead New Zealand acers)

Telopea ‘Shady Lady White’ now full out in all its glory.

Sorbus wardii in full flower.

Disaster with the 500 or so Acer palmatum varieties which arrived, as usual, from New Zealand last July. Quite a lot died immediately. These are the weedy ones in a pile left for the rep. to view this summer. Now a lot more are starting to leaf up but then collapsing and dying. There is a nasty rotting smell in the tunnel. The magnolias which arrived at the same time are growing on well beside the acers. The acers came from the NZ autumn straight into our summer when, in 30 previous years, they would leaf up then drop their full leaves in Dec/Jan before leafing up again in our Spring. Quite a stressful time for the plants but what arrived were much smaller than usual with roots chopped back too harshly. Hence the failures we believe.

Merrilliopanax alpinus has been dormant over winter. Look at its extraordinary new leaves with dark brown upsides initially.

Berberidopsis beckleri is the second Berberidopsis species but virtually unknown. It clearly wants to become a climber as well and we await the flowers soon I hope.

A young Rubus acuminatus is producing a flower cluster.

2018 – CHW
The rhododendrons in the garden are at their absolute peak. Better than anything we saw last week in Ireland. Enjoy! The ‘May’ flowering well on the cliff edges and the first batch of house martins building their nests. Not a full complement here yet.A Rhododendron williamsianum hybrid called Rhododendron ‘Bow Bells’ AGM is just showing. A dwarf variety with huge flowers.

Rhododendron xichangense is a rare new introduction. Tiny plant but not a bad flower.

Rhododendron ‘Damaris’ is always one of the very best yellows. The plants used to grow by the podocarpus clump. These are 40 years on replacements.

A Rhododendron arboreum variety or hybrid with distinct spotting in the trumpets. One survivor from a large clump planted here 20 years ago.

Enkianthus serrulatus now full out.

Primroses have seeded into the decaying base and trunk of an elderly magnolia.

Rhododendron ‘Duke of Cornwall’ at its finest.

This might be Rhododendron semnoides or it might just be a rather good big leafed seedling. Not as pink at first by any means as our ‘Lord Rudolf’ which is a pink form of Rhododendron sinogrande.

First showing here of Rhododendron ‘Turnstone’ with its split coloured flowers. A rather drab habit but what a performance!

I had feared for Podocarpus elongatus ‘Blue Chip’ in the cold. As you can see a little scorching lower down but otherwise fine which is one of the few wins amongst our most tender plants.

Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Hattie Carthan’ is just coming out.

Our old favourite Rhododendron ‘Blue Tit’ in a good new clump. One of several replacing JCW’s original clump which used to grow on the main ride where Magnolia ‘Star Wars’ now is.

A fine Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth’ with branches weighed down by the weight of its flowers.

This sort of day is really what woodland gardening is all about. Scent and colour everywhere.

2017 – CHW Slight frost last night but nothing serious. Gloves needed in the sun and still no rain at all. A few more rhododendrons to catch up with.

Another berberis on the drive. This one is Berberis hookeri planted in 1999. Had not really noticed it before. Greenish yellow flowers.

Rhododendron rubiginosum in ririei opening. Nothing like as impressive as Rhododendron desquamatum.

Slight frost damage on the record Rhododendron loderi ‘King George’ clump.

Rhododendron wilsonae (now latoucheae) with a few tail end flowers. Different from the one shown at Savill last week.

Caragana arborescens ‘Walker’ just out as a top grafted plant by Georges Hut. 1997 planted and still only 4ft.

Three plants of supposedly Rhododendron ‘Mrs J C Williams’ but no pink blotch? Very unlike the old plant on the main ride.

The new Rhododendron williamsianum clump full out and clearly planted too close together. Should we move some in the autumn?

Rhododendron williamsianum x campylogynum doing well as replacements for the huge clump which once grew opposite here.

Rhododendron ‘Moonstone’ is also making a fine clump.

Magnolia ‘Tranquility’ – nothing much to excite here – tranquil or otherwise!

Yellowish new growth on the Cephalotaxus fortunei we saw so much of in flower six weeks ago. This is a fine conifer indeed.

A young plant of Rhododendron decorum (white form).

Rhododendron ‘Lady Montagu Group’ (Exbury) is quite nice but not a ‘Mrs Butler’ special.

Rhododendron ‘Lems Cameo’ just coming out. Five years from planting.

Rhododendron ‘Cinnabarinum Group’ – replacements for the rust diseased plants of old which do not look too healthy either.

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.

RHODODENDRON russatum 02 — RHODODENDRON russatum

Another ancient plant of Azalea ‘Tebotan’ which looks much more like the plant I remember growing by the original Camellia reticulatas than the one featured last week. In the rhododendron pocket guide this is billed as a species; Rhododendron yedoense which is apparently a garden cultivated azalea that grows wild in Korea. Well worth propagating anyway.

A newish plant of Berberis amurensis ‘Latifolia’ (ex Crug) flowering nicely for the first time.

Magnolia ‘Limelight’ has an extraordinary spreading habit which shows off the flowers properly. A better coloured yellow than ‘Yellow Lantern’?

The five new plants of Magnolia Caerhays Splendour planted in pride of place in the old paeony beds where we dug out various (poor) cherries are coming into leaf. What a sight behind the castle this might be in 30 years’ time!

1997 – FJW
(See entry on March 26, 1997)
First two days of rain since about March 3rd. Least good this year have been the Camellias.

1953 – CW
Brought nice bunches of daffodils from Kennel Close. Still poets in Tin Garden.

1917 – JCW
The following species of rhodo’ in flower: fastigiatum +,intricatum + , Williamsianum +, campylocarpum, thomsoni +x, lutescens +, fargesii + -,caucasicum (2 forms of yellow) +, sinovirgatum +, neriiflorum +, argenteum + -, Sir C Lemon +, arboreum + – , barbatum + – , campanulatum +, keysii +, rubiginosum +, cuneatum ( for the 1st time) +, racemosum + – , irroratum + – , afghanicum, davidsonianum +, pachytrichum +, sutchuenense + – , oreodoxa + – , augustini +i, ciliatum + – , calophytum + – , hookeri + – , faberi, trillianum, scabrifolium + – , searsiae +, barbatum +, maculiferum +.

+ all open on March 20, 1926
– going over.

1916 – JCW
Auklandii not quite open, a very bad year for flower, few buds and many cut by frost. Cherries very good. R ciliatum open, one very good Augustinii. Fastigiatums are splendid at Werrington.

1912 – JCW
Berberis stenophylla very good. Auklandii at their best. Clematis montana nice but the flower is small. Maples very good. The Augustinii are the best things now, though R orbiculare is very good.

1910 – JCW
No recurvas yet. Dalhousii breaks bud. Auklandii’s open. Maples good. Azaleas starting. Berberis stenophylla at its best and also Clematis montana rubra.

1903 – JCW
Dalhousii breaking bud, sent off two recurvas yesterday, marvel just open, a few seedlings to come, several Auklandii and Azaleas open, a few carmine pillar open. Thomsonii over. Maples are good.

1900 – JCW
Came back from the Drill Hall and Appleshaw, Triandrus hybrids at the former and Lulworth seedlings at the latter impressed me most of all, a bad year for colour, afterwards bought the Lulworth seedlings.

1898 – JCW
The first P recurvas just open. The early Auklandii has one bloom, Countess of Haddington half open.

1897 – JCW
Poeticus recurvas nearly all open. Azalea altaclarence half open, various mollis open. Maples looking well. Auklandii’s out. Edgeworthi opens. Countess of Haddington open. Gentians very good.

The Garden Diary

A Cornish garden diary from Caerhays Estate over 100 years

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