2025 – CHW
A visit to Hillier Arboretum with Roy and Sue Lancaster and the curator, David Jewell. 300,000 visitors a year and 25,000 members. We could have spent a week and still not seen all of it.
Malus ‘Prairie Fire’ in the car park.
Two enormous Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Morioka Weeping’ dating from 1824.
Betula utilis subsp. albosinensis ‘Kenneth Ashburner’.
Betula albosinensis ‘Joseph Rock’.
Betula albosinensis ‘Ness Clone’.
A huge clump of Prunus serrula.
Viburnum x globosum ‘Jermyn’s Globe’ (V. calvum x V. davidii) – the original Hillier plant from 1964.
Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ pruned bark hard.
The very rare Cyclocarya paliurus.
Betula utilis subsp. albosinensis ‘Bowling Green’ – better even than the original Werrington plant.
Ulmus parvifolia ‘Frosty’.
Malus transitoria at its absolute best.
As large a Taiwania cryptomerioides as I have yet seen.
Terence and Roy.
Thomas, Lizzie and David Jewell.
Sue Lancaster.
The statue of Sir Harold Hillier.
Sinojackia xylocarpa at its absolute best.
The dwarf Betula chichibuensis.
A perfect clump of Paeonia tenuifolia.
Citrus ichangensis with its ‘double’ leaves.
Magnolia liliifera.
Persea bracteata.
Ilex integra.
Pittosporum crispulum.
Paeonia mlokosewitschii.
Tilia paucicostata which we have recently planted in Tin Garden.
Deutzia ‘Cherry Dream’ in the Hilliers Garden Centre.
Quercus longistyla was a gift from Thomas to David Jewell.
2024 – CHW
Off first today to Guincho and then to Mahee Island. Guincho is a private garden named after a place in Portugal and a Sambucus seedling collected and named by Sir Harold Hillier while at Guincho. It has dark, but not exactly black, leaves as we see.
Off first today to Guincho and then to Mahee Island. Guincho is a private garden named after a place in Portugal and a Sambucus seedling collected and named by Sir Harold Hillier while at Guincho. It has dark, but not exactly black, leaves as we see.
2023 – CHW
Pictures of our exhibits in the Rosemoor Show from Jaimie.RHS Southwest Branch Magnolia competition
Any species/hybrid 1 vase
1st – M. ‘Lemon Star’ – Awarded the Quicke Cup for best Magnolia exhibit in show
Any species/hybrid except acuminata single bloom
1st – M. ‘Tikitere’
1st – M. ‘Tikitere’
Any species/hybrid of acuminata single bloom
1st – M. ‘Apricot Brandy’
1st – M. ‘Apricot Brandy’
Any species/hybrid of acuminata 1 spray
1st – M. ‘Lemon Star’
1st – M. ‘Lemon Star’
RHS Main Rhododendron competition
6 different species Rhododendron trusses
1st – R. platypodum, R. decorum ssp. decorum, R. falconeri sp., R. macabeanum, R. falconeri ssp. eximeum, R. sinogrande sp. Awarded the Lionel de Rothschild Challenge Cup
Any hybrid 1 spray
1st – R. ‘Countess of Haddington’
1st – R. ‘Countess of Haddington’
Any falconeri or grandia hybrid 1 truss
1st – R. ‘Lord Rudolph’
1st – R. ‘Lord Rudolph’
Any species of falconeri or grandia 1 truss
1st – R. falconeri ssp. eximeum
1st – R. falconeri ssp. eximeum
Any species of trifloral 1 spray
1st – R. yunnanense
1st – R. yunnanense
Any species of fortunea 1 truss
1st – R. decorum ssp. decorum
1st – R. decorum ssp. decorum
Any elepidote hybrid bred in North America
1st – R. ‘Taurus’
1st – R. ‘Taurus’
Plus an array of other awards in the Magnolia and Rhododendron competitions.
2022 – CHW
Acer morrisonense in flower. This tree is now 13 years old and well away.
Quite a few later magnolias nicely in flower today as we will see. This is Magnolia ‘Tranquility’ which I had never taken much notice of before. A M. x brooklynensis variety – M. x brooklynensis ‘Woodsman’ x M. ‘Gold Star’.
Magnolia ‘Daybreak’ x Magnolia ‘Gold Cup’
Tilia zamoyskiana coming into leaf. Recently planted and I cannot find this in the reference books. From Roundabarrow I assume.
Malus ‘Jelly King’ (“Mattfru”) of New Zealand origin showing off for the first time properly here. No crab apples yet.
As is Malus x purpurea ‘Crimson Cascade’ which is now rather more established and starting to cascade nicely although it was slow to establish.
Magnolia ‘Sunray’ just out.
Still one decent flower left on Magnolia ‘Felix Jury’ albeit now with leaves.
The Tin Garden planting was started four years ago but is now starting to get going.
2021 – CHW
Another surprise delivery of plants from Nick Lock. This is Grevillea rosmarinifolia ‘Jean O’Neil’ which is a creamy-yellow form rather than the normal red. Very lovely. I have seen it somewhere before but did not know the name.
Another surprise delivery of plants from Nick Lock. This is Grevillea rosmarinifolia ‘Jean O’Neil’ which is a creamy-yellow form rather than the normal red. Very lovely. I have seen it somewhere before but did not know the name.
Prunus ‘Chocolate Ice’ with its contrasting bronzy new growth by the cash point.
The first flower out incredibly early on Magnolia sieboldii sinensis. I saw the buds a week ago but never expected this.
A former gift from Chip Luma of Rhododendron ‘Floral Sun’ (Abby Jury 2011).
Magnolia ‘Butterflies’ against a blue sky.
Rhododendron platypodum is now out. We have been watering the newly planted rhodos twice a week and this has helped produce decent flowers on this new species to us.
The clump of Rhododendron ‘Broughtonii’ below Slip Rail. Tissue culture grown to preserve this one which is in its dotage by the entrance point and shop.
Jaimie removing a brown paper bag from one of his earlier magnolia crosses halfway up a tree in Kennel Close. This one has ‘taken’ (so far).
Rehderodendron indochinense with its first flowers this year. More to come. The other new species of Rehderodendron are still in tight bud.
Flowers on what I hope Susyn Andrews will confirm as an ancient Ilex forrestii.
A good day showing Tom Christian around the garden. Tom is deputy editor of the International Dendrology Society website and we clearly have a lot in common as well as being able to help the IDS website with (attributed) pictures from this garden diary. Tom is currently writing the text for the new eucryphia section of the website and will be back in August.