23rd December | The Garden Diary

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CONTRIBUTORS:

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2024 – CHW (images to follow)

2023 – CHW

Camellia x williamsii ‘Beatrice Michael’ is now full out and superb by Tin Garden. Note the hints of darker pink as the flowers open.

As usual, plenty of salmon-pink berries on the rare Cotoneaster frigidus ‘Inchmery’.

Still a few leaves on Magnolia decidua (formerly Manglietia decidua). Perhaps it will finally flower this year?

Cotoneaster glabratus seems to be evergreen as a young plant and becomes deciduous with age.

Then to the greenhouse.

Plenty of buds on the very rare (but said to be magnificent) Magnolia guangdongensis. Another gift from Raf in February 2022. Certainly one to watch and wait for.

Seedlings grow well of the rare conifer; Nageia nagi (Podocarpus nagi) which I once imported from China but failed to then grow on.

A splendid show of rhododendron species seedlings now well into their second and third years. Asia has done very well indeed!

The tender Luculia gratissima – a gift from the 2022 gardening weekend here – is now in flower. What an exceptional plant this is. Our stock plant for Asia to propagate from.

Magnolia pterocarpa grown from seed obtained in 2018 appears to be an evergreen. Formally a Michelia or a Manglietia? No idea!

2022 – CHW
Continues wet and mild with westerly gales.Camellia x williamsii ‘November Pink’ still with a reasonable show despite a week’s frost.

Trimming back the young Pinus insignis in Kennel Close.

Another Rhododendron davidsonianum with secondary flowers.

Camellia japonica ‘Alba Simplex’ looking good. The frost has spurred it into flower?

Rhododendron lutescens with its first flowers. These are the start of its flowering season and not a secondary effort.

2021 – CHW
The garden team have a morning removing ivy growth from the walls around the castle. One of my pet hates in gardening life!

Karol and Asia’s contribution to the decorations of the front door for the festivities.

Still a decent flower on Hydrangea ‘Ayesha’ at the Four-in-Hand.

And one on Hydrangea ‘Madame E Mouilliere’.

Camellia ‘Yuletide’ is indeed out in time for the festivities this year.

First few flowers now on Rhododendron mucronulatum later than usual this year. I checked on Sunday and these have appeared in the last 4 days.

2020 – CHW
Lindera angustifolia is finally showing some leaf colouring but I think it will pass as semi evergreen in a mid winter. A much larger plant kept most of its leaves for most of the winter last year.

First flowers on the irregularly variegated Camellia x williamsii ‘Golden Spangles’. Not a great flower but an unusual leaf contrast.

Still a flower on Rhododendron decorum in late December!

Camellia ‘Fairy Blush’ is now properly out with loads of bud to come. 4-5 foot tall now after only 4 years from planting this clump of three.

The original Camellia x williamsii ‘Muskoka’ has had a haircut/hatstanding to rejuvernatre it once again.

The tidy up above the Auklandii Garden is now complete. Camellias and an old pieris cut back.

The clump of Rhododendron burmanicum has been given more light by pruning back a Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red.And a 15 year old Turkey oak given space to develop into a huge windbreak tree one day. This will replace the huge one in the Auklandii Garden which has rot at the base and for which we are awaiting a quotation from tree surgeons to fell.

2019 – CHW
First few flowers on Camellia x williamsii ‘Beatrice Michael’.

A young Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ which has shed the first layer of defence on nearly all of its buds as you can see here. Wind I expect.

However, unlike the last two years, I think the plants know something about an impending cold spell which we do not. I see no magnolias anywhere near being out in the next two to three weeks which is good and perhaps reflects the weeks of rain which we have had. Very few camellias (japonicas especially) out for the time of the year either. ‘Lady Clare’ still not showing and the ‘Cornish Snow’ below Donkey Shoe still has no flowers out.

2018 – CHW
Another plant of Camellia gigantocarpa is flowering for the first time here by the Camellia ‘George Blandford’. The flowers are rather battered and the buds are brown not green. The leaves too suffered in The Beast and the drought and remain small and sparse as you can see. This species comes from Guangxi Province in China. It takes its name from its gigantic light brown seeds pods but I doubt we will see any of these for a few years.

First flowers on Camellia x williamsii ‘Beatrice Michael’ by Tin Garden.

This evergreen tree in the Rireii Opening is plastered in orange berries. I am not sure what it is but it does have huge spines so it probably is a Photinia or a Pyracantha.
Doing the research properly I am now fairly certain that this is Photinia integrifolia which Hilliers say is generally too tender to grow in the UK. Well worth Asia propagating as it must be very rare. There is a row of three trees and two are of record UK size.
A Christmas present from David West at Fromefield Nurseries contained the following seedlings:
Photinia villosa var. coreana (from Caerhays seed)
Photinia beauverdiana var. notabilis (from Caerhays seed)
Photinia aff. microphyllus (from Caerhays seed)
Cotoneaster ‘St Andrews Blaze’ (new)
Cotoneaster hedegaardii ‘Halliwell Yellow’ (Chris Halliwell no. 148 from Nepal)
Cotoneaster parneyi (true plant, not to be confused with C. lacteus)
I think David needs seed of Photinia integrifolia!

2017 – CHW
Embothrium can never decide if they are evergreen or deciduous with us. The plants vary greatly. This one is dropping today but many leaves remain green and may go on to next season.

Still a good show on Camellia oleifera a good eight weeks since it first showed colour.

Grass cutting in Kennel Close in Christmas week. Notionally to allow us to see the new daffodil clumps properly but some of the daffs are already in bud.

Camellia ‘Volunteer’ is a new one to us and rather good!

Garlic well grown now! It first showed a month or so ago.

2016 – CHW
The forecasters described today as very windy and very wet. Wrong again up to lunchtime. Are they just liars or total incompetents? I guess they know it will rain on Christmas Day so want to get us all depressed first. I suggest the wind is 10-15mph at the top of the garden this morning. Not cold at all after a clear night and very slight frost in the valley bottoms.Two old plants of Camellia ‘Noblissima’ full out by Georges Hut just like the one by the front door.

A tiny flowered but unnamed x williamsii camellia seedling by Tin Garden is full out in the last four days and shedding leaves. More wind than I thought?

First flowers on Azalea ‘Hinomayo’ for Christmas as usual here and at Burncoose.

2015 – CHW
Retire to bed.

1978 – FJW
Very dry autumn. Weather did not really break until beginning of December – Camellias on time especially November Pink.

1974 – FJW
Camellias have been late. Rhodo’s early – Nobleanum, Pink hybrid and Busaco full out.

1972 – FJW
First flowers on November Pink – latest yet.

1971 – FJW
We picked flowers on George Blandford.

1966 – FJW
Picked the first flower of George Blandford and gave it to him.

1939 – JCW
Rho mucronulatum very good. Also Cam oleifera on wall and by Engine House. Rho lutescens opening. Fuchsias just feeling the frost. Erica darleyense quite nice. Some lapagerias left and odd roses. Plenty of Camellias out, a big vase cut both speciosa hybrids and early double white from below Engine House.

1929 – JCW
Hamamelis is nice. Mucronulatum also. Cam sasanquas keep on but are smashed by the wind. A good few daffs above ground. There have been several hot days of sun in that garden.

1919 – JCW
Very little showing flower excepting H mollis and Rho mucronulatum, these are very good.

1913 – JCW
Roses good, never so good at Christmas. Some C sasanqua, some coums. Cynoglosum nice. Rho lutescens opening. Picked the first Thomsonii x 3 days ago.

1910 – JCW
Not much frost yet. Cam sasanqua remains, some roses also. C coum ⅕ out. Erica hybrida ⅓ open. A piece or two of Erica codonodes. A bud or two of Rundles scarlet. A quite remarkable lot of rain. Daffs are on the move.

1909 – JCW
We had enough frost to cook a large part of the Auklandii blooms. Just a coum or two showing. Neapolitanum have grown well. Election is in full blast.

1900 – JCW
Crocus imperati open. I found a snowdrop showing colour.