A good combination; Rhododendron ‘Praecox’ and Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’.

At the entrance to Burncoose garden a Magnolia ‘F.J. Williams’ in full flow.

The sad demise of a Styrax japonicus tree which blew over recently. This was originally a seedling pinched from the Punch Bowl in the Valley Gardens of Windsor and carried back to the YMCA hostel in my lunch box. About 47 years old.

Prunus ‘Felix Jury’ is absolutely stand out today. What a colour!

Camellia reticulata ‘Miss Tulare’.

First flowering of this camellia gifted (as cuttings) from Hergest Croft Gardens but originating from Marwood Hill and Jimmy Smart.

A second Melliodendron xylocarpum now in full flower.

Euonymus echinatus with buds.

2023 – CHW

The pace of magnolia flowering has speeded up in this mild and warm week.

60 tonnes of new gravel laid at the front of the castle with Arthur and a tractor. Many years since we last did this. Not ideal for wheel chairs but good for security as you can hear cars coming more easily.

The large Magnolia campbellii seedling above Crinodendron Hedge has leapt out in 48 hours and here set against a drab sky.

The pale flower Magnolia campbellii by Tin Garden which was showing colours a fortnight ago is now out too.

Prunus coradinae a gorgeous foretaste of spring.

Rhododendron siderophyllum just creeping out.

Camellia lutchuensis is out but the flowers hang down and are hard to see properly.

Rhododendron ‘Choremia’ was not showing 2 days ago.

Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ now full out.

Rhododendron grande just starting below Hovel Cart Road.

2022 – CHW

A video proving that Storm Eunice has left our magnolias largely totally unscarred even in the teeth of the wind which most of the garden was not. A few more pictures here to prove the point.

Work proceeds in the Kitchen Garden but now stalled by wet weather.

Eunice did fell this fir tree onto the old remains of the potting shed but no additional damage.

My earliest memory of the Kitchen Garden was meeting the Jobson children about here. At that time in the very early 1960s they lived at the Vean. The Vean is very close as you see here. I think an old photographs exists of the meeting which is perhaps why I think I remember it.

Jaimie’s new (but as yet unnamed) magnolia hybrid in the flesh below Kitchen Garden (Magnolia sprengeri var. Diva ‘Burncoose’ crossed with Magnolia campbellii var. mollicomata subsp. ‘Lanarth’). Even better in situ than the cut flower we saw earlier. Planted in 2016. The Lanarth pollen came from a flower from Lanarth itself.

The view back to the nearly cleared Kitchen Garden from the new magnolia hybrid.

The splendid Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ (New Zealand form) at Donkey Shoe. Despite Eunice at its absolute best.

The New Zealand Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ and a Magnolia campbellii Alba Group seedling growing side by side.

Flowers showing on Magnolia ‘Sweet Sixteen’ which got dieback in 2018 and a pruning by me in 2020.

The huge Michelia doltsopa are just coming out speeded up by the recent gales blowing.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Citation’ and Magnolia ‘Bishop Peter’. Some wind damage to ‘Citation’ but not to the Bishop!

Flowers nearly out high up on Magnolia ‘Ian’s Red’.

Camellia lutchuensis just coming out but no scent in the winds today.

Camellia pitardii with its first flowers out for this year.

Jaimie’s other new hybrid above the veitchii in the flesh. Fully covered with darker flowers this year whereas only 10 or so last year and three the year before. You do need to wait a year or two to get a proper view on a new seedling magnolia cross and whether it is worthy of a name. for the shape of the flower and the colour I am now fairly certain that this is. The cross is Magnolia ‘F J Williams’ x Magnolia campbellii – crossed in 2005 and planted 2011.

First rather poor flower on the new German bred Magnolia ‘Diana’ which awaits planting out.

Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ from the front door.

The 1947 planted Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ from the front door. Only its fifth year of flowering. Superb colour but only slightly out as yet.

2021 – CHW
Various piles of plants in the back yard selected to go to different areas of the garden. I guess we are about halfway through this year’s planting programme but the nursery/field grown rhododendrons will add a couple more days to the two to three days it will still take to get this lot sorted next week or the week after. In Lockdown 3 we are well ahead of a normal season’s planting in March.

The camellias at Donkey Shoe are starting to show properly.

New steps installed at Hovel Cart Road to make it easier to get up the bank. For my benefit perhaps in the week I will get the jab!

Brief but violent hailstorms carpet the Rookery.

Followed by a rainbow over the back yard.

More geese are visiting the lake but the pair of swans are seeing them off in a fury of flapping wings.

Another nice little bit of history. This Massey Ferguson tractor was first bought and registered by my great uncle, Charles Williams, on 31st January 1955 and then sold on to my father. It has recently been fully restored locally and is in full working order. Burncoose still operates and uses a 1964 Massey Ferguson tractor. These vehicles were clearly built to last! A copy of the original registration documents are copied here.

2020 – CHW
Storm Dennis or Ciara have caused a significant landslide or rock fall at Porthluney Beach. It does not seem that this has undermined the coastal path or the fence along the cliff line but this will need checking properly especially if a tractor were to drive too near to the edge.

More burning up of fallen trees by the Green Gate.

Acacia melanoxylon just out above the front wall a week later than at Trewithen.

Above the Top Wall are three good magnolias today.
A Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta seedling which is a bit at variance to the true robusta flower but still quite good.

Then a magnolia from the same seed crop as the named Magnolia ‘F J Williams’ in the Auklandii Garden. Only the flowers on the lowest branches have opened on their own and not been blown open prematurely. These are quite decent and nearly true to the original named sister seedling. The rest are miles away this year as you can see.

Magnolia sargentiana robusta x sprengeri ‘Diva’ is just coming out high up.

Rhododendron grande goes nicely with Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red’ above the frames.

The view of the three magnolias from below the wall.

2019 – CHW
Camellia ‘Mona Jury’ is a must have for any serious camellia gardener. A New Zealand cross between a Camellia x williamsii seedling and Camellia japonica ‘Betty Shenfield’. An open and slightly spreading habit.

Karol preparing our second vlog about the real colour of magnolia flowers. You can see it here.

First flowers on Magnolia x loebneri ‘Merrill’.

Camellia ‘Look Away’ is quite a good new one too.

A few high up flowers on Magnolia campbellii Alba Group. This one of New Zealand origin.

2018 – CHW

A day in the garden planning new planting places. Sadly too wet to get started today.

Rhododendron rireii (Tom Hudson collection) is full out and very fine today in the sun.

Rhododendron monosemanthum, a new species to us, with its first flower and hairy leaf stalks. The collector’s number is 5978. I assume Alan Clarke.

Camellia ‘Hiraethlyn’ looking very fine too. Simple but effective.

Camellia ‘Can Can’ should be pink but two thirds of the bush have sported similar shaped red flowers.

Camellia x williamsii ‘John Pickthorn’ in shade. A somewhat sparse flowerer here.

Is this Camellia lutchuenense? A species. See the fun below we are having with the identification of three different species.

Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’ (Camellia cuspidata x Camellia saluenensis). Very similar to the supposed Camellia cuspidata var cuspidata (which it is not according to Tom) from Trewithen. Tom thinks Trewithen’s may be Camellia cuspidata var grandiflora.

First few flowers on a Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ seedling which I had thought was Magnolia ‘Copeland Court’. I may still be correct!

Yellow berries in profusion on several lophomyrtus below Tin Garden.

Recent frost damage on the leaves of Aralia vietnamensis. It should recover.

This is Camellia tsai just coming out. Another species with early small white flowers which I am confident is correct.

These Sequoia sempervirens (coastal redwood) were planted after the hurricane in 1990. Fine trees of 30ft or so now in the teeth of the wind on the edge of the garden at the very top facing NW.

Quercus insignis with new growth frosted as we had feared.

Despite the demise of the large Rhododendron hookeri last week there is another nearby which looks like it started life as a layer.

Why is it that our Schima wallichii has only the odd ripe seed while Trewithen’s is plastered? Asia needs to collect quickly before they fall.

First flowers on Rhododendron arboreum subsp delavayi but too high up to photograph. This is a nearby seedling and not true.

Ilex aquifolium ‘Bacciflava’ with yellow berries on Sinogrande Walk.

Ribes sanguineum ‘White Icicle’ just coming out on the drive.

Magnolia campbellii ‘Sidbury’ is the first magnolia here to be full out this year but battered by the wind in Penvergate. There are four record trees here which I labelled with the new labels today – Paulownia fortunei, Sorbus torminalis, Magnolia ‘Yellow Bird’ and Magnolia ‘Yellow Fever’.

2017 – CHW
A visit from Raf and his Belgian mentor with lots of very rare plants in exchange for magnolia scions of our newer varieties. Raf has just started a new nursery in Belgium propagating very rare plants which Burncoose will of course purchase when and if he gets his act together.The yellow form of Magnolia campbellii alba is out above the Auklandii. Only a few flowers this year but they really are quite yellow as the buds start to open. Raf tells me that Mount Congreve gardens, from where this originated, have given it a name but I cannot remember what it was.

The original 1911 Magnolia campbellii is now nearly full out and looking splendid. A good colour this year. ‘Spring has Sprung’ at Caerhays!

This is the second polyspora species to flower with us this year. Polyspora longicarpus (WNJ 11604) is looking good even if the leaves have taken a battering in the wind. Raf (pictured) tells me that all gordonia species have now been reclassified as polyspora which may or may not make sense.

The other old Magnolia campbellii near Tin Garden is now full out. A dull whitish colour.

Magnolia mollicomata ‘Werrington’ is coming out in Kennel Close. Dramatically darker than shown in last year’s blog.

Magnolia campbellii ‘Darjeeling’ is always early but, again, an especially good colour this year.

Magnolia ‘Bishop Peter’ is now almost fully out as well.

The Magnolia mollicomata x sargentiana robusta seedling above the Crinodendron Hedge is perhaps the best full out magnolia in the garden today although we are looking here after the sun has gone down. Sadly the public seldom stray in here to see it in its glory.

This is the list of the very rare and mainly grafted plants which Raf brought for us:Magnolia floribunda ex Kunming (PB)

Magnolia floribunda var tonkinensis (BKR 20100845)

Magnolia floribunda ‘Furry Uok’

Magnolia glauca

Magnolia maudiae (hardy -20)

Magnolia sinostellata

Magnolia spaerantha

Pterocarya macrocarpa var insignis

Pterocarya rhederiana ‘Fern Leaf’