7th February 1897 – 2020 | The Garden Diary

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2020 – CHW
First colour on the 1913 record (height) tree of Magnolia campbellii. Just a few flowers at the very top of the tree. 120ft or so.

First flowers on Camellia x williamsii ‘Brigadoon’ on the Main Ride.

The insipid coloured Magnolia campbellii by Tin Garden is now nearly full out in the sun.

This Daphniphyllum macropodum is dying as you can see from the base of the trunk. One side of the tree is dead and the other side seeded furiously last autumn in anticipation of its demise. You can see the red seed stems. A lecturer at the University of York contacted us wanting large samples of bark and foliage to test for unusual and potentially useful chemicals found in this genus. He has £1.2m of funding so it sounds serious! I will send him these photographs and see where we go from here.

Still lots of ripe fruit hanging on the branches of Styrax serrulatus near the Daphniphyllum.

Rhododendron ‘Ostara’ just coming out.

No colour on any of the three magnolia species in the Ririei Opening as yet. Just a hint of colour on the magnolia through the arch beyond ‘Caerhays Belle’.

2019 – CHW
First flower out on Magnolia ‘F J Williams’ on a drizzly afternoon in the Auklandii Garden.

Plenty of flowers now out on the original Magnolia campbellii. Spring has nearly broken here.

x Raphiobotrya ‘Coppertone’ has flowers nearly out. First time of flowering here.

The Michelia doltsopa buds are swelling nicely by Georges Hut but still not showing colour – thankfully!

2018 – CHW

What Trevor Green from Yorkshire calls ‘hogwart’ in flower already. Normally full out late April or May. Astonishingly early.

Not to be outdone for un-seasonality here is some ‘cow parsley’ with flowers just going over and seed setting on the other side of the road below the church and opposite the ‘hogwart’.

Gorse full out everywhere too.
I may well have my common names for weeds muddled and am happy to be corrected! In childhood ‘cow parsley’ was something similar but different I seem to remember.

2017 – CHW
Magnolia ‘Bishop Peter’ has a bit of colour only on the very top of the tree. Surprising that the wind has not yet blown it out more. Usually this is one of the first out.

On the way back I see Magnolia ‘Todds Fortyniner’ is out as well but I am out of camera battery. This was easily the first (pre Christmas) magnolia to be showing colour last year.

2016 – CHW
More gales coming but not too bad in the morning.Another unnamed seedling magnolia by the Rhododendron williamsianum clump is very good. It is now out properly and the third time this year I have photographed this.

Magnolia ‘Pristine’ has three buds with colour beside it.

Magnolia ‘Cecil Nice’ has the first few flowers out at Donkey Shoe.

Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ – the New Zealander form – is the best thing in the garden today. I had thought the buds were hail damaged but was wrong.

Storm damage on the Pinus insignis at Donkey Shoe needs clearing on a quiet day before we open.

It has narrowly missed Rhododendron veitchianum Group which has absurdly early flowers. Previously Rhododendron cubittii I suspect.

Magnolia ‘Bishop Peter’ is full out but starting to shed petals (tepals). A lighter colour than usual as I have said before.

Magnolia ‘Ians Red’, one of Ian Baldick’s New Zealand hybrids, has a few flowers blown open at least two and a half months early. A dark colour though.

Magnolia ‘Suzanna van Veen’ is out well before ‘Caerhays Belle’ which is the same cross made in New Zealand.

Magnolia sargentiana robusta (or so it is catalogued) above Crinodendron Hedge is actually full out (so I was wrong again but it is the only one out or even showing colour of a dozen mature plants – actually the flower shape is more campbellii x mollicomata than sargentiana robusta).

Just below it another pale Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ seedling is half out at the top. Quite nice but nowhere near the true colour.

Rhododendron delavayi is almost over above the Big Quarry. This has been visible for weeks from the Bottom Lodge.

Then a surprise! Nigel Holman’s Magnolia ‘Hawk’ on Burns Bank has lots of buds and flower on a small plant. It looks very much like a sprengeri diva seedling to me? I need to look up the parentage.

Another Magnolia ‘Shirraz’ above the Playhouse. Also very dark with only a few flowers at the very top of the tree.

Another unnamed seedling from the ‘Caerhays Belle’ seed batch. Smaller flowers but a bit darker pink perhaps. Nice but not worth a name as has always been known.

Snowdrops nearly over outside the front gate.

Bluebells (Spanish) even nearer to having a February flower!

2004 – FJW
Early daffs onto the front gate well out – snowdrops at their best.1981 – FJW
Miss Florence Williams (7 ½ months) came to lunch and sat at table.1968 – FJW
Very wet spell. Thermometer moving in a giddy way. No colour on Magnolias – many things flowering too early.1959 – FJW
Camellias at their best, snow returned. Magnolias too far on in bud. Flowers still show on M grandiflora by playhouse.

1944 – CW
Mag campbelli showing colour. About 2 dozen different hybrids out in Tin Garden. Best Rho ririei perfect. Camellia Lady Clare and Adolphe Audusson out.

1943 – CW
About a dozen buds on Mag grandiflora, Campbelli several buds, one Sargentianum bud shows colour. At least 15 Sutuenense hybrids in Old Park well out. Grande out and several more species.

1942 – CW
Bad frosts.

1941 – CW
First daff with colour open in Tin Garden. Cam reticulata species out, also hybrids and Lady Clare. Several Blood Red x Rhododendron arboreum – also Moupinense very good. Heath darleyensis v g.

1897 – JCW
Minor out in full flower, also Tenby at Tregony with Iris reticulata.