9th February | The Garden Diary

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CONTRIBUTORS:

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2024 – CHW

More piles of plants on their way out into various areas in the garden with Jaimie and Michael. This load is mainly small scented rhododendrons for small gaps beside the Main Ride.

Leucojum aestivum emerging early this year in Tin Garden and with immature flower.

Prunus conradinae just opening in Kennel Close.

Rhododendron siderophyllum just out at Slip Rail – normal time. Nothing showing two days ago but its still warm and mild.

Magnolia campbellii from afar is no big deal as yet. Perhaps there are 50 flowers so we can say ‘Spring has Sprung’ here. From yesterday’s Great Gardens of Cornwall meeting only Trewithen and Heligan’s Magnolia campbellii have yet to produced 50 flowers. Trewithen had a lot of snow damage on their camellias in December which we did not.

Surprisingly Melliodendron xylocarpum is already in full flower in the Rookery – 6 weeks earlier than last year.

Illicium philippinense –(CWJ 12466) nearly over beside it.

Lindera praecox looking spectacular in the Rookery. A plant we have lost elsewhere.

2023 – CHW
Videos today to promote the garden opening with Karol.https://youtu.be/iIFzc2z6r90

The enormous single stem of Aralia foliolosa in the sunlight.

The hedge of Camellia x williamsii varieties below Tin Garden.

Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’ and Camellia reticulata ‘Mary Williams’.

Camellia japonica ‘Lady Clare’ now full out by the front door and rather splendid today.

Camellia japonica ‘Sode-Gashuki’ still has plenty of flowers beside the ‘Lady Clare’ despite first showing in November.

2022 – CHW

Quercus franchettii is an evergreen and has taken plenty of salty gales.

Amazingly Prunus laurocerasus is actually in flower already below Tin Garden.

A female Podocarpus henkelii with ripening podocarps in profusion.

Rehderodendron kwangtungense appears to be fully evergreen here.

Magnolia campbellii ‘Strybing White’ from afar with a dark background.

The tender Quercus fleuryi has survived the winter so far.

Camellia ‘Cinnamon Cindy’ at its absolute best. Planted only in 2016.

Camellia ‘Cinnamon Scentsation’ nearly full out. Also 2016.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Citation’ is at its best. The flowers are generally, but not always, semi double but they are highly variable as you can see here and the colour fades too. If you Google search C. ‘Citation’, C. ‘Inspiration’ and C. ‘Salutation’ you will be amazed at the muddle and misinformation displayed there. The reference books do not agree either on the origins of ‘Citation’ which was once, I believe, also called ‘Delia Williams’.

Plenty of swelling buds on Michelia ‘Touch of Pink’.

2021 – CHW
The second Beast from the East is upon us. Sunny but freezing! The digger and Frankie finally arrive to do the stump removal after weeks of it having been too wet.A pleasant combination of Galanthus nivalis and Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna in the sun.

Galanthus nivalis and Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna

A consignment for planting out here from Burncoose – Hamamelis, hydrangea and deciduous azaleas for Kennel Close and Old Park where we are short of late season colour.

The clump of Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna has grown under two beech trees in the car park outside the back yard for 20 years. It used to grow in the corner of the old vegetable garden more or less here around 35 years ago where I originally planted it.

In the teeth of cold east wind Camellia ‘Jury’s Yellow’ has already shed leaves and buds outside the back yard. Not good. What will this do to the magnolia buds?

Now that we are opening next Sunday along with all the other Great Gardens of Cornwall who normally open early a mad panic to get everything ready. The garden paths are nearly all swept but there are all the signs and plant labels to go up still and the squirrel traps to move elsewhere. A few more dead plants and odd bits of trimming. With the beach car park now charging all year round visitors to the gardens will have to pay for a car parking ticket and then offset it against the entrance fees when they get to the garden entrance. Book online for tickets if you like and then the car park cameras will know that you have already paid to park. However, ONLY if you are ‘local’ can you book online or just turn up on the day (any day seven days a week). Who is a ‘local’ and able to come? Up to individuals to decide for themselves really based on their perception of the risk and common sense. Full COVID risk assessments done and in place. The shop will be shut to customers but the cinema in the garage will have the two hour introductory film etc running with no tables. Distancing in 140 acres of garden should not be that hard but we really do not expect many people until perhaps after Boris’ announcement to the nation on 22nd February about the lifting of Lockdown 3. When will the castle itself be open for conducted tours and how many will be allowed on individual tours? Our best current guess is Easter weekend in the first week of April but this is a hope rather than an expectation as it stands today.

Season ticket purchases for garden entry will probably prove rather popular to local people!

2020 – CHW
Raf Lenaerts and Storm Ciara arrive together today. Raf is a young Belgian nurseryman and an outstanding plantsman. In return for propagation material on a two hour garden trip Raf presents us with a tray of new exotica to grow on for the collections here. New magnolias and Michelias as well as other novelty new species. The full list is attached.

A south westerly gale rages but the castle is in the lee. These pictures may well be misty and wet!
The magnolia through the archway has blown open a bit.

An Abies grandis bending alarmingly in 70mph winds at the top of the garden.

Magnolia ‘Purple Dream’ x ‘Star Wars’ blown open prematurely in the wind in Kennel Close. Tiny flowers which are unformed and yellowish.

Magnolia mollicomata ‘Werrington’ similarly afflicted.

Magnolia petals from the pale Magnolia campbellii scattered on the ground already in the wind. It was only just fully out.

Michelia moto has been half defoliated in the wind. Very wet by now on our trip! However the bark on the trunk is still very fine.

The laurel hedge swirls in wind and rain. Time to get away from bending trees.

The Magnolia campbellii seedling above Crinodendron Hedge is just out of the worst of the wind.

Amid the gloom a ‘Caerhays Belle’ seedling shows up along the drive from the Isla Rose Plantation.

What a ghastly day but no obvious trees down yet.

2019 – CHW
A long overdue trip to Burncoose to be greeted by a wonderful display of new Helleborus varieties at the entrance. Clare, our nursery buyer, has done a great job getting these.

Helleborus Frostkiss ‘Dorothys Dawn’ – wonderful ‘icy’ foliage, huge pink bud clusters and flowers. A fantastic new introduction.

Helleborus ‘Pink Beauty’ – flowers have pink coverings or bracts but open a creamy white.

Helleborus ‘Emma’ – one colour on the outside of the flowers and another inside.

Helleborus Frostkiss ‘Cheryls Shine’ – another highly floriferous and strong growing new variety.

Vaccinum vitis-idaea ‘Fireballs’ was another brand new plant to us from Holland. Striking red berries on this dwarf and rather dainty Vaccinum with flowers about to open as well from its trailing new upper shoots. I suspect quite a few of the ‘fireballs’ have already dropped. Is this perhaps a new small edging plant for a border?

Too many catch up meetings to explore further into the nursery. More soon! First impressions of the whole look of the much revamped sales area in front of the main walled garden highly favourable. If only we could get the new bed labels up it would be perfect.

2018 – CHW
Camellias coming out in force in the nursery.Here Camellia x reticulata ‘Francie L’.

Loads of sarcoccas also full out in flower.
Sarcocca confusa

Sarcocca hookeriana ‘Purple Stem’

Sarcocca orientalis

Sarcocca ruscifolia

Sarcocca hookeriana digyna

The new (to us) Camellia ‘Sundae’ liners show a couple of flowers.

A new Christmas rose called Helleborus ‘Mollys White’ is very pure and an exciting new plant for us for the website.

Some nice plants just in of the

2017 – CHW
Daffodils and snowdrops splendid in full sun this morning. More rain due any minute.

2016 – CHW
On Friday I was greeted by a large fat rat running up the front stairs and heading for our bedroom. It turns out he has a hole behind the fire extinguisher outside our bathroom as well as a hole in the School Room. A cage trap baited with biscuits and cheese has yielded no results as yet but the teeth marks on the fruit in the bowl on the kitchen table are now explained. Not mice or the dogs!Another night of severe wind has put paid to several of the best magnolias and blown open others so here is a record of what has survived and not been photographed before.

A walk through Old Park:The gunnera beds are about to wake up.

Work starts to repair the Kitchen Garden walls and restore the Old Hunt Kennels in March.

As with all the ‘Lanarth’ magnolias this seedling in Old Park is out early and looking very fine.

A formerly rather stifled Magnolia campbellii now shows up properly after the clearances.

My father planted several batches of Rhododendron calophytum seedlings here in the late 1950s. These are a few survivors and they are not all exactly pure calophytum.

The Magnolia spengeri ‘Diva’ on the drive by Trevannions Holly is absolutely correct and not just a seedling. As good as the plant near Pound Corner but in a cold place where few actually notice it.

Then a rainbow over Derrecks Wood.

The arch in Battery Walk is now finished with just a bit of fencing remaining.

The Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ near the front door is nearly over.

Behind the wall opposite the front door is a magnolia with some similarities to Caerhays Belle but it is lighter in colour and earlier. I need the 1970s planting records to get closer to what it is. The better plant next to it is a seedling from the ‘F J Williams’ batch but not out yet.

2015 – CHW
Magnolia sprengeri var elongata blown open but frosted by Tin Garden. Jaimie’s view is that it is a light coloured Magnolia campbellii and that I have muddled the two adjacent plants. Not sure? Await events. Jaimie now says ‘Labelled as campbellii, a seedling I believe, and Phillip Tregunna used to call it Forrest Pink’

2004 – FJW
Some frosted flowers on Backyard Magnolias1997 – FJW
First daff picked above Davidia minor or minimus? – still frosts at night.

1926 – JCW
(Note added to Garden Book page)
Some 80-0/6 mineral phospate put on the Big Vib. fragrans, Meliosma veitchiorum, the most western Euonymus fimbriatus (note correct name: Lucidus), one Vaccinium ovatum.
Several other plants?
The small Reevesia
The single Corylopsis near Reevesia
The one Corylopsis not ?? marked
The Pyrus flaggiana
C. H. C’s Syringa
The big Glauca Oak near Melinanthus
The Ribes longisternosum

1902 – JCW
Minimus going back, minor shows colour. Snowdrops just at their best.

1901 – JCW
Minimus at its best, a few minor, nothing else except seedling trumpets.

1900 – JCW
Minor only just shows the bud yellow.

1899 – JCW
Double trumpet open (common), several minor open, some H Irving just begun to tone down.