1st January | The Garden Diary

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CONTRIBUTORS:

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2025 – CHW (images to follow)

2024 – CHW

A further inspection for damage after several rough and stormy nights. Very heavy rain from midday.

Above Orchid House Nursery the dead Neolitsea sericea has blown over onto a dead rhododendron.

Jaimie and his team have removed the ivy from under the Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Prince’ which now looks rather scruffy.

Camellia ‘Dewatairin’ (‘Hatsu Zakura’ as we have always called it) is very early for a Higo camellia and the flowers are quite variable as you see here. A large and rather sprawling bush.

A good bit of laurel pruning below the Main Ride.

The equally variable Camellia japonica ‘Volunteer’ is just coming out mainly at the top of the bush which was planted in 2014.

The very last flowers on New Year’s Day on the fifth (and last into flower) ancient Camellia sasanqua. Last year we had a flower here on Christmas day. This camellia has been in flower since mid-late October.

2023 – CHW
First battered flowers out on Camellia x williamsii ‘Mary Pickthorn’ which we intend to try to register this year with the International Camellia Society.

Lead drop on Azalea ‘Caerhays Lavender’ which is both normal and attractive today.
Unusual though to find leaf still covering Rhododendron ‘Ostara’. It is more or less deciduous and should be in flower in 4-6 weeks.

Magnolia ‘Galaxy’ suffers from a multitude of suckering from nearly all its branches. One only notices when it is leafless. Are they doing any harm really? Probably not but I would still remove the largest of them.

More flowers out on the supposed and questionably named Camellia gigantocarpa.

Older leaf drop on Rhododendron oreotrephes. How many times do we get asked in the nursery ‘what is wrong with my rhododendron’? The answer is of course nothing! Old leaf drop occurs at different times of the year on different species.

Clethra petelottii (FMWJ 13407) has had its leaves frosted. The buds still look fine. I thought this plant had shrivelled and died in the drought so two narrow escapes?

First few flowers out on Camellia x williamsii ‘Musokoka’ which was cut back 3 years ago.

For posterity, I attach a copy of our 2023 Christmas card. This year only a few things pictured on it would actually have been in flower on Christmas day. More cold weather to come?

2022 – CHW
A dark seedling form of Camellia saluenensis above the greenhouse is already shedding flowers. The old original by the ladies loo is about as dark a colour as this but still only a few flowers at the very top of the bush and unphotographable.

Rhododendron cinnarbarinum Concatenans Group still flowering away.

Camellia ‘Reigyoku’ now out with its unusual leaf variegation. An interesting contrast.

First flower on Camellia ‘High Hat’.

Fruits nearly ripe on Schefflera pauciflora (WWJ 1199).

2021 – CHW
Real frost again on New Year’s Day.Big leafed rhododendrons expressing their displeasure in the normal way.

Juglans ailanthifolia stands out in the sun. Amazing growth rate since planting in 2012. It will be a huge tree one day.

Rhododendron cinnarbarinum Concatenans Group totally frosted by Tin Garden.

Rehderodendron kwangtungense appears to be evergreen. I had not really logged this properly before.

Polyspora axillaris unfrosted nearby with only a few more buds to open. It has been out for five to six weeks already.

Rhododendron ‘Emma Williams’ is semi deciduous and here shedding quite a number of its older leaves.

A Camellia reticulata (Garden Form) putting on a good show above the Auklandii Garden.

No ice on the lake and most of the earlier flooding has subsided.

A large Pinus insignis has snapped off in Lower Hellens in the recent gales. That is three big trees now to clear up before we open if we are allowed to in mid-February.

Thick ice on the puddles at The Hovel.

Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ now properly out with scent.

Ilex aquifolium ‘Bacciflava’ in the wreath by the front door so two colours of holly berries mixed with Podocarpus salignus, Thujopsis dolbrata and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Variegatum’. Just the odd bit of Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Aureovarigatus’ in the mix. Rather an original mix!

Tier 4 (ie total lockdown) is likely for Cornwall at the next government review which we expect to be on 14th January if not earlier. That will be the end of the shooting season and the gardens probably will not be able to open in mid-February. Vean and holiday lets all now shut – again. More disaster, more loss of income and more furlough for all our (blameless) staff. Cornwall now has 96/100,000 positive COVID tests. A week ago this would have made us a Tier 1. The scientists want to lock us all down and continue the economic meltdown but do we trust the NHS and Public Health England to roll out the vaccination programme any better than the ongoing shambles of ‘test and trace’?

2020 – CHW
Yet another dull overcast day turning to drizzle – the fifth in a row. Pigeons cooing all round and thinking spring has come and time to mate. I fear they may yet be in for a nasty shock.Seed heads still cling onto a young Halesia macgregorii. The ones I picked six weeks ago were clearly not ripe while some of these only just are. Time to try again with this impressive and relatively newly introduced species.

Plenty of swelling buds and a full set of leaves so far this winter on Michelia ‘Touch of Pink’ by Georges Hut. Totally defoliated but quite unhurt in the March 2018 ‘Beast’. Lovely orangy indumentum here too. ‘Touch of Pink’ is a doltsopa hybrid with (I guess) Michelia figo?

The early flowering Camellia ‘Takanini’ performing very well this year but out later than usual I think. Another one mentioned as being Christmas flowering in the article in The Garden last month.

2019 – CHW
Plenty of flowers still and most of its leaf on Fuchsia gracilis.

The snowdrops are now starting to flower and show all around the Four in Hand.

First flowers on Camellia ‘Debbie’ below the fernery.

Similarly the first flush on Camellia x williamsii ‘Golden Spangles’ with its odd golden central leaf variegation.

A clump of garlic well up for New Year’s Day!

2018 – CHW
Sorbus japonica (10 years from planting) still has plenty of orange to orange-red fruits in evidence. Worth collecting too.

Carpinus japonica still holds some leaves which have rolled up into spirals. From a distance they look like catkins. An attractive feature.

Quercus laurifolia still in full leaf as one would expect. This tree struggled at first but is now getting established quite well at 10-12ft tall.

Deer have eaten a couple of lower buds on Magnolia mollicomata ‘Werrington’. Could be a squirrel I suppose but quite low down and higher buds are fine.

The secondary outer casings on the buds of Magnolia ‘Apollo’ have been literally blown away in the gales. In consequence some flowers have been damaged beyond repair while others remain intact. Not much hope for the smaller buds with their outer coverings gone – sad!

2017 – CHW
Noticeably colder today and a bit wet so a check on the rhododendrons out before the frost gets them later in the week perhaps? My fingers are almost too cold to write this after the trip around which is a novelty for this winter.Rhododendron concatenans has many flowers by Donkey Shoe but I think these are a secondary autumn effort as the main buds are still intact.

There is nearly always a flower on Rhododendron keysii at any time of the year and today is no exception.

First odd flowers on Rhododendron ‘Crossbill’ but they have yet to show the reddish-orange tinting and are plain yellow.

Magnolia ‘Star Wars’ has about five flowers showing colour which is perhaps not that unusual but they do seem to be fresh spring buds. Perhaps the first magnolia of the season? However when I check ‘Todds Fortyniner’ and Magnolia zenii which were the first batch out in early January last year no sign of swollen buds. The magnolias seem to know cold is coming since this autumn has been just as mild here as last. No colour on those out on 2nd January last year outside the back yard either.

The old Rhododendron ‘Yellow Hammer’ clump by Rookery Gate still has a few poor secondary flowers showing. The proper flush of spring buds yet to come is evident.

A good dark form of Rhododendron mucronulatum above the two Magnolia veitchii shows up nicely. A darker and larger flower, I think, than the other two clumps photographed here recently. We now have five separate groups from various sources which are all slightly different.

2016 – CHW
New Years Day – Another howling gale with torrential rain until lunchtime. For 10 days or so I have meant to picture the first ‘wild’ daffodils out in the garden by the Four in Hand. By today they have been blown to smithereens in the southerly gale. By wild I mean I think native and certainly self sown and, as a guess, nothing to do with JCW’s hybridisation programme of 100 years ago. There are more in the Auklandii Garden below the nerine bed. Very plain and very early although not by the standards of what one sees field grown today at Fentongollan.The rare and unusual Tilia henryana which flowers in early autumn still has most of its leaves on despite the gales.

And still a perfect flower on Hydrangea Madame Mouilliere. Absolutely unbelievable but there it is for all to see.

The Battery Walk Arch has lost most of its cladding on the scaffolding and covering the newly repointed walls. Salt spray is absolutely ‘ideal’ for new pointing. Shall we make them do it again? Probably not as it is Natural England’s fault they were stupidly working in such an exposed site in December. The portaloo has overturned too. That will be nice when the builders return on Monday!

The tide is out but the sea and wind rage. I can hardly stand to take this poorish picture. The car park now has enormous potholes where the wind and spray have washed in. More cost to put right for the spring.

2004 – FJW

Mild and rain.

2003 – FJW

Very wet start to the year – the moors flooded as badly as I have seen.

2000 – FJW

A very beautiful day. Calm and warm and sunny. Camellias look magnificent.

1997 – FJW

Garden completely different from 100 years ago. Very cold – a little flower on Tree Heath on the bank. Very few Camellias, a bit of Nobleanum. Narcissi very far behind.

1994 – FJW

Primroses out on bank. Very early year. Very wet December and continues mild.

1975 – FJW

David killed first woodcock.

1974 – FJW

David killed first pheasant.

1968 – FJW

CHW killed first Sparrow.

1967 – FJW

Rh mucronulatum well out

1962 – FJW

David John born

1914 – JCW

German War.

1913 – JCW

We have had 2 days of hard frost and don’t know what flowers are alive.

1912 – JCW

In Spain.

1911 – JCW

No Aconite. Coums good (¾), odd bits of Erica, Erica hybrida good, some roses, some Lapagerias and Primroses.

1910 – JCW

No Aconite, Coums fair, Ericas slowly coming. Rhodos – some, Solanum – none, Roses – a few. Nothing else, a lot of frost in the Dec and Nov. A few Lapagerias.

1909 – JCW

No Aconite, coums good, Ericas very nice, Rhodo nobleanum plenty, Solanum nice, some roses, bedding geraniums in flower, a few Lapagerias.

1908 – JCW

No Aconite, coums good, Ericas not out, Rh nobleanum a few, some roses now, a fair vase in the house.

1907 – JCW

No Aconite, coums fair, Ericas just coming, Rh nobleanum moderate, frost a little but a lot of snow.

1906 – JCW

Several aconite, snowdrops open, Cyclamen coums good very, Ericas nice some of them, Rh nobleanum nice, no frost for a month, Cro imperati open.

1905 – JCW

I saw Aconite open, the rest much as in 1904.

1904 – JCW

C Imperati open, coum half open, one or two Stylosa, several Nobleanum, Erica is open, Aconite open, many blue primroses, a few daffodils, P megasoefolia very good, Lapagerias fair.

1903 – JCW

C Imperati hardly open, coum half out, a very few styloza, a few Nobleanum, Erica hardly open, a few blue prims, some daffs up say a tenth.

1902 – JCW

Crocus Imperati at its best, coum nearly so, Iris stylosa nearly over, Rh nobleanum open, Erica out, blue primroses bad, fair lot of daff up (unmoved ones, moved hardly show) no Cyclamineus minimus, I saw the first snowdrop.

1901 – JCW

Crocus Imp at its best and also Cyclamen coums, open bits of Camellia, Solanum, roses, Iris stylosa at its best, more than half the daffs are through, minimus is open, Rh nobleanum good, Erica in flower, Blue Primroses good.

1900 – JCW

C Imperati, C Coum, two species of Camellia, Solanum, out, several roses, Iris stylosa, Emperors just breaking the ground, less than half the daffs started, plenty of Blue Primroses.

1899 – JCW

Lilly White, C Imperati, C Coum, Habrothammus, 1 snowdrop, not half the daffs show a sign, Solanum well out, Iris stylosa good.

1898 – JCW

Narcissus, C Coum, Snowdrops in flower, not so many daffodils showing above ground.

1897 – JCW

Var minimus, Crocus, C coum, Aconites, Snowdrops in flower, most of the daffodils showing above ground.