2nd January | The Garden Diary

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CONTRIBUTORS:

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2025 – CHW

Azalea ‘Kirin’ in full flower above Crinodendron Hedge.

Worrying seepage from between two branches on an elderly Magnolia campbellii. The side branch will split out before long.

Rhododendron ‘Assaye’ survives because of good layering around the old, now dead, trunks.

Yesterdays Camellia reticulata flowers are now on the ground.

Two rhododendrons blown out of the ground in the gales in the Rookery.

Camellia japonica ‘Konronkoku’ just out on Rookery gate path.

The water running down the main paths collects in the side ditches.

2024 – CHW
Another minor storm casualty. Berberis insignis has blown over but not out of the ground. Restake or cut back?

Suddenly the first flowers on Tom Hudson’s Rhododendron ririei.

My father’s almost pure white x williamsii hybrid below the Engine House.

Disaster! Our best grafted Magnolia sprengeri ‘Diva’ has had dieback in some branches after the last two years of drought. The disease and damage to the man stem at ground level is new and there is evidence of the tree trying to regrow the bark around the problem. Plenty of buds still on some branches but others are now dead. We had pruned out the dead earlier in the year but the problem has grown. We need to plant more grafted young plants just in case the same happens to out other pure ‘Divas’! The one on Hovel Cart Road may now be the best left?

The now fully registered Camellia x williamsii ‘Mary Pickthorn’ with its slightly irregular bicolour flowers. I had forgotten to look in the last fortnight.

Camellia x williamsii ‘John Pickthorn’ is easily identifiable by the shape and droopiness of its early flowers and buds.

2023 – CHW
A few more camellias venture out as the rain persists.Camellia ‘Winton’ is particularly good at present in several places in the garden.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Sekiyo’ is a good large flowered single near-red.

Persia thunbergii with more errant pink new growth. Seasonal muddle!

Camellia x williamsii ‘Brushfield’s Yellow’ just out.

Camellia japonica ‘Sodekakushi’ (‘Gauntlettti’) now full out and undamaged.

Rhododendron decorum still has flowers!

Daphne bholua ‘Garden House Ghost’ just showing.

Camellia ‘Cinnamon Cindy’ just out.

I think this is Bleeding Oak Crust (Stereum gausapatum).

2022 – CHW

Warm and wet which restricted photography today.

Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ now full out by the side door.

The darker original form of Camellia saluenensis by the side door which is only just now full out.

Secondary, but decent, flowers on the large Azalea ‘Greenway’ which once travelled to Chelsea and back.

Camellia ‘Silver Anniversary’ well out now.

Camellia ‘Silver Anniversary’ and a pinkish (unnamed) form of Camellia japonica near the tallest veitchii.

Another plant of Camellia ‘Cornish Snow Michael’ with the larger flowers up by the original Aesculus wilsonii. The smaller flowered and more normal form of ‘Cornish Snow’ next to it was only out high up and impossible to photograph in the rain.

2021 – CHW
First flower (and rather a poor one) on Camellia ‘Adolphe Audusson’ on Burns Bank.

Another Camellia x williamsii ‘Debbie’ has just the odd decentish flower.

Camellia ‘Midnight Magic’ coming out on Sinogrande Walk. Three plants together. A good early red – variable semi double shape.

Still plenty of colour on the mounded Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Ocanee’. All the other forms are now leafless.

This spreading Taiwannia cryptomeroides has, at last, developed a leading shoot.

Pseudocydonia sinensis still with plenty of leaves and plenty of new growth in a more sheltered area than the two others here. Frost has not damaged the new growth.

Azalea ‘Kirin’ badly frosted. These are, I think, secondary flowers in the same way as you see early flowers on ‘Hinomayo’.

A darker form of Rhododendron mucronulatum just out by the fernery.

One forgets that Deutzia multiradiata is evergreen.

These are the fallen fruits of Cornus capitata which the crows have been gorging on.

First snowdrop nearly out. Another couple of frosty days would do it.

Hydrangea lobbii is, absurdly, now coming into full flower as expected.

Black berries on Sarcococca saligna. Most flowers are already over in the main.

2020 – CHW
First flowers out on the more deciduous bits of Rhododendron ‘Chink’.

Colour showing on the yellow form of Rhododendron ‘Bo Peep’ but nothing yet on Rhododendron ‘Ostara’ or Rhododendron ‘Crossbill’ which I would have expected to be out by now.

Two scented rhododendrons in adjoining clumps have each suddenly died. In the last three weeks really. Cannot be cold but not really a honey fungus strike time of the year. One has been underdug a bit by a rabbit. This is why you have to plant these tender short lived ‘smellies’ in clumps to get something back. The mortality rate is always high.

Saw five squirrels in the garden today. One couple hard at it. I guess we still have 25 to 40 to get caught up yet again before we are swamped with 100 young ones. Some may well have kits in dreys and hollow trees already in such a mild winter. So far only a few have been caught but food is much scarcer now.

2019 – CHW
First flowers on the fairly new Camellia ‘Volunteer’. A darkish anemone red.

The second and outer bud casings on the early flowering Magnolia ‘Darjeeling’ are starting to fall off to leave a greener secondary bud casing showing. Inside the casings the buds themselves have yet to swell properly and some buds look small and stunted perhaps as a result of the summer drought. Anyway much risk here if we do get a reasonable frost. These pictures show the situation at its various stages.

This poor Rhododendron sinogrande is about to die. In full sun the new growth in the drought was tiny and pathetic. It is now nearly all brown and dead. Meanwhile the old leaves are browning off too and will shortly drop to leave virtually no foliage on the plant. Nevertheless there are plenty of flower buds which is the plant’s way of procreating before it says ‘goodbye’.

2018 – CHW
More storm damage to inspect on the first day when everyone is back at work.An oak limb has fallen beyond Georges Hut. No real damage.

Then a major disaster which will take the team a couple of days to sort. The elderly silver fir at Donkey Shoe has split in half with half in the laurel hedge. A decent Rhododendron sinogrande has been flattened but it just missed Persea japonica in the foreground (three ‘japonicas’ in two days!).

Camellia ‘Mary Costa’ just starting to show at the top of the bush. Now a popular variety but this plant is mature so it must have been an early arrival here. There are several in the garden today.

A nice new clearing above Higher Quarry Nursery to replant soon.

Jaimie has moved some layers of Rhododendron maddenii from Donkey Shoe to a corner of this new area.

Stones all raked off ready for planting. The stones could easily break the allen scythe cutter bar.

This small big leafed rhododendron seedling was moved to make way for the digger clearing the stumps but has resettled well. Perhaps a hint of Rhododendron arizelum because of the orange indumentum on the many buds?

A fine evergreen oak labelled Quercus CMBS 900 looks very like the newer introductions of Quercus oxyodon from Tom Hudson and Nigel Holman. Growing here in too much shade but the fall of the silver fir has let in more light. Fine bark too.

Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Pendulum’ has a superb spreading habit which I fear I have photographed badly. The trunk is quite distinct too.

2017 – CHW
Biting cold east wind but fine. No frost as yet here but this will slow everything down in the garden which is very probably a good thing. The Camellia ‘J C Williams’ hedge outside the Rockery looked splendid in the sun. Forty years ago the Rockery was protected by a tall wooden screen infilled with cut bamboos. Queen wasps loved sharpening their tails in the sun on the bamboos and were easily swotted.

A wedding venue inspection party of seven from Essex appear at the front door. Clearly a cock up with dates but not sure if ours or theirs so we do the full tour. Seems they like the new ‘Above Beach’ location. Time will tell if they book for 2018.

2016 – CHW
Unbelievable has become an overused word to describe this amazing non winter but here we have Pseudocydonia sinensis with masses of new growth and new leaves by the fernery. The plant on the lawn at Burncoose was always early into growth but ‘early’ used to mean March.A big bit of cryptomeria by the boot washer as a leftover from yesterday’s storm which incidentally was, as usual, not forewarned by the dear old Met Office.

Just look at the white undersides of the leaves on one ilex oak (still) being battered by the wind.

2005 – FJW
Mild

2001 – FJW
Still raining hard

1992 – FJW
Very mild – It has been dry for 2-3 weeks. Early Williamsii excellent.

1986 – FJW
Packed first primrose for Delia.

1972 – FJW
Camellias very advanced. J.C.W out near E.P.R.’s Quarry. Nobleanum pink at its best.

1968 – FJW
Moved Meliosma pungens – previous week cold with a small amount of frost. (It died).

1960 – FJW
Will Beard died. Picked flower from Mary Williams. Tackled Russatum in Rockery, 2 poor yellow behind Pink Campbellii. Absurdly early year. Very pleased with John Pickthorn. Some very good flowers on Maddenii hybrids in Donkey Shoe.

1927 – JCW
A lot of cold lately , no real ice on the pond, 2 good Gordonia flowers as the Rh mucronulatum is late. Hamamelis is very good indeed. White Camellia has flowers, early speciosa is frosted. Moupinense and Lutescens have shown colour for a month or thereabouts. Have seen one snowdrop.

1926 – JCW
Hamamelis mollis is very fine indeed otherwise just as last year but we have had a good deal of frost and cold for 6 weeks.

1924 – JCW
H mollis is nice, the double white Camellia is in flower, some Heaths including Bobs but nothing else.

1923 – JCW
H mollis and Rh mucronulatum are both of them very beautiful and not much else. The first Rh moupinense is open and so the first Blood Red Thompsonii.

1918 – JCW
German Defeat.

1917 – JCW
German War

1916 – JCW
German War

1915 – JCW
Alone here. Some Lapagerias, a white Camellia, some bits of Nobleanum and Sasangua. R mucronulatum is nice and it opens well in water, nothing here to touch the Jasminum nudiflorum at Werrington.

1913 – JCW
The frost left after a good bit of ice in the pond, Geraniums, Lapagerias etc left too.

1901 – JCW
Saw the first Aconite.

1897 – JCW
Princep Mary a few break through, also G mundi.