20th June

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CONTRIBUTORS:

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2023 – CHW

Each of the Great Gardens of Cornwall have commissioned a painting or two of their own garden this spring. These were auctioned in Lemon Street Market to raise funds for The Cornwall Community Foundation. This is one of the Caerhays pictures which was pre-sold.

This was the larger Caerhays picture which sold reasonably.

This was the auction which raised c.£6K from 11 paintings.

2022 – CHW
Cornus walteri now fully out in flower on the drive. Blown open in the wind.

A hint of pink on Styrax japonicus ‘Pink Chimes’. Pinkish buds and occasionally one part of the starshaped flowers is pink.

Camellia ‘Kitty’ on Burns Bank is still laden with flower in late June. Exceptional and flowers pink and fading to white.

Styrax americanus has struggled with dieback in the exposed Isla Rose Plantation. Wrong place for it.

The odd new bit of reversion on Quercus cerris ‘Variegata’ despite my best efforts last year.

The Rhododendron maddenii with the largest flowers nearly over above Orchid House Nursery.

As expected and feared Neolitsea sericea has gone dead and our other older plant has gone (nearly) the same way at the same time. I wonder at the cause?

Euonymus hamiltonianus ‘Popcorn’ in full flower and recovering well from dieback.

Quercus liebmannii getting going two years from planting. A gift from Thomas Methuen-Campbell.

Staphylea colchica ‘Black Beauty’ living up to its name. No sign of fading to green here.

Indigofera himachalensis (from Roundabarrow nurseries) flowering properly for the first time. A vigorous and erect shrub.

Sapium sebiferum recovering from cold dieback in its first winter after planting out.

Cannot locate Styrax confusus. Need to check the planting plans.

2021 – CHW
Another posh garden tour. A little rain overnight.

Styrax japonicus ‘Emerald Pagoda’ at its best.

Magnolia ‘Yuchelia’ has recently caught us out with a customer complaint. M. acuminata ‘Miss Honeybee’ x Michelia figo is probably not as our original M. ‘Yuchelia’ actually is but more like this?

The bracts of Cornus ‘Venus’ now becoming more pink.

Styrax japonicus ‘Jippei Kawamure’ full out and doing well.

Paulownia kawakamii has almost finished flowering and I have missed it.

Eucalyptus crenulata with its attractive new growth.

Magnolia rostrata has a flower on one of its lowest branches.

2020 – CHW
A good young Rhododendron decorum below Donkey Shoe.

I have a mental name block about the original clump of Rhododendron leptotrichum. After Jaimie put me right I found it was already over in this very early year (the other one I have a block about is Rhododendron oreotrephes).

Illicium merrillianum with buds showing colour. Again much earlier than last year.

Illicium griffithii in much the same state.

The Rhododendron maddenii above Orchid House Nursery with its unusually huge flower trusses compared to Rhododendron maddenii subsp. crassum or Rhododendron polyandrum which flower earlier. Well worth Asia taking cuttings in a month or so.

2019 – CHW
Actinidia deliciosa ‘Tomuri’ (male form) with especially large flowers which are yellowish at first then developing an orange tone. The best show I have seen here.

Rhododendron auriculatum just coming out after the rain.

The supposed Magnolia floribunda var. tonkinensis (from Crug) is now out (two flowers so far) and clearly a Manglietia species (now also magnolia of course) but certainly not a Michelia as we expected. I must send the pictures to Tom Hudson for a further opinion. Very nice indeed though.

Rhododendron ‘Pink Polar Bear’ just coming out.

Another Stewartia monodelpha which probably also is not true to name. Two others in the far end of Kennel Close have no flowers but have different foliage.

Cornus hemsleyi (2019 planted) with first flowers.

Cornus iberica (2019 planted) with first flowers.

Styrax japonicus from Taehuksando (BSWJ 14182) flowering nicely for the first time. Large hanging flowers.

Nyssa leptophylla – a new species to us with first new growth.

Aralia foliosa with first new growth. Horrid prickles!

2018 – CHW
Seed heads already turning reddish on some sycamores on the drive. Very early in view of how late these trees were into leaf after The Beast.

I always have a soft spot for the (now) wild growing yellow Icelandic poppies. Asia might collect some seed to grow on and Clare might see if we could add them to the new catalogue but I need to look up the Latin name first!

We were worried as to whether the Magnolia delavayi cut down last August would recover from The Beast. The first new growth was totally decimated but look how vigorous the second set of purplish new growth is.

First flowers on the plain yellow day-lilies outside the front door.

2017 – CHW
Lonicera crassifolia is a prostrate evergreen species which Asia should propagate. It was a gift from Roy Lancaster and grows in and on the old tree stump at the Four in Hand. Tiny upright white flowers which go yellowish with age. Delicate and attractive in full sun. A rarity but a perfect rockery plant to grow perhaps with Fuchsia procumbens?

Stewartia pteropetiolata is just coming out. Still plenty of flowers to follow. A smaller flower than other species but alive with flies and bees.

An old Rhododendron crassum reshooting well after having only been cut back in the spring.

The very late flowering Rhododendron ‘Mosers Maroon’ is still out. Great plant for crossing with its dark reddish flowers.

The old Stewartia pseudocamellia is also just out. Green blotches in some petals.

Rhododendron sanguineum ssp didymum (or something close to it) is flowering late (as it should) by Georges Hut.

The first of several elderly Rhododendron fortunei var discolor is out in the Main Quarry. Nothing to see of course! It is a bit sun scorched though.

Styrax japonicus ‘Pink Chimes’ is just out. Less pink in this one, other than the bud, in contrast to the one in full sun further up the drive. Even a long tailed tits nest in the crown of the weeping tree!

2016 – CHW
The three young Aesculus wilsonii at the entrance to Old Park Wood are flowering
well.

2015 – CHW
Tents on the lawn, tents below the lawn, hustle and bustle from all our staff and helpers. Charity fete tomorrow. We need a fine day and 3,000 people if we can to create a real profit for the church and local charities.

Styrax shiraiana – another new species to plant out next spring with very different leaves. There are several new ones on Mark Bulk’s Dutch website and we need to try the lot.

Rhododendron indicum (white) (Azalea indica) – very late into flower but, as with all indicums, flowers are random and not all out at once.

Eurya japonica – cannot now find the seed pods but never mind.

This clump of Rhododendron maddenii still in tight bud so must remember to have a look in July.

A late flower on Rhododendron leptotrichum which is often paler on the ancient plants growing in shade below Donkey Shoe.

Two more Cornus kousas:

Cornus kousa ‘WCBCRI’ – that is what it says on the label! This may be a breeder’s number, our cock up or a misspelling of one of the more obscurely named varieties in the US reference book. Nice enough with biggish bracts.

Cornus kousa ‘Rasen’ – in full sun the bracts curl and go pink. In more shade they go pink spotted. Quite an unusual US bred variety. As usual the US reference book is vague.

I think I have nearly had enough of Cornus kousas and conclude that most of the named clones are not that different to the species. Cornus kousa ‘Satomi’ far and away the best. As usual US breeders have named far too many seedlings! Good in the garden but too boring to try to collect a full set.

The pink form of Rhododendron decorum above the Sales Point is the best thing in the garden today and well worth a trip around the garden on its own. The white form nearby is nearly over but others in the garden are not. Clearly several different original collections here and well worth collecting seed. ‘Tinners Blush’ and ‘High Sheriff’ are our decorum crosses and we should do more!

1948 – CW
Rho falconeri only just over also Harrows hybrids and Cornish Loderi over. Tally Ho at its best. Styrax wilsoni coming out. Azaleas mostly over. Still some Mag – Wilsoni and Sinensis. No hay cut here yet. Wall rose at its best.

1899 – JCW
Many Paeonies have only lately started, picked nearly all the daff seed.

One thought on “20th June”

Georg Ruf says:

17th July 2022 at 6:50 pm

Indigofera himachalensis looks quite good, hope it is hardy enough like others. The first picture of Neolitsea is of course Euon. hamiltonianus, as Neolitsea has single leaves, not pinnate, and flowers in axiles, as a Laurus. This Staphylea ‘Black Beauty’ looks good, would make a good contras with white flowers.
Actinidia delic. is quite late flowering, but even small fruits can ripen. Store them cool til spring after harvest and then put them into a bag with ripe apples for some weeks (and ad sugar for eating, of cours).
The yellow “day lilies” are Alstroemeria aurantiaca or cultivar.
Read Rhododendron leptotrichum.
Greetings

The Garden Diary

A Cornish garden diary from Caerhays Estate over 100 years

One thought on “20th June”

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