Toona sinensis ‘Flamingo’ has been slow to lose the colour of its leaves this wet year.

Euonymus tonkinensis in flower.

Viburnum taiwanianum is rather good in flower and bud.

Euonymus tingens with quite a show.

Euonymus carnosus (NMWJ 14515) seems very similar to E. tingens?

Viburnum wrightii nearly over.

Viburnum x hillieri ‘Winton’ putting on a wonderful show.

Microtropis petelotii also looks very like E. tingens?

Viburnum fordiae.

The first flower ever on Merrilliopanax alpinus (BSWJ 13939) is nearly over.

Impressive new growth on Schefflera rhododendrifolia. The plant is now 15 feet tall.

2023 – CHW

The very ancient dark red Azalea indica outside the front door.

Below the lawn a rather attractive wild flower which I do not remember seeing before, at least as such a stand out flower. Galium verum or Lady’s Bedstraw I think.

Lady Cynthia Carew Pole’s day lilies as good as over by the tower. The original names long last but I try to piece together what they might be.

This looks like Hemerocallis ‘Marion Vaughn’.

Unknown.

Perhaps Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus.

Unknown.

Hemerocallis ‘El Desperado’.

Possibly Hemerocallis ‘Catherine Woodbury’.

Tropaeolum ciliatum full out by the Georgian Hall.

2022 – CHW
Grass cutting starts in Penvergate with two machines. There are two plants of Aesculus wilsonii here and one has done especially well.

The Azalea indica by the front door is covered in flower all at once. A far better flowering than for years.

Flower buds nearly open on Clethra kaipoensis.

Syringa yunnanensis (SBEC 1022) planted in 2015 is now multi stemmed and 10-12ft tall with most flowers at the top of the new large shrub.

Cornus hongkongensis just coming out. Not many bracts this year and the best plant blown over last year below Hovel Cart Road.

Rhododendron auriculatum with some drought dieback. One to collect seed from in case it dies after this excessive flowering.

A young Euonymus tingens with its purple speckled flowers. This becomes a tree but our original introduction has few flowers in its old age.

Ilex gagnepaniana going ahead well.

A young Staphylea bumalda (BSWJ 11053) has dieback after planting last year. It appears to be the true species unlike the plant on Rookery Path which is labelled S. bumalda but is probably a hybrid with S. colchica.

Dipelta floribunda with seed capsules. Dipelta have short but spectacular lives.

Styrax americanus – Kankakea Form – is now properly out.

A wonderful show on Magnolia sieboldii on the Main Ride. Small flowers on this form.

I have missed the flowers on Magnolia rostrata this year.

Schefflera species Nova (NJM 13.118) with its gigantic new growth.

Metapanax davidii with slug damage on the new growth.

Now off to the Isle of Wight.

2021 – CHW
Hydrangea seemanii will shortly be out.

The pink form of Rhododendron decorum at its best.

Styrax wilsonii now properly out with bees in attendance.

Styrax americanus is not quite out yet beside it.

Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea Pendula’

Had we been at the Hampton Court show in 10 days’ time this would have been a feature plant – Lomatia ferruginea at its best. We pruned up the lower branches last autumn and the trunk is producing new shoots.

Ligustrum confusum with huge inflorescences.

The attractive bark of Maytenus boaria with some branches weeping and drooping as is normal.

Another separate plant of Maytenus boaria has much more erect and upright branches.

The oldest plant left of Rehderodendron macrocarpum is dying and half the stem is rotten.

2020 – CHW
Hovel Cart Road has been cut first this year so a trip to investigate. There are four well developed Cornus here (one over) and several younger plants with, as yet, no flower.Cornus kousa ‘Summer Stars’ is laden with bracts just turning pink. A spreading pendulous habit.

Cornus kousa ‘Schmetterling’ only has a few on the very tips of its spreading and equally pendulous branches.

Cornus ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ is long over elsewhere but this one seems to be having a secondary flush after the recent rains. The flowers are within the plant and not standing proud to it as is normal.

The young Quercus cleistocarpa which produced a few seed heads last year with viable seed has plenty more forming this year again with secondary male flower spikes alongside. Odd bronzy new growth.

This may or may not be Viburnum globosum. Just over. There are two on the planting plans but no other Viburnums shown in this location.

Rhododendron maddenii below Donkey Shoe below the laurel hedge. Sparse flowering this year.

A couple of Tilia species leaves which I may have missed before at Tin Garden:
Tilia amurensis from Cholipo.

Tilia paucicostata recovering from drought and roe deer.

Eucryphia lucida ‘Pink Cloud’ is exceptional today at Donkey Shoe.

Magnolia ‘Silk Road’ did have its first bud but it got eaten by a squirrel as you can see. Good new growth from the rains (Magnolia tripetala x (Magnolia tripetala x Magnolia obovata)).

2019 – CHW
Time to investigate our Manglietias in flower. I have always known we had three ancient trees and been led to believe that two were M. insignis and one M. hookeri. In the event today I have actually found four veteran trees which I have tried to photograph but they are so huge and tall or enclosed by other things that I have not done this very well. Frankly I am still very puzzled as to which is which and need guidance. More excitingly, I have found three more species of Manglietia with their first flower buds here following last summer’s heat I assume.

Manglietia moto (now Magnolia kwangtungensis) with its first ever flower buds – about 10. Tom Hudson collector’s number TH 2777. Planted 2008. Orange indumentum covers the buds as well as the earlier new growth.

These two ancient Manglietias are above Crinodendron Hedge and planted side by side. The outer tepals are pink at first as you would expect with M. insignis. However the tepals recurve back under the flower as it comes out fully and the inner tepals are initially fairly erect and creamy white. Both trees are, I think, the same in flower although it can be confusing looking at the odd lower flower against the multitude at the top of the tree. The flowers are a great deal smaller than those on the young M. insignis we saw in flower last week but they would be on such an old tree. Beside these trees I find a forgotten second mature Lithocarpus cleistocarpa. Did I know it was there? Once perhaps but long since forgotten!

This is the Manglietia below Donkey Shoe. It is full out. After a great deal of looking I see no pink outer tepals but they may just have recurved under the now open flowers. From memory I have seen them pink here before. It is difficult to see how this tree is much different from M. insignis but I have no idea what M. hookeri looks like by way of comparison. So it will be down not to flower size or colour but to leaf stipule sizes and leaf nodes. New Trees does not list insignis or hookeri so I am stumped for detailed information.

I cannot find this young Manglietia caveana on any list? Perhaps I am wrong in thinking it is a Manglietia? [No it is after checking but Magnolia caveana now of course.]

This one is supposedly Manglietia yuyuanensis (now Magnolia yuyuanensis but apparently a synonym for Magnolia floribunda var. fardiano in Flora of China). Also with its first flowers here which we look forward to.

A young Magnolia sapaensis from Crug Farm (FMWJ 13315) is doing well. Only when I passed it for the third time did I notice the first three buds at different stages of development. Only three years from planting which is a big bonus. I guess it must be a Manglietia but it is, again, not on the definitive name change list.

Now to the Rookery to look at the fourth ancient tree which I had been led to believe was Manglietia hookeri (now Magnolia hookeri). The tree is so tall and enclosed by other evergreen oaks that I find more petals on the ground than I can make out clear flowers on the tree. No pink outer tepals visible but otherwise I am no further forward.

So at least we have come across three species of Manglietia which will be flowering in the next month. I wonder if they will prove to be true to name?

2018 – CHW
Yesterday a garden tour with a family whose mother works at KPK.

Chionanthus virginicus in full flower hidden away at the top of the garden in a poor spot. The one at Burncoose flowers much better albeit in dappled shade. The American fringe tree is a better bet than the Chinese one in terms of flower and shape of the plant I think (Chionanthus retusus).

Robinia hispida var kelseyi or var rosea. I am not sure and planting predates 1997 so is not yet computerised. A medium shrub with arching branches and no spines but its leaf form is not that of the R. hispida which we sell in the nursery and the flowers are not pink. Robinia hispida var kelseyi has lilac-pink flowers so that seems the best bet as far as I know.

Deutzia pulchra with its ‘lily of the valley’ drooping racemes of flowers. The buds are globular. A splendid plant introduced and given to us by Roy Lancaster.

I have just missed the pink form of Rhododendron viscosum flowering away in Old Park. A big clump which it was a surprise to find last year. One for Asia to propagate as it is perhaps nicer than the white form at Burncoose.

Hydrangea seemanii just coming out on the wall. Its bulbous buds are starting to spring open. I first saw this then relatively new introduction at Trevarno gardens 35 years ago by torchlight after a drunken dinner there with Peter Bickford-Smith. The gardens are no longer open to the public and are now owned by an American and a Russian.

2017 – CHW
To West Sussex for a 60th birthday party. A good mixed garden with many Burncoose plants. Dry but on green sand so generally water not far down into the soil.Clerodendron trochotomum ‘Carnival’ as a large shrub. We have had this in the catalogue but not recently. Clearly not tender here.

This wonderful trachelospermum surrounds the door to the garden. Is it Trachelospermum jasminoides or Trachelospermum asiaticum? The small leaf suggests Trachelospermum asiaticum but the flower is pure white and does not look to be fading to yellow as it should. The pure white flowers mean it is actually Trachelospermum jasminoides although the leaves are much smaller than the norm. A brilliant scented surround. Is this a hybrid between the two species?

Schizophragma integrifolium standing proud on a wall. Quite a sight.

Cedrus atlantica f. glauca with plenty of new cones formed on a 50 to 60 year old tree.