Preparing for Rick Stein’s filming this afternoon and identifying what is best in the garden to film.
Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Wallaby’
Azalea kaempferi at its best at Donkey Shoe.
Philadelphus sericanthus just out. This is going to be a sizeable shrub.
Philadelphus caucasicus just out too. Two of the three plants are growing well.
Another plant of Rhododendron excellens in full flower two years from planting out.
This is the shot for filming – Rhododendron ‘Lem’s Monarch’ at its best.
Syringa wilsonii now full out.
These wild growing Papaver cambricum beside the drive are a joy. Welsh poppy – previously Meconopsis cambrica. Fairly rare in Cornwall as a native wildflower.
The end of filming with Rick Stein, his wife, and the film crew outside the front door. Filming of what may be 10 minutes of a BBC programme about Cornish life next spring took five hours. In the garden we filmed:
Styrax veitchiorum (Styrax odoratissimum)
Rhododendron ‘Lem’s Monarch’
Rhododendron excellens and Rhododendron williamsianum
Magnolia sieboldii
If we had not all been well prepared it would have taken much longer. Rick has been commissioned to host the making of 15 separate programmes over 45 days filming. As he said, little time for his other businesses.
2020 – CHW
A trip to look at the very late flowering deciduous azaleas by the Trevanion Holly. I have more or less identified these in previous years as a separate set of American bred hybrids. No names sadly but they are very different in texture/colour and flowering time to all the others on the drive.
Along the way I find Deutzia ningpoensis (chunii) which we need pictures for on the website. Very pretty as it comes out.
A large group of Belgian and French horticulturalists and gardeners. A four hour trip around which was enjoyed by all. Slow going which is exactly how I like to look at a new garden and unknown new plants.Some wild orchids in the long grass above the greenhouse. Really rather rare here.
2018 – CHW
A young Acer macrophyllum now just in leaf in the new Isla Rose Plantation. I fear it is not in the right place and needs moving next winter.
The Great Gardens of Cornwall meeting today is at Lamorran Gardens above St Mawes. 35 years ago when Burncoose worked on a project here it was all exposed to the elements. Today the garden is shrouded in dense growth and small damp glades of exotic, rare and tender plants which you seldom, if ever, see surviving outside the greenhouse. A unique and wonderful plantsman’s paradise and the smallest of the genuinely Great Gardens of Cornwall.We have a quick tour after the meeting:The tallest and largest Clianthus puniceus I have ever seen which has been flowering since January.
Off on an oak collection review with Beatrice Chassé of which I will write more when I get her findings and renaming after her two day visit.Along the way I spot two flowers on Rhododendron ‘Crest’ (Hawk Group) just coming out.
So an investigation of Magnolia sieboldii and more newly planted forms.Firstly Magnolia sieboldii ‘Ming Pyong Gal’. Quite a nice large flower but one wonders if this is just ‘a good form’ or if there is a bit of Magnolia sieboldii sinensis in it?
Secondly Magnolia sieboldii ‘Mishko Renge’. The flowers hang down a bit more than you might expect of sieboldii and are on the large side but hardly reddish stamens as sieboldii sinensis should have.
Thirdly one of several sets of Magnolia sieboldii from seed in the garden. Lots of small flowers which are not all out at once and which hang at right angles to the twig/branch rather than hanging down. The central cluster of stamens is very clearly a light pink. A spreading habit, easy to grow, and with abundant pink seedpods if you get there before the squirrels.
Then off to Belvoir Castle for a board meeting and an inspection of our multiple woodland plantings there at dusk and dawn.
2001 – FJW
The rain that had begun in mid September and kept going until May 1st. Record rain in many places.
1926 – JCW
Auklandii pure is going back fast and zuelanicum x not come out yet, the soulei x campylocarpum very very pretty. The Davidia not quite open.
1911 – JCW
Recurvas not open as much as in 1909. Daff crossing over. Montana ⅓ open and so Auklandii’s.
1909 – JCW
No recurvas yet, a little of Campylocarpum. Auklandii not quite, ⅓ cushion Iris, frost at night, nearly finished crossing.
1906 – JCW
All recurvas open and late recurvas seedling. Rhodo yunnanense, campylocarpum, thomsonii, falconeri, auklandii, royali, augustinii, dalhousii (nearly) etc, etc. Crimson Hookeri shows colour. Roses opening in beds. Cushion Iris nearly all out, and crossing mostly over.
1901 – JCW
Picked some recurvas, sent two fine Poet flowers to Appleshaw.
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