The Burncoose sales table with more colour this year than for several years.

Syzygium smithii with a purple fruit which will then turn red.

Meliosma pungens flowering harder than I have ever seen beside the car park.

Lathyrus grandiflorus flowers in a vase.

Tom Hudson’s Deutzia longifolia in all its splendour as it always has been on the day of the plant fair.

Aechmea gamesepala on Lower Kenneggy Nursery’s stand.

At last I manage to purchase a stock plant of Lonicera subaequalis. Roy Lancaster had promised a plant for some years but it is hard to propagate and we have failed to find it elsewhere. Grown by Roseland House Nursery.

Also a stock plant of Luzuriaga radicans which is listed in Hilliers as a shrub rather than a climber.

Solanum pyracanthum with its horrid prickles above its leaves.

Prostanthera baxteri looked very tender. Another new species.

Paeonia ‘Bartzella’ – a good double yellow.

2023 – CHW
Over the next couple of days the idea is to catch up on our Syringa species which flower later than the Syringa vulgaris varieties that are well over.

Syringa wilsonii (S. tomentella) in its second year of flowering. The flowers spikes are getting larger.

Viburnum wilsonii alongside it has made remarkably quick growth. The flowers are good but the berries are exceptional.

Still a few flowers on Michelia figo ‘White Caviar’.

Melicytis obovatus is now almost a small tree – albeit multi-stemmed.

Tail end flowers on Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Black Beauty’.

Flowers on Ilex yunnanensis which is developing well as an upright shrub. At Rosemoor it is used as a columnar windbreak.

Pterostyrax psilophyllus var. leveillei nicely out with its odd tri-lobed leaves.

The blown over and cut back Catalpa bungei Duclouxii group (as I see we must now call it) is already providing good flowers on the more or less instant regrowth.

Starting new growth on Schefflera rhododendrifolia.

2022 – CHW

Catalogue proofing of the Burncoose 2023 catalogue going well with about one more full day to complete the first proof this long bank holiday weekend. The Jubilee service at St Pauls served as a backdrop.

Styrax japonicus ‘Sohuksan’ (‘Emerald Pagoda’) is, as usual, the first of the styrax to be out by quite some way. What a display here when you get up in under the tree.

A young Pterostyrax psilophyllus var. leveillei flowering extremely well with the leaves yet to appear properly.

The beautiful bronzy new growth on Fagus longipetiolata.

Gorgeous yellow new growth on Picea glauca ‘Piccolo’.

The best young plant with a proper set of flowers and decent sized leaves that I have seen on the several Rhododendron obiculare planted out recently. This one in the old Orchid House Nursery bed.

A newly planted Sophora davidii flowering away.

The Catalpa bungei f. duclouxii which blew over is, as expected, shooting away well. The name change from C. duclouxii is unhelpful.

New growth on a young Lithocarpus harlandii – a new species to us.

2021 – CHW
Colin French has sorted the muddle over what I thought was Allium trifoliatum outside the front gates here. I did actually notice this growing at Burncoose as well this week opposite the mist houses in the main bluebell patch. Sixty-seven recordings of this plant in Cornwall since 2000 and circa 100 pre 1999. I went to get more photographs of what we now know is Ornithogalum umbellatum subsp. campestre but flowering had already finished (seven to ten days) and the plants had vanished for another year.Also attached are Colin’s photographs of ‘bugloss’ (Lycopsis arvensis) in the Porthluney car park and his notes:

It is Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum subsp. campestre). It was once grown by the horticultural industry in Cornwall for cut flowers and is sometimes found as a relic of cultivation in fields and is occasionally found as a garden escape. I did not find it growing anywhere in and around Caerhays myself, so would to know where it was growing (outside which front gate?) so I can make a record of it on the database.

I have finished the first part of the survey and will return again in August. Once nice find I had was of Bugloss (Lycopsis arvensis) which is growing at the back of the beach car park (at SW97444140) – the car park with the cafe. There were two plants flowering yesterday. It is quite rare in Cornwall and is one of those plants that is a joy to find.I am fairly certain that I saw this growing on the hedge by the Lookout last year but probably misidentified it or ignored it as I had no idea what it was.

Deutzia subulata in full flower now on the bank above the path down to White Stiles field. Right next to Deutzia pulchra which is not yet out. Both were gifts from Roy Lancaster. A small but now substantial species of great beauty with its pink buds and white flowers. Planted here in 2007.

First flowers ever here on Pomaderis elliptica planted last autumn above Higher Quarry Nursery (the proper name may be Pomaderis apetala?). Anyway a large evergreen New Zealand shrub. Hilliers say it needs a warm, sunny, sheltered position or a conservatory. We will see! It is actually in shelter and dappled shade. Frankly not that exciting as yet! Proving, yet again, that rarity and dullness so often go together.

The ancient Rhododendron floccigerum still has a single flower but the fallen plant has been comprehensively layered to ensure its survival. This is the way to preserve old rhodo relics like this.

The original 90+ year old Magnolia (Manglietia) insignis full of bud with the first flower out today.

A disaster! I had thought that the 60 to 70 year old Magnolia dawsoniana (seedling but true to name) outside the front gates had merely had its new growth and early leaves frosted. Now I fear it is dying. The second tree, of a similar age, has grown through the frost and leafed up opposite on the other side of the drive. Perhaps it will be strong enough to produce secondary growth with dieback or perhaps it is a victim of the second (February) ‘Beast from the East’?

2020 – CHW
A walk around Old Park in the burning heat.

Deutzia pulchra just coming out with its racemes of lily of the valley flowers. This is a large shrub which is already 10ft or so on a bank with drooping branches.

Deutzia subulata beside it is a much smaller thing and full out.

This is the same clump of Aesculus wilsonii from which we gathered so many conkers last autumn. These are now germinating well in the greenhouse.

A solitary flower on a Magnolia wilsonii on a hot bank. Doubt it will survive unless it rains soon. You cannot begin to water everything planted in the last five years which is now struggling. It is starting to get a bit depressing.

A late semi evergreen azalea on the top ride which I have not taken in before.

The pinkish form of Rhododendron (or Azalea if you prefer) viscosum is out below the Gunnera on the top ride. The pure white form is not.

The Gunnera manicata clump has its toes in a spring.

This Quercus acuta was stripped of every branch it had by a falling tree but has reshot vigorously and even a squirrel’s dray at the top now to deal with.

In a clump of Rhododendron auriculatum seedlings one has new growth and the others do not. Every seedling in a batch is ever so slightly different!

One of the minor revolutions in keepering today is that we continue to feed the pheasants from hoppers right through the year. Today cock pheasants are in full moult and hiding after their sexual exertions with the females. The survivors need more food/protein than nature can readily provide. Particularly the hens who will have laid far too many random eggs or wasted time pretending to incubate a few of them. No doubt we are feeding plenty of corvids and squirrels as well as smaller birds.

A newly planted magnolia casualty which was nicely in leaf.

But a Michelia which struggled and died back (as you can see) over three or four years now has a decent set of new leaves in a bit more shade.

More deer damage on a Thujopsis dolbrata but three others are, as yet, untouched.

The value of the water meadows in drought conditions when there is no grass in the cliff fields. Here 15 young steers enjoy themselves.

They do not touch much except the grass.

And have left the yellow iris alone. Presumably the taste of iris was not to their liking.

Still plenty of water flowing from the spring below the top lodge under the trash into Old Park.

But, the other side of the same hedge has cracked up where it would normally still be damp.

One decent young Rhododendron decorum below White Stiles.

2019 – CHW
Yesterday’s excitement was the rare plant sale at Tregrehan. Fifteen or so nurseries and say 600 enthusiasts who were barred from entry before 9.40. We took 150 plants from Burncoose and sold 75-80% of them.These were our ‘three’ sales tables at the start.

Meliosma pungens in full flower which I have never seen here. The young plant (very dull) died but the old original hangs on just. I bought a replacement.

Lithocarpus kawakamii with new seed just forming.

A huge Buddleia colvillei planted in 1992 with paler flowers than ours and one with a white centre to each flower.

Pachystegia insignis flowering at the Tregrehan garden entrance.

Rosa ‘Alberic Barbier’ (climber) on Tom’s wall.

Rosa ‘Golden Showers’ (climber) beside it.

Zelkova serrata ‘Variegation’ on Nicholas Lock’s stand.

Aextoxicon punctata with excellent new growth.

Paeonia ‘Nippon Beauty’.

Another superb new Deutzia species – Deutzia longifolia and, of course, a plant gifted from Tom. This is the 10x15ft shrub by his car park. Asia can now get cracking with the new growth.

Stachyurus praecox ‘Devon Purple’ – a new clone to me with really red new growth.

Cyphomandra corymbiflora – a new genus to us from the Andes.

Two new ferns for Clare to look for as new entries in the next catalogue:
Blechnum cycadifolium

Blechnum fluviatile

Myrsine salicina (now renamed Rapanea salicifolia) was another novelty with dark red pendulous tubular flowers on Treseders Nursery display. Greenhouse only I suspect.

Polygonatum mengtzense f. tonkinensis on the Crug stand with unusual red fruits.

Parastyrax sp. novar (BWJ 15185) was an expensive purchase for Caerhays (£50) from Crug Farm. Not a huge plant! Looks more like a Rehderodendron.

A large plant of Grevillea rhyolitica stole the show but needs a greenhouse to survive which is sad. A wonderful grevillea species which flowers all year around.

Merrilopanax alpinus (BSWJ 13939), another arm and limb which we have already.

This is what we have very probably been selling under the wrong name (grevillea) at Burncoose. Griselinia scandens apparently from Chile although Clare’s research suggests there may be more to this yet.

Today’s plants delivered back to Caerhays from various sources.

2018 – CHW
Planning an additional new greenhouse for Asia and so to an inspection of the new plants to go out next spring.

Schizophragma hydrangeoides on the top wall is really quite a show today. Planted 20 or more years ago in full sun and exposed to cold winds and salty gales it has been slow to develop as well as this.

Hydrangea anomala ssp. quelpartensis (Hydrangea quelpartensis) is just getting going nearby but in shade. Burncoose stocked a form of H. quelpartensis several years ago which seemed more of a dwarf grower than this. We dropped it as it was not popular but, seeing this flowering well today, I suspect wrongly.

Magnolia ‘Purple Prince’ with a late flower or two in the frames. The insides of the petals are pure white and contrast effectively with the outsides. We saw this last year at Windsor and it was an absolutely excellent newish variety there which was flowering late in the season. Similar perhaps to the colour combination of Magnolia ‘Old Port’?

Styrax japonicus ‘Westpelaar’ is another new clone for our collection with large leaves and flowers. It may perhaps eventually be as good as Styrax japonicus ‘Emerald Pagoda’?

Euonymus porphyreus with sprays of delicate pale reddish-purple flowers. Another odd new euonymus species to us and quite attractive in its own small way.

Euonymus wilsonii is clearly a vigorous floppy evergreen shrub. Another new one which I imagine was once here but died out. A Wilson introduction from 1904 which Hillier’s says ‘may not presently be in cultivation’! It will be interesting to see how it performs.

2017 – CHW
The objective today was to photograph some of the very last deciduous azaleas to come out. The colours are unspectacular compared to what has come earlier and is now over but, planted on the drive as they are, a nice display of late flowers for the visitors. I have always assumed they were old Rhododendron occidentale hybrids planted by JC.Every year for decades a certain specific caterpillar eats all the new growth on this walnut in the field. It produces a second set of leaf later which accounts for its stunted habit. I wonder which moth (or butterfly) does the damage? Years ago we had a birch species in the Rookery which was similarly and quite specifically defoliated in spring by caterpillars.

Azalea ‘Gena May’ (I think) is a good late red with a hint of an orange centre.

Azalea unknown – a big clump by the Trevanion Holly.

Azalea unknown – yellow and perhaps the last of all to flower.

Cornus kousa ‘Summer Stars’ (perhaps as planting plan obscure but it looks starlike!). Attractive the way the bracts twirl about.

Azalea ‘Moidart’ is a gentle colour growing in the shade above Hovel Cart Road. 1996 planting from Glendoick.

Rhododendron dichroanthum subsp apodectum is just out. One to hybridise with if time next week but I see no old seed heads so we will need a different seed parent. What an unusual orange colour and a large calyx.

A small oak tree was felled yesterday in our new laurel clearing area to let in more light. An obvious rhododendron planting place for next spring.

Styrax formosanus var Hayatiana (BSWJ 6823) planted in 2010 has made an enormous small tree. It is simply plastered in flowers which, in full sun, are out before nearly all the others.

Paulownia kawakamii (RJW 9909) is now 25ft tall even though planted only in 2010. These are its first flowers ever seen here. This species was only introduced into cultivation in the UK in 1992 from Taiwan. This plant was from Crug Farm nursery. So that is two new species of paulownia flowering at Caerhays for the first time this year (see also Paulownia fortunei)! We now have at least four species here including also Paulownia tomentosa and Paulownia tomentosa ‘Lilacina’. Plenty of pictures earlier this year in the diary of the latter. I think we also have Paulownia fargesii but I cannot remember where.

A flower of Aesculus chinensis rather closer to the camera than the tall tree seen last week.

Rhododendron decorum – pink form – is only just now out above the sales point. Huge and very splendid it is. A close run thing as to whether this or Cornus ‘Satomi’ is the best plant flowering in the garden today.