2024 – CHW
A pleasant email from Seamus O’Brien at Kilmacurragh Garden in Ireland.
A quick walk through the Rockery today.
Rhododendron ‘Wee Bee’ just out in Rookery.
John Bond’s Magnolia ‘Columbus’ (M. denudata x M. veitchii) is just coming out on Bond Street. Most years much later than this.
Camellia japonica ‘China Doll’ laden with flowers.
Magnolia x veitchii above the Green Gate. His was an open pollenated seed from the Chollipo Arboretum in South Korea.
Magnolia ‘Sweet Merlot’ beside it.
Suddenly 3 dead young yew trees in the Rookery. Roots waterlogged I would say.
Melliodendron xylocarpum now at its very best. Partial shade suits them with their toes in a damp spot. Finally we have 2 of these magnificent trees of flowering size after many attempts and several disasters. Even the buds are magnificent!
More drought casualties now apparent. This Rhododendron sinogrande was lifted and taken to Chelsea in 2016. A sad disaster.
Beside it however is a survivor now in flower.
Yet another dead big leafed rhododendron.
2023 – CHW
Replanting a cleared and tidied area at The Vean.
Replanting a cleared and tidied area at The Vean.
Giddle Orchard today from the drive. The magnolia in the background is Magnolia ‘Athene’.
Camellia x williamsii ‘Delia Williams’ just starting by the castle wall.
Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ and the view through the arch today.
Camellia x williamsii ‘Rosemary Williams’ and Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’.
A sterile two year old female cone on Araucaria bidwillii which had fallen off the tree and had begun to disintegrate.
Buddleia pterocaulis longifolia in flower in the Isla Rose. Another new species to us.
A cock pheasant picks a fight!
Yet more pictures of the New Zealand form of Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ in its pomp.
2022 – CHW
Asia has started layering our rarer lapagerias in the greenhouse. This seems to be the only way of propagating these plants successfully.
James Williams from Tregullow sends me pictures of his seedling Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ ‘flowering as well as it ever has’ at the back of the house.
Magnolia ‘Mr Julian’ which was put up for an RHS award at the Rosemoor show last weekend and received a Preliminary Commendation. Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ was awarded a First Class Certificate (FCC) at the same time which has pleased Jaimie and Michael.
Magnolia ‘Rebecca’s Perfume’ – another plant just out while others are over.
From the nursery a picture of our excellent Lampranthus plants just starting to flower rather earlier than one might expect.
Here are more pictures of our exhibits at last weekend’s Rosemoor show with a cup for the best magnolia flower at the show.
2021 – CHW
Two of the four boxes of plants from Pan-Global have arrived well packed and in good order. Hopefully the other two will turn up. Pan-Global are just as short of rare stock as Burncoose and the list I chose from their website availability list had to be adjusted to what was actually left! We know the feeling all too well this spring, but plants do not grow and multiply without time and propagation. You can only sell them once. Crûg Farm’s response to our order was much the same. We will bring what we can from your list when we visit but do not expect too much of it. Lots of new plants to investigate and think through the best places for them.Nothaphoebe cavaleriei – greenish white undersides to the leaves. SW China – laurel family.
Two of the four boxes of plants from Pan-Global have arrived well packed and in good order. Hopefully the other two will turn up. Pan-Global are just as short of rare stock as Burncoose and the list I chose from their website availability list had to be adjusted to what was actually left! We know the feeling all too well this spring, but plants do not grow and multiply without time and propagation. You can only sell them once. Crûg Farm’s response to our order was much the same. We will bring what we can from your list when we visit but do not expect too much of it. Lots of new plants to investigate and think through the best places for them.Nothaphoebe cavaleriei – greenish white undersides to the leaves. SW China – laurel family.
Calocedrus formosana – rather more tender than Calocedrus decurrens.
Pittosporum glabratum with flower buds to add to our species collection. This one looks rather dull, I fear!
Cornus excelsa (F & M 57) is an evergreen species from Mexico.
A garden tour in the afternoon to look at the magnolias at their best on what would normally have been the annual gardening weekend.
Magnolia ‘Kew Surprise’ just out in the Auklandii Garden.
Magnolia x loebneri ‘Merrill’ and Camellia japonica.
Magnolia ‘Philip Tregunna’ and Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta.
Magnolia ‘Philip Tregunna’ one day on and fading slightly in colour.
Magnolia ‘Delia Williams’ one day on.
Magnolia ‘Aurora’ just out in Kennel Close.
Magnolia ‘Sir Harold Hillier’ just starting but wind damaged overnight.
Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta in its pomp.
Magnolia ‘Ian’s Red’ now nicely out.
2020 – CHW
Our magnolia exhibit in the class for three sprays of magnolia at the Rosemoor show today which won The Lamellen Cup. ‘Caerhays Surprise’, ‘Princess Margaret’ and ‘Margaret Helen’. This is our second entry which actually came third in the class.
On the magnolia show bench today were:
Our vase of Magnolia campbellii ‘Princess Margaret’.
A really good Magnolia ‘Sweetheart’.
We had put up an exhibition of the x williamsii camellias bred at Caerhays.
Our Magnolia campbellii ‘Valentine’s Torch’ (as this yellow in bud campbellii has now been named) won The Brother Vincent Cup.
First prize for the trio of single magnolia blooms ‘Apollo’, ‘Caerhays Surprise’ and ‘Felix Jury’ (top).
Jaimie receiving one cup without handshake.
And Michael receives the other.
Of interest at the show on Saturday were the following. Since none of us are likely to be attending a flower show for many months I thought it was worth enjoying what was on display. The garden at Rosemoor gets better and better each year.
Grevillea barklyana
Leucodendron salignum
Rhododendron sutchuenense
Rhododendron argipeplum
Rhododendron fansipanensis – never seen before
Rhododendron montroseanum
Rhododendron retusum
Rhododendron ‘Snowy River’ (Rhododendron ririei x Rhododendron niveum)
Rhododendron ‘Trebah Gem’
Rhododendron baihuaense JN 11050
Rhododendron chrysodoron KW 28078
Rhododendron recurvoides
Rhododendron ‘Spinbur’ (Rhododendron spinuliferum x Rhododendron burmanicum)
Aucuba himalaica var. dolichophylla
Prunus laurocerasus ‘Castlewellan’
Amazing daffodils from Ron Scamp.‘Apricot Whirl’
‘Pink Glacier’
Corydalis nobilis
Grevillea x semperflorens
Alnus ullungdoensis
Acacia boormanii
Lithodora zahnii
Paeonia cambessedessii
Euphorbia rigida
Pinus palustris
Camellia ‘Mercury Supreme’
Camellia ‘Pastel Shades’
Helleborus ‘Blue Metallic Lady’
Coleonema pulchellum
2019 – CHW
Today an examination of Magnolia stellata and its forms growing here. Against the run of play they seem to be coming out at their normal time instead of being rather earlier than the main flush of other magnolia species. Certainly the old 1893 M. stellata planted plant on the front of the castle is later into flower than usual.Magnolia stellata ‘Chrysanthenumiflora’ in the sun. Just coming out so you can see the vertical pink striping at its best on the outside of the tepals. This was actually labelled as Magnolia stellata ‘Kiskei’. ‘Kiskei’ is certainly pink but the striping makes it definitely ‘Chrysanthenumiflora’ I believe.
Today an examination of Magnolia stellata and its forms growing here. Against the run of play they seem to be coming out at their normal time instead of being rather earlier than the main flush of other magnolia species. Certainly the old 1893 M. stellata planted plant on the front of the castle is later into flower than usual.Magnolia stellata ‘Chrysanthenumiflora’ in the sun. Just coming out so you can see the vertical pink striping at its best on the outside of the tepals. This was actually labelled as Magnolia stellata ‘Kiskei’. ‘Kiskei’ is certainly pink but the striping makes it definitely ‘Chrysanthenumiflora’ I believe.
Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star’ was planted in 1991 and is now about 15ft tall with a similar or wider width. An impressive show.
This is labelled Magnolia stellata ‘Jane Platt’ (syn. stellata ‘Rosea’). It is certainly pink in bud but I do not think it is yet pink enough in flower to qualify as the true ‘Jane Platt’. We have often bought in duds like this in the nursery but perhaps I am being unfair as the plant is still small and in the teeth of the wind today. I guess it may really be Magnolia stellata ‘King Rose’ which is pink in bud fading quickly but there do not seem enough tepals.
Magnolia ‘Raspberry Fun’ was bred at the Chollipo Arboretum and is becoming a vigorous small tree. This means it is a Magnolia kobus x M. stellata (ie a x loebneri) seedling from Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’. As I have written before this is a very good floriferous magnolia for smaller gardens.
This one is also labelled as Magnolia stellata ‘Kiskei’ but the striping is rather less pronounced and it is certainly paler. Perhaps it is!? I am now getting seriously confused.
This is supposed to be Magnolia stellata ‘Centennial’ but it is too nearly over to be certain. If there was a pink tinging in the buds, as there should have been, I have missed it.
This one is, I am pretty much sure, Magnolia stellata ‘Water Lily’ which has rather more numerous drooping tepals.
This is the 1893 planted Magnolia stellata so at least we can be sure there is no buggering about with the naming of this. There are noticeably less petals/tepals on these more simple flowers.
I have therefore managed to find almost all of the named forms of Magnolia stellata today except a decent ‘Jane Platt’. There is a decent one in the Burncoose garden.
Basically it is all about the number of tepals in each flower (although these of course vary from flower to flower on the same bush) and how the flowers present themselves when properly out. The colour bit is rather vaguer and prone to confusion.
2018 – CHW
To London (and back) in a day to receive the Victoria Medal of Honour from the RHS President, Sir Nicholas Bacon. Unusually good lunch from the RHS. Carol Klein had a burst of tears at her acceptance speech for VHM. I said one line “We are the amateurs; the plants are the professionals.” Good applause but probably because I was the last one up after an awards ceremony lasting 1½ hours.
2017 – CHW A trip to Old Park which many visitors will not yet have experienced since we cleared the debris and opened it up to the public. Today it was at its absolute best and I will let you enjoy it for yourself! Come quickly and see it too.
A young Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ flowering for the first time on the way to Old Park.
The magnolias beside the newly restored old hunt kennels are full out.
The view from the top of the hill looking into the wood.
A Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ seedling with reasonable colour above the path.
Another of the same below the path much improved since we have cleared the tree cover.
One of the three original plants here of the wild collected Magnolia campbellii Alba. This one has seldom been seen but is an absolutely pure white.
A Magnolia dawsoniana which is now thriving with more light.
A bold surviving Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red’.
This is a fine Magnolia sargentiana robusta by the gunnera patch.
The pink form of Rhododendron arboreum in maturity.
Yet more magnolias along the top path – all perfect today.
Now down to the centre of the wood and still more!
A true Magnolia sprengeri var diva long lost and forgotten is now flowering nicely.
The second Lanarth seedling from below.
Looking back again at the old hunt kennels with five or six magnolias out today. You can see them all from the main drive which was the whole point of planting them here. Magnolias from afar!
I wonder how many magnolia flowers we have just experienced in Old Park? If we said 500 to 1,000 per tree (surely and underestimate for some) x 30 trees that would be say 20,000 blooms!
2016 – CHW
Fine, still and dry (again). Finally we have some spring warmth in the sun.Above the wall a ‘Caerhays Belle’ sister seedling is coming out. Pleasant enough and a good splash from the front door but nowhere near as good as the true Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’.
Fine, still and dry (again). Finally we have some spring warmth in the sun.Above the wall a ‘Caerhays Belle’ sister seedling is coming out. Pleasant enough and a good splash from the front door but nowhere near as good as the true Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’.
The large Michelia doltsopa above the Auklandii Garden and Magnolia ‘Mr Julian’ look wonderful from Rookery Path above. Both are just past their best.
Sadly just above Rookery Path the newly registered Magnolia ‘Lanarth Surprise’ has been blown to smithereens so we will have to wait another year to see this again. Many more buds than last year.
A nice 25 year old Michelia doltsopa seedling above the foliage (japonica) camellias is flowering. Now about 20-30ft tall and looking well in a good spot.
In 2010 we planted three more Michelia doltsopas together nearby. All three are doing well but one has a very different leaf structure, size and form than the other two. We have seen this before with younger michelias where those with bigger chubbier leaves flower more quickly and much more profusely than those with smaller more upright leaves. Almost male and female forms as we have said before. However we cannot yet prove if one form sets seeds and the other does not and probably this is nonsense anyway. Does this leaf variation mean that some of the supposed Michelia floribundas (see yesterday) are actually differing forms of Michelia doltsopa as some have argued? The flowers are so different that I do not think so.
Next door is a big surprise. Rhododendron arboreum 5392 which turns out to be the Blood Red arboreum the last clump of which died in Forty Acres a while ago. I am not sure whose wild seed collection this was but I assume the RHS/RCMG seed distribution list 20 years or so ago. These three plants were put in in 2009. I should have smelt a rat as Jaimie entered a flower of this at Rosemoor and asked me if it was ‘Blood Red’ arboreum. The judges agreed and first prize in its class.
Above it the three huge original plants of Magnolia kobus var borealis are just starting to come out. Magnolia ‘Kews Surprise’ is not.
We always forget that there is another original old Magnolia campbellii above the cashpoint but hidden away behind the Magnolia veitchii (white form and late flowering). From the Rookery and against a blue sky the top bit of it is just coming out today. The rest of the flowers are nearly over and have been out for five weeks. Readers of the diary may remember that I photographed this tree which still had last year’s green leaves on it in January.
The first full out corylopsis on Rookery Path – I saw some exhibits on the show bench at Rosemoor but this is the first here. Coryolopsis willmottiae (sinensis) I assume.
The first flowers on the Magnolia campbellii Alba seedling in the Auklandii Garden with some early Rhododendron sutchuenense hybrids framing it off. Looking down on them is the best way to see magnolias.
I might now recap on the best plants seen in Rosemoor Gardens during the show which we need to add to the Burncoose catalogue for 2017. There were not that many actually as Torrington is about a month behind Caerhays in flowering time this year. There is evidence of recent frost damage and a colder winter than ours.
Hamamelis (mollis) brevipetala
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Aphrodite’
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Rubin’
Betual albosinensis ‘Kenneth Ashburner’
2015 – CHWThe three old plants of Camellia reticulata ‘Captain Rawes’ below the Engine House are on their last legs. Despite additions of well-rotted manure over the years old age has caught up with them. At least some of these reticulatas were planted in 1897. Unlike most camellias reticulatas do not reshoot when cut down so one cannot reinvigorate them this way. This plant has always proved impossible from cuttings but James Williams’ gardener at Tregullow has managed it. A young plant now thrives in the Auklandii garden although it is a bit darker in colour than our originals.
Rhododendron ‘Bo Peep’ is at its absolute best on the main ride (the yellow form) and on the drive (the pink form). This was a JCW hybrid between Rhododendron lutescens and Rhododendron moupinense which received an AM in 1937. Normally out first in February; this year’s show has remained for weeks due to the continuing mild and calm weather.
1997 – FJW
Magnolias at their best – have rushed out – mild and fairly dry.
1985 – FJW
Serena Williams arrived at 5.10pm for her first visit. Smiled on entering. Four magnolias in flower and in sight as she did so.
1963 – FJW
Mild weather – moupinense, Golden Oriole have come through well.
1958 – FJW
Bud gone from all best Magnolias, Michelia were afflicted, culling easterly wind.
1933 – JCW
Wilsons big Magnolia shows colour, daffs are near their best. Wild duck hatched.1929 – JCW
A very late season, but two hot dry days have pushed a good few daffs open and several hybrid rhodo’s of which the best are the Thomsonii hybrids and the Sutchuenense hybrids.1924 – JCW
Very few Rhodo’s of any kind are opening, ciliatum with cantabile in the house and Watsonii with Calophytum outside. Fargesii, lutescens and barbatum show flowers hardly any others but hippophaeoides. The berberis hedge and the E hybrida bank are good, some reticulatas open on the top of the wall. Yellow trumpets ⅙ open.1906 – JCW
The second lot of Chinamen arrived and were planted all were very small.
Hi Charles
Do you think the Rhododendron Register needs changing? It gives the hybridiser of ‘Bo-peep’ as L. de Rothschild, or perhaps they both did the same cross! The yellow-flowered one got an AM in 1937 and is the cultivar ‘Bo-peep’. The pink one, and subsequent crosses of those two species, would therefore be more accurately labelled as Bo-peep Group.
Cheers, Mike