2026 – CHW
Placed out 75 – 80 plants from the greenhouse in new planting places of which there is suddenly no shortage! A good crop of Camellia species to Slip Rail and half a dozen of our own grafted magnolias. Scented rhodos to the Aucklandii Garden clearing. Plants up lifted for tree felling at the Hovel all now replanted.
The fir branch below the Engine House has been cleared up and the cut back camellias were dug out.
Then on to the many fallen trees at the top of the Rookery. Lots to clear here and many smashed rhodos around a large fallen Abies.
The new view from the top of the Rookery.
Magnolia ‘Kew’s Surprise’ at its best in the Aucklandii Garden.
Six hours of work later great progress in the Rookery and many stumps and small trees despatched to the bonfire.
Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ x M. ‘Lanarth’ – our breeding but, as yet, unnamed.
The Forsythia by the gents loos are excellent this year.
A few more new magnolias in White Styles:-
Label blown away.
Magnolia ‘Katja Landner’.
Magnolia ‘Avalon’ is the first magnolia into leaf this year that I have seen.
Magnolia ‘Nelly’.
Magnolia ‘Tsebbe Talsma’ not bad.
The lower path in Old Park is nearly clear of the two fallen Abies.
The top path in Old Park is now clear but still smouldering.
A young Camellia japonica ‘Volcano’.
Prunus ‘Snow Showers’ living up to its name.
Magnolia ‘Cassandra’ (M. ‘Big Dude’ x M. ‘Werrington’).
2025 – CHW
Philip Tregunna’s as yet unnamed hybrid on the drive. Is it sufficiently different to merit registration? Borderline.
Philip Tregunna’s as yet unnamed hybrid on the drive. Is it sufficiently different to merit registration? Borderline.
Magnolia ‘Charles Raffill’ on the drive.
Acer negundo var. violaceum in full flower.
Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x M. ‘Caerhays Surprise’.
Magnolia sprengeri ‘Westonbirt’.
Magnolia liliiflora ‘Holland Red’.
Magnolia dawsoniana ‘Chindit’.
Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’.
Magnolia ‘Cleopatra’ x M. ‘J. C. Williams’.
Magnolia ‘Star Wars’ x M. ‘Vulcan’.
Magnolia sprengeri ‘Daisy Diva’.
Magnolia ‘Pickard’s Ruby’ x M. ‘Werrington’.
2024 – CHW
A list of new things for the garden have arrived from Burncoose. Mainly from Mark Bulk and plenty of very rare new things. All need growing on before being large enough to plant out.- Campylotropis macrocarpa x 3
– Citronella gongonha
– Clematoclethra scandens subsp. actinidioides x 6
– Corynocarpus laevigatus
– Debregeasia edulis Elite
– Hoheria glabrata x 3
– Malus fusca
– Morella pensylvanica
– Myrceugenia leptospermoides
– Myricaria germanica
– Olearia lacunose
– Olearia odorata
– Populus koreanaI am particularly pleased to have some Clematoclethra which got a good write up in the Plantsman (when it was still allowed to be called this) which is a quarterly RHS magazine. These are twining climbers related to Actinidia. Two species were discovered by Ernest Wilson in 1908.Magnolia ‘Lanarth Surprise’ looking very good on Rookery path. The nursery has good plants of this for sale.
A list of new things for the garden have arrived from Burncoose. Mainly from Mark Bulk and plenty of very rare new things. All need growing on before being large enough to plant out.- Campylotropis macrocarpa x 3
– Citronella gongonha
– Clematoclethra scandens subsp. actinidioides x 6
– Corynocarpus laevigatus
– Debregeasia edulis Elite
– Hoheria glabrata x 3
– Malus fusca
– Morella pensylvanica
– Myrceugenia leptospermoides
– Myricaria germanica
– Olearia lacunose
– Olearia odorata
– Populus koreanaI am particularly pleased to have some Clematoclethra which got a good write up in the Plantsman (when it was still allowed to be called this) which is a quarterly RHS magazine. These are twining climbers related to Actinidia. Two species were discovered by Ernest Wilson in 1908.Magnolia ‘Lanarth Surprise’ looking very good on Rookery path. The nursery has good plants of this for sale.
The view from below M. ‘Lanarth Surprise’ across and over the Aucklandii Garden.
Finally dry enough to place out the large rhododendrons from 2 nursery beds into the large area cleared of camellia foliage plants last summer. The largest rhododendron planting undertaken at Caerhays for some decades. Some root balls too heavy for one person to lift so old sheets were used to avoid damaging the huge root balls during the move.
Magnolia (Michelia) doltsopa ‘White Phantom’ was named and registered last year.
Another Magnolia mollicomata ‘Burncoose Tennis Court’ in the Rockery.
Rhaphithamnus spinosus just coming out. The flowers will get much larger and a deeper blue.
The original Magnolia ‘Kew’s Surprise’ in the Rookery is a very good colour this year.
Another view from the Rookery – magnolias in the mist!
This Laureliopsis philippiana came as a seedling from under the huge three at Kilmacurragh. It was planted in the wrong place and moved to the new rhododendron area last autumn.
Lindera umbellata already in full leaf. If it did flower I didn’t catch it.
Lindera sericea in full flower and absolutely covered. Quite a spectacle today.
A group of 2013 planted Rhododendron sutchuenense. Amazing colour changes as the buds open fully.
Quercus chapensis has severe die back after only a mild winter. This was a seedling from a 2015 IDS conference in Korea. I doubt this species is viable here even in extreme shelter as here. I have cut away all last year’s new growth.
Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x M. ‘Pickard’s Ruby’ in Area 26 is improving with age.
Magnolia ‘Spring Rite’ just opening.
Magnolia ‘Summer Rose’ with its first flower – 2023 planted and yet another new name to us.
Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x M. campbellii ‘Darjeeling’ is excellent.
Rhododendron veitchianum Cubittii Group is the first of the scented ones to show. Far too early!
Camellia x williamsii ‘Jovey Carlyon’ sporting pink flowers at Donkey Shoe.
2023 – CHW
Mahonia leschenaultii flowering here for the first time.
Mahonia leschenaultii flowering here for the first time.
Acer negundo ‘Violaceum’ with its remarkable flower tassels.
Magnolia campbellii still looking good despite the overnight wind.
Magnolia campbellii ‘Darjeeling’ and a young Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’.
The view through the arch with Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ nearly at its absolute best.
Rhododendron arboreum subsp. cinnamomeum.
Camellia cuspidata now full out.
Another young Polyspora suddenly in flower at the top of the bush.
Magnolia campbellii and Magnolia ‘Mr. Julian’ (just out) from above on Rookery Path.
Rhododendron ‘Ostara’ and Jaimie’s new magnolia hybrid.
The Magnolia campbellii ‘Alba’ seedling in the Aucklandii Garden suddenly full out on a drab day.
2022 – CHW
This is one of only two flower of Jaimie’s cross in Old Park which is (the huge flowered) Magnolia ‘Atlas’ x Magnolia ‘Lanarth’. The flowers last year were frosted so this is the second attempt at its first flowering. Clearly a huge ‘Atlas’ type and shaped flower with the ‘Lanarth’ colour and more than a hint of white on the inside of the tepals as you would expect from ‘Atlas’. Very good indeed and exactly what Jaimie would have hoped for and expected from such a hand pollenated cross.
So now four new magnolia crosses flowering for the first time this year. What a year! All too early to decide if they merit registration and naming but much to look forward to with more flowers to assess next spring. At this stage of assessment (mine!) three are definitely good enough and the fourth, so far, borderline.
I cannot believe that others have not crossed ‘Atlas’ and ‘Lanarth’ already but will need to research this. I see nothing in the Eisenhut book but now need to check Magnoliastore listings of Philippe de Spoelberch’s crosses. [These suggest that this cross is not yet on the market.]
Flowers aplenty in the nursery on Magnolia ‘Satisfaction’.
Magnolia ‘Sweet Merlot’ at three stages as the colour fades.
Pittosporum tobira ‘Nana’ and Pittosporum tobira ‘Variegata’ growing side by side.
The last two flowers on Magnolia ‘Delia Williams’ on the lawn high up in front of a yew tree.
An early flowering form of Rhododendron serpyllifolium in the Rookery. Our other plants have even smaller flowers and flower a month later so this may be a hybrid?
First flowers out on a Magnolia dawsoniana seedling outside the arch.
Rhododendron sulfureum full out.
2021 – CHW
Still fine and sunny as we enter the best week of the year for Caerhays magnolias. In lockdown there is time to appreciate them rather more than usual.
Magnolia ‘Kew Surprise’ in the Rookery from another angle.
Rhododendron platypodon in the nursery bed and shortly to be planted out. Two flower buds on the three plants.
Rhododendron strigillosum in a similar condition. Amazing bristles or hairs on the stems.
Camellia x williamsii ‘Burncoose Apple Blossom’ has a very compact habit. Bred at Burncoose by Arnold Dance about 40 years ago.
Magnolia ‘Mr Julian’ is suddenly out.
First colour on the Magnolia x veitchii in the sun high up.
Just a very few flowers this year (unlike last) on Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’.
Camellia ‘Midnight Magic’ is as near black as you can get as it first comes out.
A dwarf rhododendron species in the Auklandii Garden just coming out. Rhododendron calostrotum?
Low down flowers out now on Magnolia ‘F J Williams’ all of a sudden.
Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ with the belltower above the clock in the back yard and some other unfrosted lower branches. It was actually named after Belle Blandford who lived in the Stable Flat opposite the tree.
The first Spanish bluebell seen in flower this year.
Magnolia dawsoniana now just showing colour outside the front gates. A bit earlier than expected.
Karol did a couple of drone overflies today which are attached to the diary here. One shows Jaimie, Michael and I plotting out the next and final phase of this spring’s planting out which is the 100 or so large open ground grown rhododendrons from the Rookery Nursery beds.
