2026 – CHW
Barry West sends me pictures of us at Penans Farm and the Gibbs Arch.
A trip up the drive.
The is the sister seedling to Magnolia ‘Mr. Julian’ growing at Red Linney. As usual it is one of the last tree magnolias to flower.
A fallen Magnolia x proctoriana.
A fallen sycamore above last autumns big new clearing. Nothing damaged.
A wind damaged magnolia.
First flowers on a young Magnolia cylindrica ‘Hohman’.
A hurricane blown Sorbus above the drive.
The extraordinary early flowering deciduous Azalea.
First flower out on Magnolia ‘Apollo’.
A memorial Liquidambar tree planted above the Hovel last week.
A decent Magnolia reduced to a stump which should reshoot?
The Magnolia campbellii ‘Alba’ seedling on the drive.
Rhododendron kiyosumense full out.
2025 – CHW
Magnolia sprengeri ‘Marwood Hill’ now more fully open.
Magnolia ‘Delia Williams’ at its very best.
More flowers on Magnolia floribunda ‘Furry Wok’. Rather pale in colour and not a decent yellow as we had expected.
One of the very oldest original Magnolia campbellii var. mollicomata in the centre of New Planting. An ancient tree which is going back on itself but the flowers are a true and fine reflection of this species.
Another three Magnolia campbellii var. mollicomata in the Ririei Opening which is absolutely perfect and the best thing in the garden today. Karol has flown the drone over it so we have it all for posterity.
Karol’s recent overfly of Burncoose Garden before the east wind brought this fabulous magnolia spring to an end.
Lamorna admires a magnolia beside a lake in Northern Italy. Perhaps ‘Dr Merrill’ or ‘Wada’s Memory’?
Spanish bluebells well out now.
Magnolia ‘David Clulow’ from a distance.
Magnolia ‘April Melody’ flowering properly in its second or third year after planting.
Prunus × persicoides ‘Spring Glow’ now full out.
Rhododendron ‘Choremia’ now full out.
Rhododendron fargesii in the main quarry.
2024 – CHW
About 50 riders in the rain at the Fourburrow Hunt Meet. Rather too wet for any antis presumably.
About 50 riders in the rain at the Fourburrow Hunt Meet. Rather too wet for any antis presumably.
A Worcester College reunion for several friends. Two of them I had not seen for 40 years.
Clematis armandii ‘Apple Blossom’ below the greenhouse was one Roy Lancaster commented upon. The true ‘Apple Blossom’ is rare in cultivation.
The Worcester reunion now looking at magnolias rather than hounds (Joe Sharp, Richard & Jacky Morris, Richard Stovin Bradford, Jeremy & Natalie Johnston, John & Pru Folliot Vaughan).
A young Osmanthus yunnanensis in flower properly for the first time. Now the record tree of this species has been pollarded good to see a youngster taking over. Previously deer nibbled but now too large.
Enkianthus serrulatus just out and still leafless – the first Enkianthus species in flower as usual.
The first yellow magnolia to show – Magnolia ‘Petit Chicon’ in Kennel Close.
Magnolia ‘Gold Finch’ is also out. Nothing 2 days ago.
Magnolia campbellii ‘Princess Margaret’ at its best.
Magnolia ‘Atlas’ nearly at its best on the way to George’s Hut.
Rhododendron pseudochrysanthum just out below Donkey Shoe.
Camellia reticulata ‘Lila Naff’ looking very fine by Higher Quary Nursery.
2023 – CHW
The view across to the drive from the front of The Vean today. Splendid in the sun.
The view across to the drive from the front of The Vean today. Splendid in the sun.
Magnolia ‘Vulcan’ in The Vean garden.
Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ on the drive.
The view down the drive from Red Linney.
Then, further down – 4 magnolias in view with ‘JCW’ top right just coming out.
Magnolia denudata ‘Forrest’s Pink’ and Magnolia campbellii ‘Alba’ seedling half way down between the two previous photographs.
Magnolia ‘Bishop Michael’.
Today the magnolias on the drive are at their absolute best. Karol has made the customary video.
Camellia lapidea newly planted.
Frankie has installed the new water pipe from the old main to the tank above Higher Quarry Nursery.
I was sent a newspaper advert about the garden opening on May 8th 1960. Admission 2/6, children 1/3. Today £10.00. Thats inflation for you.
2022 – CHW
Still a strongish east wind.
Magnolia ‘Fairy White’ is nearly over.
Whereas Magnolia ‘Fairy Cream’ is still in tight bud.
The rest of the elderly Gevuina avellana has blown open. Last year we cut down most of it as it had suffered in dry summers. Fortunately new shoots are already evident from the base.
Magnolia ‘Atlas’ more or less full out but already wind battered.
A Camellia lutchuensis hybrid which is, I think, called ‘Scentuous’. (On the plans it is C. ‘Scentuous’ x C. lutchuensis’.)
Rhododendron ‘Else Frye’, another scented one out far earlier than usual.
Rhododendron impeditum ‘JC Williams’ just showing colour on Burns Bank.
Magnolia loebneri ‘Wildcat’ at its best in the teeth of the wind. It may look sunny in these pictures but it is far from warm.
2021 – CHW
A shot of the record sized (height) Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta in all its finery, but a cloudy day, at Burncoose.
A shot of the record sized (height) Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta in all its finery, but a cloudy day, at Burncoose.
Magnolia amoena at Burncoose. I have never seen it flower better especially on low down branches even if it is a fairly unexciting species.
Rhododendron spinuliferum. The Burncoose form is much darker in colour than our plant in the Rockery. The one I saw at Trewithen was different again in colour – reddish but different shaped flowers to these.
Then back to the greenhouse at Caerhays to see what was out in the greenhouses.
This is a small growing but true to form Magnolia mollicomata by the newer greenhouses with the true ‘lightbulb’ shaped flowers as they open.
Camellia reticulata ‘Red Crystal’. Enormous flowers and an excellent bit of propagating as these reticulatas are difficult from cuttings and are often grafted instead.
Camellia ‘Night Rider’ which grows by the mist houses at Burncoose. Not a very vigorous grower but what a colour when first out. Darker even than ‘Midnight Magic’ we saw a day or two ago?
Camellia yunnanensis grown from February 2018 set seed. Another new species for the collection here.
Camellia trichocarpa – unusual buds.
Asia has successfully propagated our elderly and very rare pure white form of Rhododendron racemosum.
Paulownia elongata flowering in a pot in the greenhouse. A gift from Malcolm Pharoah and Marwood Hill Garden. I do not think I have ever seen a tiny paulownia in a pot do this in the nursery.
Osmanthus americanus now in full flower.
A young and new to us Magnolia ‘Simple Pleasures’ with its first flowers. Simple indeed!
Magnolia ‘Festirose’, in a similar state, with its first three flowers. A bit different perhaps.
These were the seedlings sent by Jim Gardiner this week:
Stewartia malacodendron
Magnolia fraseri
Magnolia ashei
Pinus yunnanensis (wild collected dwarf form from Yunnan)
Stewartia malacodendron
Magnolia fraseri
Magnolia ashei
Pinus yunnanensis (wild collected dwarf form from Yunnan)
