2026 – CHW
A reconnoitre to plan out what to cut for the Cornwall Garden Society Spring Show at Wadebridge.
Magnolia ‘Phelan Bright’ – an excellent Gresham Hybrid but possibly too far out already for the show (M. x soulangeana ‘Lennei Alba’ x M. x veitchii).
Magnolia ‘Sentinel’ might just make it.
Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Titan’ should be perfect.
Magnolia ‘Flamingo’ should be fine as well although very similar to our M. ‘Tropicana’.
Magnolia ‘Ghislaine’ is too far out and over.
Magnolia ‘Burgundy Star’ only has one decent flower and its too small to cut for the show.
Rapanea salicina (syn. Myrsine salicina) in full flower which I have never seen before. The common name for this in New Zealand is Toro.
My new book ‘Magnolias at Caerhays Castle’ arrives on 7 pallets and is put into store in the Old Kitchen where it is taking up rather a lot of space. Hopefully we sell a few at the show. 4 years of work complete at last and the pallets undisturbed in their journey from China by Mr. Trump’s Gulf War.
Scaffolding for storm damage roof repairs at The Barton.
Swimming pool update – completion at the end of April?
2025 – CHW
The first yellow to show is, as usual, Magnolia ‘Petit Chicon’.
Magnolia ‘Summer Rose’ from Lunaplant.
Magnolia ‘Spring Peppermint’ from Lunaplant.
Magnolia ‘Diana’ from Lunaplant.
Acer mandshuricum very early into leaf as usual.
Our original and near pure white Magnolia cylindrica – planted 1963.
Ross has cut up the dangerous fallen sycamore at the end of Old Park.
What used to be called Drimys lanceolata or Drimys aromatica. Now renamed Tasmannia lanceolata. Three young plants side by side up from the Garden Entrance. One is full out while two have very different red buds. Tregothnan have a good named form of this. Where did we get these plants? Both forms are impressive.
Magnolia kobus ‘Octopus’ now full out – 6 tepals.
Magnolia ‘Strawberry Shake’.
The second and much darker Magnolia ‘Joker’.
Magnolia ‘Crystal Chalice’.
Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x M. liliiflora ‘Holland Red’.
2024 – CHW
Yesterday’s afternoon cloudburst which lasted 10 hours has flooded the water meadows and demolished anything in flower in the garden. Worse than a frost or an east wind. The roads so flooded that vehicles are getting stuck and the sea turned brown with the soil erosion as did the lake.The forthcoming Easter weekend forecast is dire as well – lightening, thunder and heavy rain (for a change). The worst wet weather in February & March that I can remember with tiny garden visitor numbers to match.I got wetter with the Canadian magnolia experts yesterday in a 2½ hour garden tour than any shooting day for several winters.
Yesterday’s afternoon cloudburst which lasted 10 hours has flooded the water meadows and demolished anything in flower in the garden. Worse than a frost or an east wind. The roads so flooded that vehicles are getting stuck and the sea turned brown with the soil erosion as did the lake.The forthcoming Easter weekend forecast is dire as well – lightening, thunder and heavy rain (for a change). The worst wet weather in February & March that I can remember with tiny garden visitor numbers to match.I got wetter with the Canadian magnolia experts yesterday in a 2½ hour garden tour than any shooting day for several winters.
Azalea ‘Otome’ above the Hovel.
A huge fir branch blocks the path at Slip Rail. We passed under this at 4.30 yesterday before it fell.
Lindera triloba seems not to open up properly in flower. Flowers before the leaves.
Lindera lancei (BSWJ 1118) flowering here for the first time after planting last autumn. Leaves with the flowers.
Magnolia ‘Sprite Rite’ one of the few to escape from the deluge.
Prunus ‘Beni-yutaka’ nearly out.
A young Magnolia ‘Wim Rutten’ with 4 flowers.
Magnolia salicifolia ‘Rosea’ has a pink stripe but is not really pink. Impossible to photograph well as its now too tall and the flowers are too far away.
Typical rain damage on rhododendron flowers that were only just new out.
2023 – CHW
The registration of Camellia x williamsii ‘Mary Pickthorn’ has now been accepted onto the International Camellia Register as attached. Available for sale from Burncoose in 2024.Robert Vernon of Bluebell Nurseries has given us a gift of this marvellous double white flowered form of Prunus spinosa ‘Plena’. He writes one of the nicest thank you letters that C & B have ever received. Competitors but great and longstanding friends – rather ‘old school’ if I am being honest which is such a rarity in the new woke today!
The registration of Camellia x williamsii ‘Mary Pickthorn’ has now been accepted onto the International Camellia Register as attached. Available for sale from Burncoose in 2024.Robert Vernon of Bluebell Nurseries has given us a gift of this marvellous double white flowered form of Prunus spinosa ‘Plena’. He writes one of the nicest thank you letters that C & B have ever received. Competitors but great and longstanding friends – rather ‘old school’ if I am being honest which is such a rarity in the new woke today!
Then a review of the newer magnolias flowering here today. A long and exciting list!
Magnolia ‘Watermelon’ in Penvergate. Very good at first flowering. (M. ‘Caerhays Belle’ x M. ‘Genie’).
Magnolia ‘Scented Gem’ in Penvergate (ex Kevin Hughes). Not so different to M. ‘Shirley’s Perfume or M. Rebecca’s Perfume’ in colour or scent? Not in MSI Register?
Magnolia ‘Sybille’ in Penvergate. (M. ‘White Giant’ x M. Leda).
The view from the top of 40 acres (as we saw last year but less frosted magnolias this time).
Magnolia ‘Emperor’ in 40 acres. This is an exceptional new variety of great merit. (M. ‘Felix Jury’ x M. Genie).v
Magnolia ‘Delicatissima’ (Gresham Hybrid).
Magnolia ‘Cup Cake’.
Magnolia ‘Big Dude’.
Magnolia liliiflora ‘Holland Red’.
Magnolia ‘Frank Gladney’.
Magnolia ‘Crimson Stipple’.
Magnolia ‘Anya’ (label says ‘Anja’ but ‘Anya’ is correct) first time flowering in 40 acres (M. ‘Iolanthe’ x M. ‘Vulcan’).
Magnolia ‘Brombeer’ flowering for the first time. Spelling on label is suspect. Kennel Close.
Prunus x persica ‘Spring Glow’ – planted a year ago.
Magnolia ‘Anne Leitner’ (M. ‘Black Tulip’ x M. ‘J.C. Williams’).
Magnolia denudata ‘Double Diamond’ – A better plant at Burncoose called M. denudata ‘Dubbel’.
Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x M. ‘Pickard’s Ruby’.
Magnolia ‘Gold Finch’.
Magnolia ‘Spring Rite’.
Magnolia ‘Plum Pudding’ – the two plants we have now are different in colour (but not shape). Not an unusual situation with imported magnolias from New Zealand.
Magnolia ‘Sweet Sixteen’ – a new young plant doing better than our much older one which had to be pruned after the 2018 ‘Beast from the East’.
Magnolia ‘Tinkerbelle’ – the jury is out on this one. I have seen it better in the nursery.
Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x M. liliiflora ‘Holland Red’.
Magnolia ‘Antje Zandee’ – outstanding.
Magnolia ‘Joker’ – good but not that good so far in the second year of flowering.
Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x M. Serene’.
Magnolia ‘Crystal Chalice’.
Magnolia cylindrica x M. ‘Darjeeling’.
Magnolia sinostellata – still going after having nearly died in the drought.
Magnolia ‘Atlas’ x M.‘Vulcan’.
Magnolia ‘Aphrodite’ (M. ‘Black Tulip’ x M. ‘Deep Purple Dream’ now named). When you have grown an unnamed cross for several years it is most confusing when it subsequently gets a registered name. Catch up time but one only has to think about it in the brief period when it is out with scores of other crosses and novelties.
Magnolia ‘Burgundy Star’ – perhaps the best colour seen today but M. ‘Burgundy Spire’ looks better even than this as a new introduction which has not flowered here yet.
2022 – CHW
A visit to Tregrehan with the RHS Fellows on the warmest day of the year so far.
Debregesia longifolia in flower. A most peculiar shrub.
Corylopsis in the walled garden but which one? Corylopsis spicata?
Skimmia laureola with berries and flower at the same time.
Daphne bholua ‘Mary Rose’ in a freestanding and exposed position.
The bark on the trunk of Picrasma quassiodes. We have recently planted this tree here.
Podocarpus totara – a record tree.
Betula ermanii ‘Mt Hokkoda Honshia’ with attractive bark.
Cupressus lusitanica – another new species to me and dullish!
Corokia macrocarpa
Magnolia maudiae var. platypetala flowering well.
Camellia tsai laden down with flower in full shade.
Tom has given us an offshoot of this tender and unidentified species of Hedychium.
Bartlettiana sordida in bud and flower.
2021 – CHW
Yellow flowered Clivia miniata at the nursery sales point. The first time we have ever stocked a yellow form.
Yellow flowered Clivia miniata at the nursery sales point. The first time we have ever stocked a yellow form.
Magnolia and Podocarpus make an excellent contrast and wonderful show below the walled garden.
A wonderful Magnolia ‘Shirraz’ in the old Gilly farmyard. About 20 years old.
I stopped on the way back from Burncoose to photograph this wonderful roadside combination of Magnolia stellata and Forsythia x intermedia ‘Lynwood’ in Perranwell.
Rhododendron ‘Loch Awe’ just coming out. The colour changes as you can see.
First single flower on Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x Magnolia ‘Caerhays Surprise’ – impressive even if a bit damaged!
Camellia reticulata ‘Lovely Lady’ flowering properly 18 months on from planting.
Camellia reticulata ‘Larry Piet’ likewise. Two good new ones for Asia to propagate.
As is Camellia ‘Nuccio’s Jewel’ of which we have three decent plants above the greenhouse. Some earlier frost damage.
The white form of Camellia reticulata which has been out for ages next to a decent young ‘Captain Rawes’.
Camellia reticulata ‘Valentine Day’ on Rookery Path is an exceptionally good variety too.
A gorgeous flower on another Magnolia campbellii alba seedling in the evening light.
One thought on “26th March”
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Charles,
Enjoyed your diary, looking forward to reading the early entries. Sky bracing herself for the next encounter in October!
Alan and Eileen