As is Rhododendron arboreum subsp. cinnamomeum.

Rhododendron ririei.

Magnolia ‘Aurora’.

Magnolia campbellii ‘Darjeeling’ at the top of the garden.

First flowers on one of the ancient Michelia doltsopa.

Magnolia ‘Bishop Peter’ now at its very best.

Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ (New Zealand form) and Magnolia ‘Sir Harold Hillier’.

Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ (New Zealand form) at its very best.

2024 – CHW
More new magnolias in flower today. Jaimie & Michael are collecting pollen for a big (fine) day of new crossing.

Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ x M. ‘Caerhays Surprise’ as it was named when it came here. Planted in 2019 but, as far as I can ascertain, it has not subsequently been registered and named.

Just a few flowers this year on the original (true) Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ which was hit by a tree and is now recovering above Crinodendron Hedge.

Magnolia sprengeri ‘Westonbirt’ is now full out beside the ‘Lanarth’.

Disanthus cercidifolius already in leaf.

The old Michelia doltsopa by George’s Hut just starting now.

Magnolia dawsoniana ‘Chindit’ was a gift from Harvey Stephens and the Savill Gardens. Now very good but is it really a form of dawsoniana?

Another of Jaimie’s new hybrids with just one flower (ever) so far but probably also begging registration. Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta x Magnolia sprengeri var. diva CROSSED WITH Magnolia campbellii var. mollicomata ‘Lanarth’.

Magnolia ‘Star Wars’ x M. ‘Volcano’ (Hornau) giving a good show. Is there now a proper registered name? Need to do some detective work.

Magnolia ‘Pickard’s Ruby’ x M. ‘J.C. Williams’.

Magnolia ‘Cleopatra’ x M. ‘J. C. Williams’ (Hang) planted in 2018. Quite good but is there now a proper name?

Magnolia campbellii ‘Wakehurst’ is really good today.

First flower out on Magnolia ‘Felix Jury’.

Rhododendron ‘Choremia’ coming to its best.

Magnolia ‘Shirazz’ splendid in several places in the garden.

A large unnamed seedling Magnolia below Hovel Cart Road is not worth a name but is certainly worth its place!

2023 – CHW

The Caerhays team install around 20 new bird boxes in the garden as part of the new children’s garden trail. I fear the squirrels will get to any occupants but there we are.

A full day at Burncoose plotting this year’s planting programme and picking out the plants from the nursery.

Cornus officinalis looking rather better in the nursery than the Cornus mas which we saw last week here in flower.

Rhododendron ‘Bric-a-Brac’ in a large clump on the Burncoose driveway.

Michelia macclurei is flowering better (and earlier) than ever before. A real rarity and easily the best thing in the Burncoose garden today (despite the magnolias all starting).

Camellia reticulata ‘Arch of Triumph’ just starting to flower properly 2-3 years from planting.

2022 – CHW
Magnolia campbellii ‘Sidbury’ in Old Park is just out while the plant in Penvergate is blown out and now over.

Another surprise first flowering of a third cross of Jaimie’s this year. Magnolia ‘Mr Julian’ crossed with Magnolia ‘Lanarth’. Wonderful colour on the first and only flower this year. I think we should name and register this as Magnolia ‘Leonora’ after my aunt who had her 80th birthday last Friday. Registration will have to wait a year or two until we get a full flush of flowers. (M. ‘Mr Julian’ is a cross between M. sargentiana var. robusta and M. sprengeri ‘Diva’.)

Placing out the 23 different Amelanchier species and varieties above the old dog kennels. Quite a collection to puzzle the experts in the future. Click here for the full list of what was planted out today.

The Old Park Magnolia ‘Vairano’ is now full out.

First very pale and poor flower on a young Magnolia sprengeri ‘Marwood Hill’ on the bank at Old Park.

Then on to the drive to catch up on what was out there today.

This is the large and as yet unnamed hybrid bred by Philip Tregunna. We always wonder if it is really unique enough to merit an attempt at registration but I fear we may have lost the crossing records for this plant. Very good today.

First ever flowers on a magnolia labelled ‘Mazara’. This may be a typo for ‘Mazeppa’ which is a synonym for Magnolia ‘Anne Rosse’ x Magnolia ‘Anne Rosse’ raised in Nova Scotia, Canada from seed collected by Philippe de Spoelberch in Belgium. The flowers look nothing like M. ‘Anne Rosse’.

The New Zealand bred Magnolia ‘Mount Pironga’ is now performing exceptionally well and a most lovely white.

Magnolia campbellii ‘Sidbury’ may be over but Magnolia campbellii ‘Lamellyn’ is only just now out on the drive.

The second (and inferior) seedling from the seedpod which produced Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ is now out on the drive. Smaller flowers but the same colour as Splendour. Quite a big show today.

First flowers showing on the Magnolia denudata ‘Forrest Pink’ which was smashed down by a tree a few years ago but has recovered.

The Magnolia campbellii Alba Group (seedling) on the drive is just starting. Impressive but not as large flowers as the one on the main ride.

Michelia ‘Fairy Blush’ is out earlier than ever at the far end of Old Park and doing well.

2021 – CHW
The view through the arch is developing nicely in the warmth.

The white form (pink in bud) of Rhododendron nobleanum is now full out.

The old and record Lindera communis has finally been cut back hard as most of the top was dead. Plenty of reshooting from the base.

Michelia doltsopa ‘Silver Cloud’ blown out early high up at 30ft+.

I have now finally got to grips with the naming of all the camellias planted in 1997 and 2002 where the ‘Red Admiral’ clump once stood before it expired.
Camellia ‘Lulu Belle’ is an excellent show.

Camellia ‘Pink Icicle’ is quite variable in shape but very floriferous.

Camellia ‘Chatsworth Belle’ which has a very intricate and precise flower which I rather like.

Camellia ‘Kick Off’ – again flowers variable and not that many of them.

Camellia ‘Spring Formal’ is a Nuccio introduction from 1986 which seems, with us, to be a sparse flowerer.

Rhododendron ‘Red Admiral’ – a clump I had forgotten by Georges Hut.

First colour on a magnolia opposite which is a robusta x sprengeri cross.

A rhododendron whose name I forgot just coming out. We showed this at Rosemoor in the last few years so Jaimie will know. Not on the plans but planted circa 2006/7.

Camellia reticulata ‘Miss Tulare’ is huge and excellent.

Suddenly out high up without us noticing is Rhododendron stenaulum (now Rhododendron moulmainense). I must have walked under this several times in the last week. Very floriferous this year after its pruning post the 2018 Beast.

Early leaf, as usual, on Acer mandshuricum below Tin Garden. A frost risk here. This looks little like the original 6-8ft A. mandshuricum that used to grow on the drive. There is a photo somewhere of DJW and I in our teens about the same height as the plant.

Flowers and seed cones on Cupressus tortulosa.

Magnolia ‘Hot Lips’ is now full out in Kennel Close and aptly named. An excellent hybrid not to be confused with ‘Hot Pants’.

Atherosperma moschatum is now a small tree above Rogers Quarry. Not huge amounts of flower but, those that are, are very scented. An Australian evergreen which can reach 100ft tall in the wilds of Tasmania.

Magnolia ‘F J Williams’ with its first decent flower out and plenty more buds to come above Crinodendron Hedge. Planted 2008.

Schefflera macrophylla in Forty Acres untouched by the cold wind.