2026 – CHW (images to follow)
2025 – CHW
Bits of bark shed from a huge Prunus radiata with intricate patterning.
Rhododendron ‘Coccineum Speciosum’ near the Aucklandii Garden. Some orange in the red flowers.
Rhododendron decorum below Tin Garden.
Deutzia ningpoensis just coming out in Tin Garden.
Styrax japonicus ‘Jippei Kawamure’ laden with flowers.
Cordyline australis with its flowers opening. Often these are too high up to see properly.
Philadelphus sericanthus.
Tail end flowers on Magnolia ‘Ossie’s Yellow’.
Azalea ‘Cinzia New’ is one I have not taken in before.
Philadelphus caucasicus also full out.
Fungi on a tree stump – Honey fungus?
Azalea ‘Silver Slipper’ by the Green Gate.
2024 – CHW
Maytenus boaria is a most graceful weeping tree in maturity. This one is 33 years old.
Maytenus boaria is a most graceful weeping tree in maturity. This one is 33 years old.
Another Schefflera delavayi with impressive new growth spikes.
Good young Rhododendron arizelum at the top of the new planting above HQN.
Rhododendron ‘Tally Hoo’ now full out.
Illicium philippinense has very attractive new growth (CWJ 1246).
Quercus kiukiangensis (CMB5 900) is, today, leafless but with new growth and flower tassels appearing.
An elderly Rhododendron decorum just coming out by the Podocarpus salignus.
Likewise the original Rhododendron griersonianum above Roger’s Quarry.
Just one white flower on Syringa reticulata so far.
Rhododendron decorum (NN 0907) which is pink in bud opening white. Its neighbouring rhododendrons died in last summer’s drought.
2023 – CHW
Still 10 cygnets survive on the pond. I discover its still a bit early for most of the young Styrax and Stewartia to be out in the clearing beside Charlie Michael’s Nursery.Stewartia? pseudocamellia ‘Ogishu’ just opening (ex. Mark Bulk).
Still 10 cygnets survive on the pond. I discover its still a bit early for most of the young Styrax and Stewartia to be out in the clearing beside Charlie Michael’s Nursery.Stewartia? pseudocamellia ‘Ogishu’ just opening (ex. Mark Bulk).
Styrax shirianus making a good growth and now flowering properly with larger flower clusters. We now have 3 plants of this rare species getting going.
Carpinus orientalis has small rounded leaves and a compact upright habit. Now about 8-9 feet tall.
Carpinus polyneura with its first fruit clusters that I think I have seen here. Attractive. This plant is above the greenhouse. The 2 in Kennel Close have yet to perform like this. Willow-like leaves perhaps?
Styrax hookeri var. yunnanensis from Mark Bulk. Larges leaves and more flowers in each cluster than in our plants of S. hookeri.
Gamblea ciliata var. evodiaefolia (DJHV 06111) also with its first flower high up. Crug Farm do supply enormous plants. Should I pollard this back I wonder?
Ilex chapaensis with some winter dieback. (HWJ 946). Not that happy in too hot a location.
Picconia azorica making excellent new growth and now about 5 feet tall. I wonder when it will flower? Another species of Picconia photographed previously at Ventnor was P. excelsa.
Azalea ‘Rosebud’ behind the greenhouse at its finest. Asia/ Cressy to propagate this in quantity please.
2022 – CHW
Then off at 6.30 to the rare plant fair at Tregrehan.
On the Crûg Farm nurseries stand the following are startling:
Roscoea caultleyoides ‘Jeffery Thomas’
Roscoea ‘Crûg Favourite’
Incarvillea zhongdianensis
Anemone rivularis
Then on the Tregrehan stand:
Gunnera insignis
Deutzia multiradiata
Fuchsia boliviana
Above the Tregrehan stand I found flowers on a mature tree of Meliosma pungens.
Elsewhere I spotted:
Diosporopsis bodinieri
Rhodiola fastigiata – a sedum like plant
Dicentra ‘Longtrees’
Disporum lechenaultianum
The Burncoose stand – not very well arranged but it all sold!
In the car park was Tom’s amazing plant of Deutzia longifolia in full flower as usual.
Thalictrum ichangense
Deutzia glomeruliflora
Philadelphus melanocalyx
Astrantia ‘Gill Richardson’
A closeup flower of Aesculus wilsonii on our stand.
Watsonia humilis on Penberth nurseries’ stand.
Watsonia zeyheri on Penberth nurseries’ stand.
Elegia tectorum
Plectranthus zuluensis
On our stand Philadelphus ‘Starbright’ stood out and sold in minutes.
A huge throng of customers compared to last year’s post covid let out. A huge array of rare plants and many happy customers and nurserymen. Plenty of plant hunters from all over the country and several people who I had seen at Chelsea plant hunting. One could take more cash here in four hours than in two days of Chelsea!
2021 – CHWOur planting records show six specie oaks planted in 1997 in Giddle Orchard:
Quercus lancefolia (two)
Quercus uxoris (two)
Quercus acutifolia
Quercus candicans
I assume these were a gift from Lady Anne Palmer to my father. I remember several Q. candicans planted in Bond Street.
So a trip to locate them
I am really not sure which species of allium this is growing outside the front gate. Perhaps Allium trifoliatum?
Rhododendron (Azalea) prunifolium by the Four in Hand (or very close to being this species anyway) which is a darker colour elsewhere in the garden.
A view up across Giddle Orchard above Kitchen Garden which was cleared of dead apple trees and replanted 30 years ago. The cherries have matured and died already. Some rhododendron hybrids are making a show and only a few magnolias are doing really well at the top of the hill. The bottom area is probably too boggy for growing many things despite rerouting the stream a bit.
The west side is now well protected by a wall of Yushiana anceps (Arundinaria anceps as was).
Four fine and developing clumps of Phyllostachys nigra protect the topside.
A large oak made a mess when it fell in the winter but is now cleared.
Of the six 1997 oaks not a sign! I suspect they were all Mexican species and just too tender for us to grow here.