2022 – CHW
We saw flowers last week on M. ‘Southern Belle’ and here is Magnolia ‘Summer Solstice’ also just out and very similar in appearance. The latter is supposedly M. obovata x M. globosa? while the former is a cross between M. sieboldii and M. tripetala x M. obovata. I doubt there is much globosa in ‘Summer Solstice’.

We have waited a long time for Michelia laevifolia ‘Michelle’ to flower here in a shady place. It came labelled as M. dainica ‘Michelle’ (another old name for laevifolia). Clearly a tiny flower and a slow grower of no great merit except perhaps curiosity value.

The lovely Rehderodendron macrocarpum now full out in several places in the garden. Another ‘no show’ for Chelsea.

Rhododendron ‘Polyroy’ nicely out.

As is Rhododendron ‘Graziella’ (both Millais plants).

This Magnolia wilsonii is still in tight bud. Others, elsewhere, now properly out.

Magnolia ernestii (formerly Michelia wilsonii) about ready to drop its last flowers after being out for five weeks. The yellow in the ripening buds has more or less faded away to cream unlike Magnolia martinii which holds its ‘yellowness’ better but is out a month earlier in colder weather conditions.

Michelia ‘Touch of Pink’ as the backdrop to the now full out Rhododendron ‘Fragrantissimum’.

2021 – CHW
After a full day’s rain at last the garden looks much happier. The leaf has shot out and new growth appearing everywhere. Much flower-drop on the rhodos. I thought we might look today at the Carpinus species coming into leaf and see if any had flower tassels.A new species of Exochorda to us planted in 2019 in Tin Garden – here Exochorda tianschuanica.

Carpinus ‘Lost Label’ (!) just in leaf. Need to resolve this when the leaf is fully developed.

Carpinus rankanensis leaves unfurl attractively.

We had already seen flower tassels on Carpinus japonica. This plant has been in leaf for three weeks.

Carpinus tschonoskii with its first ever flower tassels.

Carpinus orientalis with rather tiny and initially rounded leaves as yet.

Salix magnifica living up to its name.

Carpinus henryana flowerless still.

Aesculus x bushii (Aesculus mississipiensis) is, I fear, wrongly named as the flowers should be multi-coloured and not just yellow. Early days perhaps?

Carpinus orientalis ‘Perdica’ with even smaller leaves.

2020 – CHW
One learns something totally irrelevant every day! Ucodendron whartonii, which flowered here for the first time last year, is now considered to be Disanthus ovatifolius. We had been told that the botanists thought it was a Parrotia which made some sense in relation to its flowers. Now the ‘new’ 2019 ninth edition of Hilliers says that D. ovatifolius is a tree although it looks like a climber or a multi-stemmed straggly plant to me! It was found in 2006 and sold by Crug Farm Plants (rather before the date of 2017 as stated in Hilliers). A 2016 Vietnamese survey confirmed this new name on the basis of the ‘leaf shape’. We will see what it grows into in the next decades! I bet that the name changes again shortly! Ucodendron had a nice ring to its name! Hilliers do not mention its exceptional new growth colours or the purple undersides to its leaves which are also quite outstanding. Disanthus cercidifolius is a plant noted for its autumn colours which we have failed to grow despite three attempts. The plants I saw at High Beeches in Sussex last spring (and previously) were outstanding but D. cercidifolius has little to recommend its flowers. I suppose that it is, however, a multi-stemmed large shrub (like a Corylus). Anyway much fun to be had here disagreeing with the botanists. If you search this garden diary you will find plenty of pictures of Ucodendron whartonii and its peculiar flowers.I had an email from the RHS asking if our ‘head gardener’ might like to share information on the performance of ‘new’ plants for the 10th edition of Hilliers. I said, in reply, that some / a little of what is supposedly new in the IDS ‘New Trees’ book has actually been growing here for 80 to 100 years. Nobody asked! So now I suggest that I might actually know what is growing here ‘myself’ and they could, in fact, ask me! How typical of the RHS Wisley to assume the private garden owner is too ‘thick’ to know what is actually planted in his own garden and hope to rely on other staff to help. They get the proverbial ‘finger’ but I do hope to be able to help with our specific knowledge of new and unusual plants here of which there are plenty to enjoy! The last job in lockdown if the RHS will actually give me a list to work with?I am now a day away from finishing checking all our photographic databases for mistakes, new care articles, better pictures for the website etc. Without lockdown this would not have been achievable. As it is 1,500 better/new pictures added to the website in 40 to 50 hours work dealing with 30-40,000 (?) pictures from various in house sources over nearly 20 years.The swallows are (both) back in the dog kennel and twittering away with delight. Two green woodpeckers on the lawn chasing ants.A bonfire to clear a space to plant our Rhododendron ‘Mrs Butler’ layers in the autumn where a beech tree split in half. Jaimie’s team still has to fell a couple of overhanging trees and to pollard an elderly rhododendron.

A tail end Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red’ (more ‘Scarlet’?) is a picture today.

Although Sassafras albidum suckers prolifically it has not done so much with us as the trunk is surrounded by camellias. Here is a sucker 15ft or more from the trunk beside the path. Several in fact on closer inspection.

Sorbus caloneura in flower.

Sorbus hedlundii (the best large leaved form grown by Roundabarrow nurseries) with its first flowers.

Pterocarya rhoifolia nicely into leaf.

Carpinus japonicus leaves are easily identifiable.

Sorbus alnifolia in flower – alder like leaves indeed.

Sorbus japonica just out also. White undersides to its leaves.

Aesculus hippocastanum ‘Baumannii’ with its double flowers – three weeks earlier than last year.

Acer truncatum var. barbinerve with winged seed heads forming.

Azalea ‘Barthold Lazzer’ is a double flower. Very slow growing. Ghent hybrid but the first of seven different clumps to be in full flower.

Berberis wilsonae glinting in the sun.

An excellent bit of layering of Rhododendron souilenhense which Tom Hudson gave us originally.

The leaves of Quercus semecarpifolia lose their bristles or prickles as the tree matures.

The leaves of Cercidiphyllum japonica ‘Red Fox’ are stunning now.

Caragana arborescens ‘Walker’ with few flowers this year and its umbrella growth shape. Burncoose stopped stocking this a while ago which was a mistake. A good central weeping small tree for the centre of a herbaceous border.

First flowers out on a Rhododendron yakusimanum.

Rhododendron ‘Graziella’ is well worth growing but a bit temperamental to get established.

Quercus stenophylloides now in full leaf. We get a mention in the new Hillier’s in relation to this rarity. Now 15-20ft tall and in a fairly cold spot.

Nearby a Quercus moorii (CMBS 649) has grown little in the last seven to ten years but, today, it has rather exciting red new growth. I suspect this species is only borderline hardy here and, after the new clearing below it, is even more exposed now. Some of these newer Mexican oaks sit and struggle for years before a few get away. We have seen this too in some of the newer Lithocarpus which take years to get going properly after lots of initial dieback and scorched early new growth.

2019 – CHW
I had been hunting Magnolia ‘Green Bee’ for some weeks and finally found it well up the drive. Although greenish in bud it really is a very good yellow.

Rhododendron ‘Kabarett’ looking very fine today.

It is fairly rare for us to see self-sown seedlings emerging but after last summer’s heat copper beech, birch and conifer seedlings have appeared on mossy banks above the fernery.

Rhododendron royalii (pink form) was looking superb today but sadly is too far out for Chelsea.

Flowers on the Daphniphyllum macropodum on the drive are showing up much later than on the plants at the top of the garden.

The laurel hedge above Hovel Cart Road is now getting a good trimming.

2018 – CHW
Went with Jaimie to sort out which branches to cut for Chelsea from the huge Schefflera macrophylla tree in Forty Acres. The leaves are all intact and untouched by the cold winds in February/March. We select one upright branch and one side on branch to cut which we mark with white plastic. We will cut these branches on Thursday 17th May first thing. Then they can be inspected by Defra before loading onto the third and last lorry load for Chelsea which will arrive at Chelsea first thing on Friday 18th. The branches, and those of Schefflera taiwaniana, will travel in a dustbin of water. We are confident that they will not flop before or during the show based on past experience of cutting bits off this unusual plant which will seldom if ever have been seen at Chelsea before at this sort of size or age.Schefflera are very new to cultivation in the UK and have proved themselves totally (if unexpectedly) hardy during ‘The Beast from the East’. In time these will definitely become very popular garden plants.

2017 – CHW

Vaccinum cylindraceum just about to come out.

The one year planted Acer albopurpurascens has attractive new growth with a purplish tinge.

Ucodendron whartonii with extraordinary but rather fine new growth too. I have no idea what this new introduction from Crug Farm actually ‘does’? It is not in ‘New Trees’. Another ‘something’ dendron! Purple undersides to the new leaves.

Persea japonica – new growth on our plant is rather dull too as it was in Wales compared to Persea thunburgii.

Rhododendron ‘Jean Marie de Montague’ is a good deep red.

The first yellowish royalii hybrid is out but not the pink one next to it.

This is another Rhododendron ‘Loderi King George’. I was looking for ‘loderi’ ‘Pink Diamond’ but this is not it.

I have written an article for publication today on styrax but I needed some decent pictures of the unusual colouration of the bark and trunk of Styrax hemsleyanus.

Rhododendron ‘Dreamland’ is compact and small growing.

This is closer to Rhododendron ‘Loderi Pink Diamond’ if only on its leaf form but still not correct.

Another pleasant yellow royalii hybrid.

Azalea ‘Cannons Double’ is just out.