22nd November | The Garden Diary

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CONTRIBUTORS:

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2024 – CHW

The five young Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ still have their leaves.

Flower buds now showing up well on Acacia cultriformis.

The Azalea kaempferi hedge starts to get its second haircut in 20-25 years.

Ginkgo biloba ‘Saratoga’ at the start of Sinogrande Walk with its long narrow leaves with deep notches at the ends.

Berberis xanthoclada with its usual good autumn show.

Viburnum buddeifolium trying to flower.

The views of the Isla Rose Plantation today in drizzle. Five years on now from when this area was cleared and planted.

Two more good young plants of Camellia japonica ‘Takanini’ above the Isla Rose.

A clump of dead white Rhododendron arboreum due to come down soon. Seedlings survive nearby which have self-sown.

Huge seed heads on Camellia reticulata ‘Mouchang’.

Vinca major growing up through Pinus omorika.

2023 – CHW
Two cherry trees by the sales point are superb today.

Prunus ‘Matsumae-fuki’ (‘Chocolate Ice’).

Prunus ‘Ichiyo’ (‘Pink Champagne’).

Prunus ‘Chocolate Ice’ and Magnolia x veitchii which still has a full set of green leaves.

2022 – CHW
Above the clump of Camellia sasanqua ‘Hugh Evans’ is a single and later flowering mature plant of Camellia sasanqua ‘Sparkling Burgundy’. Not that different to ‘Dazzler’ perhaps but he flowers are quite variable as you can see here.

Dacrydium cupressinum always surprises!

First daffodils above ground that I have noticed.

Plenty of flower buds on Illicium anisatum.

Huge quinces on another hidden away species of Chaenomeles.

Meliosma pungens – a decent young plant. Tom Hudson tell me this is now in fact Meliosma yunnanensis despite it being pungens since it was introduced to the UK 100 or so years ago.

Myrsine divaricata becoming established.

Plenty of buds and still a full set of leaves on Magnolia ‘Susanna Van Veen’

2021 – CHW
More uplifting work on young magnolias and other young trees in Kennel Close.

Suddenly more seedpods on Michelia doltsopa are showing up than I had noticed this autumn.

Jaimie had to use his hat to collect them!

Another unusual fungus at the base of a mature conifer. It may be leafy brain – Tremella foliacea – and this is commonly found on coniferous trees.

2020 – CHW
A near perfect flower on Camellia ‘Noblissima’ by the front door.

Three of the five Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ have flower buds for next year but none on the one which flowered this year which probably overdid it.

Cow parsley in November!

Mespilus germanica ‘Westveldt’ now without leaves but with many ripe medlars hanging in there.

Garlic emerging already under a Magnolia x veitchii as it usually does, but unnoticed.

Sarcococca wallichii just out into flower. A tall growing and erect species now 5-6ft high.

Quercus dentata ‘Karl Ferris Miller’ clothed in leaf as usual. Some insect has laid its eggs on the underside of some leaves.

Styrax japonicus ‘Pendulus’ is sadly not making much of a show this year. Compare to last year’s pictures.

Aesculus wangii still in full leaf. The one in Kennel Close, which is more exposed, has dropped.

A fine show of Camellia x williamsii ‘JC Williams’ above a Symplocos.

Rhododendron keysii nicely out – flowers all year round as we often see.

Mahonia oiwakensis (BSW 371) full out. A very erect habit and now 10-12ft tall with three flowers. Planted in 2011.

Colour on Rhus chinensis – a delicate mix of colours.

The first ever flower clusters forming on Aralia vietnamensis at about 15ft on the ends of the tallest shoos. Planted in 2014 and cut to the ground in March 2018 by ‘The Beast’.

Lindera obtusiloba with next year’s buds showing amid the yellow.

Alniphyllum aff. eberhartii still in full leaf – no flowers as yet although it is now 10-12ft tall.

A young Rhododendron bureavii in flower that was planted a couple of years ago. I am not sure if this is secondary flowering or not. Several flowers. A rather different form of this species to the older plants here and at Burncoose but a nicer flower I think. This is a sparse flowering species generally and the flowers are usually pink in bud then white when out.

2019 – CHW
The seed cones on Magnolia rostrata remain on the tree and may yet ripen with seed. Usually the cones drop off with nothing in them but this year looks more promising.

The wild black bees whose home got felled are still very much in evidence in the sun today in their fallen trunk.

I have missed most of the Nyssa colours this year. Nyssa sylvatica ‘Wisley Bonfire’ is leafless but this one still has some colour.

Nyssa aquatica has yet to turn colour and remains green.

Enkianthus cernuus rubens has wonderful red and yellow tints today in the Auklandii Garden and ripe seed pods.

2018 – CHW
A rather morbid day!The honey fungus Magnolia sieboldii casualty has been cut down ready for the mini digger.

An elderly rare oak has died completely over the last three years. It is the next for the chop together with a haircut for the Camellia reticulata seedling which it grows through.

Another large dead for removal – here Corylopsis spicata. Three branches died a year ago and the last one this year.

Yet another set of odd and unknown fungi in Kennel Close. Something to do with the old pheasant pens which were once here?

2017 – CHW
A day to enjoy some later autumn colour in the sun.This Liquidamber styrachiflua has had its leader blown out (not unusual) but is looking very fine.

Cornus alternifolia has drooping yellow leaves within although the new growth is still green.

Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’ on the drive is at its best. Acer palmatum ‘Ozakazuki’ nearby is already leafless.

Stachyurus praecox has a flower or two out although the leaf is still on the tree. A yellowish-white hue here outside and quite unlike the plant in the nursery photographed yesterday.

Sorbus folgneri ‘Emiel’ still has some fruits amid the last remnants of autumn colour.

Prunus ‘Shirotae’ is as good a mix of colours as ever.

Cotinus coccygra ‘Rubnifolia’ was cut back recently and is still in full new growth.

Enkianthus deflexus with nice autumn tints on this rare species.

2016 – CHW
The Ginkgo biloba is turning nicely in the sun outside the front gate.

An autumnal view from over the top of the main fernery towards the lake.

2015 – CHW

Quite a fine day but rain due overnight. The first frosty (or nearly so here) weekend of the autumn.Rhododendron moupinense has one hail battered flower on a 15 to 20 year old plant. Second flowering or a bud blown open? The other buds look ready to burst so I suspect the latter.

Sorbus folgneri ‘Emiel’ has featured twice in this year’s diary for its flower and leaf form. Here is what is left of its orangeish berries. A sorbus of some note and well worth growing. Not a huge tree either with a slightly spreading habit.

To my amazement Stachyurus praecox is still in leaf but some of the racemes of flower are starting to open. Well only one or two actually but, nevertheless, they are. Six to eight weeks ago I photographed this plant and commented on how far forward next spring’s flowers were. I looked at young plants of S praecox at Burncoose in the nursery a day or two later and they are in full leaf still as well but no flower racemes. Stachyurus chinensis on the main ride here merits a look soon but I think the problem with stachyurus generally is that they grow too quickly, over flower and over seed leading to death in our climate in less than 30 years. Quite a good 30 years none the less!

1989 – FJW
Very cold start to the day.

1965 – FJW
First snow of winter.

1964 – FJW
Charles found Moupinense hyb near Niveum in flower. 1 flower on November Pink. Many flowers on R nobleanum and repens in Rockery.

1963 – FJW
President Kennedy assassinated. First flowers on Camellia by front gate. Very wet this month – the moors badly flooded.

1959 – FJW
Flower on Camellia George Blandford.

1942 – CW
Camellia sasanqua on wall very very good. Oleifera just beginning. 3 pods of Mag nitida. Put in a lot of Sargenteanum, Mollicomata, and Dawsonianum seed. Yellow Hammer (rho) good, also fuschias.

1924 – JCW
Several C sasanqua open in spite of the frost but hardly any other flower.

1921 – JCW
C sasanqua very good. Various bits of rhodo open. Acer nickoense and griseum are very good. Received seed of Quercus agrifolia and densiflora from California. Some to P.D of both agrifolia.

1918 – JCW
C sasanqua is very good indeed.

1897 – JCW
A Camellia has several flowers open, Romneya coulteri has flowers on it, another of Engelhart’s seedlings above ground.