2024 – CHW (images to follow)
Sadly the Embothrium above Roger’s Quarry has half blown over and needs a large stake.
Sarcococca balansae (BSWJ 7285) just about to flower.
Sarcococca zeylanica (BSWJ 10199) just showing and making good growth.
A good stake now on the perennially floppy Quercus suber. Another failure to get this superb tree growing properly here.
A new stake as well on Quillaja saponaria.
Sorbus needhamii with good winter colour.
Celtis tetrandra still in full leaf although only planted recently.
Styrax sp. chinensis macrocarpa was a gift from Tom Hudson. Seems evergreen? Huge leaves for a styrax.
First flower out, high up, on Camellia japonica ‘Lady Clare’ under the two Magnolia x veitchii.
Azalea ‘Hinomayo’ has its first early flowers as it usually does in December.
2023 – CHW
Nearly a frost last night and a full moon.
A number of plants ordered from Crug Farm have unexpectedly arrived. The plants grown from seed from their plant hunting expeditions a decade or more ago get larger and larger as time passes. Not really ideal for planting out and poorly shaped in some instances but unique to them so we cannot grumble, but doubt that there will be any discount!
A few things out in the new Camellia sasanqua planting at the entrance to Old Park.The tiny Camellia ‘Hamy Lyi’. Blink and you miss it!
2021 – CHW
First flower out on Camellia x williamsii ‘George Blandford’. I looked three days ago and nothing but two days of sun seem to have done the trick.
First flower nearly out on Camellia ‘Mary Costa’ near Georges Hut.
What a wonderful plant combination Camellia sasanqua ‘Narumigata’ and Gingko biloba make as the gingko comes into its full autumn colour. This will make a good addition to the growing Burncoose pictorial file of ‘this grows nicely with this’. We now have over 1,000 captioned photographs of this sort and hope to get to 3-5,000 in the next 12 to 18 months. Then we can start to use this database with different types of plant searches.
I stopped to admire the autumn leaf colour on this unlabelled Enkianthus (unlabelled on the planting plan too but I suspect Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Venus’ or ‘Victoria’ from its growth habit). It has clearly got its seasons badly wrong and is starting to flower. The trusses seem a little deformed but the colour on the bells is clear enough. Very odd!
Three different named forms of Magnolia grandiflora all with buds still to open. Amazing for the time of year but normal in this run of mild winters.
Quercus dentata ‘Karl Ferris Miller’ holds its old leaves all winter and makes a rather fine display. If you cut a branch and sprayed the leaves white who needs a Christmas tree? Our old original Quercus dentata in the Rookery also holds its rather smaller leaves into winter but is in the teeth of the wind there. This is an excellent slow growing tree. We now have three in the garden dotted about.
2015 – CHW
Camellia ‘Sodegasuki’ has one flower out beside the front door. This is what we have always called it although the Garden Diaries have other names which I cannot quite pin down.Another name for this is Camellia ‘Gauntlettii’ but the new Hillier’s calls it ‘SODEKAKUSUSHI’ just to confuse things even further.
Anyway it is usually/nearly always the first Camellia japonica variety to come out and well worth its place in any garden because of that even if it is easily frosted. A very old variety but one of only a very few to rival the Camellia x williamsii varieties for early ‘season’ flowering.Yet another shooting party today (badly hung over on arrival) so no time to dwell on plants.
2002 – FJW
Dry spring, summer, autumn – not a drought as in 1976. November Pink magnificent. 2 flowers in Rockery J.C.W. Autumn colour has been good. Wall magnolias cut back hard in June – fully recovered.
1992 – FJW
Moors really badly flooded for first time since they were drained – much rain.
1961 – FJW
Few flowers on George Blandford.
1952 – CW
There has been a big storm and at breakfast only top three bars of gate to 40 Acres from road above water. No one can remember moors so flooded. Camellia November Pink out, several flowers. Tin Garden Saluenensis about to open. C sasanqua almost all over. Oleifera good. Hardly any rhododendrons show colour just Burmanicum and a very few bits. Erica medit a lot out, some darleyense. A few lapageria left.
1926 – JCW
C sasanqua fair. Erica darleyense is one best thing now. Various bits say 30 species of rhodo show flowers. Lapagerias are good.