23rd February 1897 – 2020

…bark) was a Kingdom Ward collection from Mount Victoria in Burma. Tom’s father grows this in New Zealand. Rhododendron albotomentosum Rhododendron albotomentosum Rhododendron albotomentosum Rhododendron albotomentosum Camellia chekiangoleosa has peculiar…

21st February 1897 – 2020

Mount Congreve gardens, from where this originated, have given it a name but I cannot remember what it was. yellow form of Magnolia campbellii alba yellow form of Magnolia campbellii…

17th February 1897 – 2020

…the greenhouse the supposedly ‘yellow’ Magnolia campbellii is flowering for only the second time with six to eight flowers. This scion came as one of three from Mount Congreve gardens…

27th January

…be now? I cannot see it will be worth our while financially or that we could mount a decent stand of any sort of size in late September. That is…

15th January

…split off in the wind when in full leaf. Tilia mexicana Picea morrisonicola – a rare and graceful spruce from Taiwan. Mount Morrison spruce. Picea morrisonicola Picea morrisonicola Cedrus libani…

27th December

…‘Reigyoku’ with its first flowers. Foliage more interesting than the flowers! Camellia japonica ‘Reigyoku’ I watched Jim Stephens excellent video of the early flowering camellias in the Mount Edgecumbe collection….

13th November

…special Magnolia campbellii yellow form originally a scion from Mount Congreve is in full leaf and looking very well two years from planting. Magnolia campbellii yellow form Jaimie told me…

10th October

…may be another name for Ilex mitis from sub-Saharan Africa where it is a large tree growing on Table Mountain and Mount Kilimanjaro above 2,500 meters. I remain doubtful. Ilex…

13th September

…latest Plant Review (formally the unwoke Plantsman) sparked my interest. It is on unusual species of Aucuba and mentions Caerhays twice.Roy’s introduction of Aucuba omiensis (from Mount Omei) with its…

11th September

…in the English Channel, Irish Sea and North Atlantic, and the crews were sold into slavery. In 1625 a raiding party landed at Mount’s Bay in Cornwall and 60 people…

10th June

…Carrie Johnson as host. They went to St Michaels Mount.Fuchsia exorticata still full out on the top wall. Fuchsia exorticata From Crûg an Ilex perado subsp. azorica (BSWJ 12526). In…

21st March

…no new red leaves showing yet. Corylopsis sinensis ‘Spring Purple’ 2023 – CHW The original RHS herbarium record of Camellia saluenensis as collected by George Forrest on Mount Tengyueh in…

17th May

Mount Congreve 12 years ago, is now a compact shrub. Here it is covered with flower clusters of reddish male strobili. Hard to think of this as a conifer! The…

2nd May

…expected. It will get the Mount Congreve treatment to the stems. The drimys look much better than I feared and need a tidy up rather than hatstanding. The original Stewartia…

30th April

…the Irish Garden Plant Society about the Marchioness of Londonderry, Lady Edith, who created the garden at Mount Stewart and her granddaughter Lady Rose with whom we had lunch. article…

22nd April

…flowering for the first time. Magnolia ‘Gold Cup’ was admired at Mount Congreve. Ours has faded a bit now full out but still not bad. We have another somewhere I…

21st April

…Jolievette’ Prunus ‘Hally Jolievette’ Rhododendron suoilenhense at its very best. No flower on the ones at Mount Congreve two days ago. Rhododendron suoilenhense At last a good show on our…

31st March

…to see. Salix gracilistyla ‘Mount Aso’, cut a month ago in flower, had rooted sufficiently just in a vase for Jaimie to pot up 6 plants. I suspect S. hookeriana…

29th March

…Old Park. Rhododendron calophytums Salix hookeriana has attractive catkins but nothing like as good as ‘Mount Aso’. Salix hookeriana Salix hookeriana 2022 – CHW A welcome bit of rain overnight.Magnolia…

24th March

…‘Delia Williams’ My quest for ‘Delia Williams’ is now bearing fruit! From the material that was brought in to the Rosemoor Show, not just from Caerhays, but also from Mount