10th September | The Garden Diary

Next Day >< Previous Day

CONTRIBUTORS:

FJW 1955-2007

CHW 2015-

JCW 1897-1939

CW 1940-1955

2024 – CHW (images to follow)

Illicium simonsii (BWJ 8024) nearly died last summer but has revived in this wet one. Better with the dead twigs now removed.

Disanthus cercidifolius just starting its autumn colour.

This elderly Illicium anisatum was pictured in this diary as dead at the start of the spring. A wet summer has done wonders.

Secondary flowers and nearly ripe seeds on Styrax wilsonii is becoming a regular September occurrence. The flowers are on secondary new growth.

Eucryphia × nymansensis ‘Nymans Silver’ has also recovered from near death experience last summer.

Juglans major is romping away with huge leaves.

Melicytus crassifolius is covered in berries. Unlike the plants in the nursery these have still to turn white.

Quercus liebmannii had severe die back even in the last mild winter. Here again is fresh new growth ready for the next disaster.

Euonymus hamiltonianus ‘Popcorn’ is laden with unripe seed heads.

Plenty of bud on the very early flowering Magnolia ‘Lanarth’.

Even more seed heads on this Meliosma dilleniifolia subsp. cuneifolia which grows in more or less full shade. The one seen on 6th September in Kennel Close was in full sun which M. dilleniifolia hates.

Jaimie has planted a Hibbertia aspera where the Hydrangea seemannii has been removed. The main stump has so far defied the mottaxe.

2023 – CHW

Buddleja auriculata nicely out by the Hothead.

Wisteria seeds hang beside yew berries. This 100 year old white wisteria has colonised the yew tree above the front door. An inspired bit of planting.

Grevillea ‘Bronze Rambler’ now well established by the Playhouse.

Flowers and seed heads on Desmodium elegans.

Another picture of sea mist taken from the Isle Rose clearing. You can just make out the wedding tent.

2022 – CHW
To Burncoose to organise a large quotation for tree planting for a client next February.Mahonia nitens ‘Cabaret’ nicely out in flower and well protected in a tunnel form the usual threat of rabbits which adore Mahonia.

Ceratostigma willmottianum ‘Forest Blue’ has just finishing flowering but still a most attractive blue.

The Acer palmatum varieties imported from New Zealand in August are very poor this year. Although potted 3 weeks ago they have been pruned for the trip far too hard to be saleable plants for at least 24 months. Obvious die back in many stems already (or what is left of them) and only a very few are actually producing any new growth as yet.

Polianthes tuberosa (the single flowered form) beautifully in flower with gorgeous scent.

Viburnum odoratissimum with an odd secondary flower in a tunnel.

Viburnum opulus ‘Compactum’ with ripe red seeds already dropping.

Secondary flowers also on Viburnum plicatum ‘Watanabe’.

Abeliophyllum distichum with plenty of flowers out although the leaves have hardly coloured up yet. Normally this plant flowers on bare stems in December/ January.

2021 – CHW
A few seed ripening on the elderly Enkianthus cernuus rubens.

More flowers on another Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’. A little paler than the proper ones in spring?

Late new growth as usual on Camellia gigantocarpa.

Lithocarpus fenestratus is making good growth in a sheltered spot.

Seed heads again this year on Magnolia rostrata which will not be ripe for ages yet.

Deer damage from a roebuck to the stem of a small rhododendron. Do we really have to cage every plant with wire like this one now? Infuriating. A cull needed!

Mahonia savilleana still not properly out yet.

The young Manglietia (Magnolia) insignis which was so covered in flowers in late June / early July has dropped all its seed heads.

A young Magnolia thompsoniana doing well behind some rhododendrons with which it will soon be conflicting. My poor planting again!

Sorbus needhamii making good growth.

2020 – CHW
Visit to Burncoose to undertake the annual tree health survey.The restocked climber tunnel looks good. Unusual to see so many clematis out in September.

Small plants of Strelitzia reginae in full flower.

Still several flowers on Magnolia sieboldii.

Eucryphia x nymansensis ‘Nymansay’ is perhaps a week or 10 days later into full flower than the Caerhays trees.

Good reshooting from the half fallen over and pollarded Eucryphia cordifolia.

The Cornus alternifolia ‘Argentea’ which also fell over has been successfully pollarded, uprighted and tied into place.

Hoheria sextylosa ‘Pendula’ dropping its many flowers into the pond.

Aesculus turbiniata appears to be dying. This was once a gift from Squadron Leader George Witherwick who owned Trelean garden.

Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Strawberry’ with early autumnal colours or is it sickly? Not sure.

2019 – CHW
Time to take a look for seed for Asia to collect now or shortly and enjoy some early autumn colours in the late afternoon sun.Nyssa sinensis showing its first dark purple hues. Soon it will be purple all over.

Some newly peeled bark on Prunus serrula tibetica glows red in the sun. Wonderful!

Unusual shaped seed pods not yet quite ripe on Magnolia kobus ‘Octopus’.

Likewise chubby seed pods on Magnolia ‘Atlas’ x ‘Vulcan’. Well worth collecting shortly. Planted in 2013 and perhaps the first flowering this spring of this cross. Who knows what these seedlings might produce? Certainly worth a try.

2018 – CHW
A planning meeting last Thursday for our Chelsea 2019 stand which will be themed on an alzheimers garden.Clerodendron bungei with a sucker flowering well in shade beside the Burncoose mist houses.

One of the wooden glasshouses used for propagation has been recovered in polythene with metal supports. This has cost £200 plus labour. About half what it has cost to point the structure every three years since it was erected in 1964.

Nyssa sylvatica ‘Wisley Bonfire’ just starting to turn to its wonderful autumn colouring in the nursery.

Cornus florida well on the way to autumn glory in early September and quite a sight today.

Cornus kousa ‘Gold Star’ with large numbers of strawberry fruits after the dry summer. Some leaves have reverted to plain green on this large plant at the entrance to the Burncoose Garden.

2017 – CHW
Jaimie and his team have been cutting the trash on the islands. They came upon the swans’ nest with five addled eggs. The swans hatched off only two chicks but sadly only one has survived to near maturity.

The Caerhays ‘yacht’ tied up after completion of the grass cutting on the islands. A nasty job with lots of wasp nests. Some of the pampas grass clumps are flowering pink, some white. All the geese have gone which is good!

2016 – CHW
Hydrangea aspera subsp robusta outside the front gates is now fully out. The florets are a pure white and stand out well at a time when there is little colour in the garden and autumn is around the corner.

Hydrangea aspera Villosa Group, conversely, is over. The flowers have faded to a dull pink here and gone brown elsewhere. This is a very variable plant in flower and most are short lived. Of the three mature plants from the 1990s above the Four in Hand only part of one still survives. Hydrangea sargentiana lives rather longer.

One forgets just how attractive the leaf arrangement is on Ginko biloba even before the brilliant autumn yellowing. Just look at how intricately these leaves interrelate and combine together.

2015 – CHW
A group of three newly planted hypericum are flowering very late with oddly shaped light yellow flowers. It seems that this species will make quite a decent shrub in time.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Gold Rush’ has lovely yellow emerging new foliage in spring but its autumn hues are not at all bad either. Growing it in full sun seems to improve the colour of the foliage although, in the past, we always thought of metasequoias as bog plants to be planted near water. At Tregrehan they have actually planted three right in the lake and they are thriving.

2004 – FJW
Fairly wet early to mid August – fine first ten days of September until rain today.

1969 – FJW
Long dry spell finished – still 4 acres of corn out – garden does not look too dry.

1916 – JCW
The following rhodo’s are in flower – R flavidum, R hippophaeoides, R scintillans, R racemosum, R radicans, R fastigatum, and bits of flower are open on R decorum, R ungernii and R intricatum. The roses are very good indeed in the 3 beds.