3rd September

FJ Williams Profile Picture
FJW 1955-2007
CH Williams Profile Picture
CHW 2015-
JC Williams Profile Picture
JCW 1897-1939
C Williams Profile Picture
CW 1940-1955

2023 – CHW

Final tidying in the new Rookery clearing has given the pheasants plenty of opportunity for dust baths. 28°c here yesterday afternoon.

Final tidying
Final tidying
Ternstroemia aff. luteoflora (FMWJ 13360) has flowered and set seed but I have missed the flowers.
Ternstroemia aff. luteoflora (FMWJ 13360)
Ternstroemia aff. luteoflora (FMWJ 13360)
Deads from the earlier drought – Magnolia crassifolia.
Magnolia crassifolia
Magnolia crassifolia
Nearby Podocarpus brassii which was a gift from Tom Hudson.
Podocarpus brassii
Podocarpus brassii
Coprosma grandifolia in flower may not set the world alight but is certainly unusual. I suspect this will propagate easily from cuttings. Originally from Nicholas Locke.
Coprosma grandifolia
Coprosma grandifolia
Coprosma grandifolia
Coprosma grandifolia
Syringa x diversifolia suddenly in flower. I assume secondary flowers as this would normally be out in May.
Syringa x diversifolia
Syringa x diversifolia
Syringa x diversifolia
Syringa x diversifolia
Syringa x diversifolia
Syringa x diversifolia
Syringa x diversifolia
Syringa x diversifolia

2022 – CHW
A stormy night with perhaps half an inch of rain to stabilise the deaths in the garden. Steady, showery rain is much better than a downpour which runs off and does not sink in. No great improvement in many struggling plants as yet but they now have a better chance.

Rainclouds
Rainclouds
The dogs kill a polecat on their way to bed in the kennels in the inner backyard courtyard. All the fuss about reintroducing pine martens when polecats have done it all on their own. Until last year we never seen a pole cat here in my lifetime. Twice the size of a ferret. No wonder our rabbit population is so low with a brood of these in the garden. Mink have been eradicated for some time here, after many years of the escapees from the mink farm in St Austell. Now we have something even worse!
Susyn Andrews can now identify this ancient clump of Gaultheria hookeri or Vaccinium wardii with these pictures of the seed heads. Gaultheria I suspect. The ancient plant is half dead from the drought.
Gaultheria hookeri
Gaultheria hookeri
Gaultheria hookeri
Gaultheria hookeri
Acer palmatum ‘Senkaki’ ( ‘Sango-Kaku’ ) turning yellowish even earlier than usual.
Acer palmatum ‘Senkaki’
Acer palmatum ‘Senkaki’
Acer palmatum ‘Senkaki’
Acer palmatum ‘Senkaki’
A huge leaf blown off Aralia vietnamensis overnight.
Aaralia vietnamensis
Aaralia vietnamensis
Flower buds forming on Peumus boldus earlier than usual.
Peumus boldus
Peumus boldus
The original Lindera megaphylla has lost a large branch in the gale.
Lindera megaphylla
Lindera megaphylla
Plenty of fruit on Cornus kousa ‘Gold Star’.
Cornus kousa ‘Gold Star’
Cornus kousa ‘Gold Star’
Last few (large) flowers on a young Eucryphia x nymansensis ‘Nymansay’.
Eucryphia x nymansensis ‘Nymansay’
Eucryphia x nymansensis ‘Nymansay’

2021 – CHW
Rubus ichangensis just coming into flower. The fruits will be very late!
Rubus ichangensis
Rubus ichangensis
Seed heads on Magnolia cylindrica – not a common occurrence here.
Magnolia cylindrica
Magnolia cylindrica
Autumn tints on Acer henryi.
Acer henryi
Acer henryi
Most of the acorns have already dropped on Quercus lamellosa. These are still undersized and nowhere near ripe.
Quercus lamellosa
Quercus lamellosa
Flower tassels already visible on Stachyurus chinensis.
Stachyurus chinensis
Stachyurus chinensis
Rhododendron decorum still with flowers high up.
Rhododendron decorum
Rhododendron decorum

2020 – CHW
Fat rounded seeds on Styrax hookeri. Not many flowers this year but more seed than I expected.
Styrax hookeri
Styrax hookeri
Laburnocytisus adamii fell over last winter but was cut and stood up again. Some recent side shoots which I had nearly given up on.
Laburnocytisus adamii
Laburnocytisus adamii
Laburnocytisus adamii
Laburnocytisus adamii
A final flower on Magnolia virginiana ‘Satellite’. I have said that before!
Magnolia virginiana ‘Satellite’
Magnolia virginiana ‘Satellite’
The smooth grey-white bark on the original Magnolia salicifolia stands out in the early evening light. One branch is rotting on the inside and woodpeckers have been busy.
Magnolia salicifolia
Magnolia salicifolia
Magnolia salicifolia
Magnolia salicifolia
Another week on and more orange now on Acer palmatum ‘Sango kaku’.
Acer palmatum ‘Sango kaku’
Acer palmatum ‘Sango kaku’
The south facing Podocarpus salignus is quite a sight with its drooping branches.
Podocarpus salignus
Podocarpus salignus

2019 – CHW
To the new plantings in Tin Garden.An unnamed Styrax species collected by Nick Macer (NJM 11.013) is covered in pendulous seeds in its first year of planting. Worth Asia collecting.
unnamed Styrax species
unnamed Styrax species
unnamed Styrax species
unnamed Styrax species
Regrowth after decades of shade under trees sees a fine crop of Verbascum olympicum flowering away. How the seed got here in the first place is anyone’s guess.
Verbascum olympicum
Verbascum olympicum
Verbascum olympicum
Verbascum olympicum
Two Paulownia fortunei grown from seed by Asia have grown 4ft in the first year. One had two side shoots which have folded down to ground level and could be layered. Huge leaves!
Paulownia fortunei
Paulownia fortunei
Paulownia fortunei
Paulownia fortunei
Paulownia fortunei
Paulownia fortunei
Quercus hypoxyantha has pinkish secondary new growth and is starting to settle in. Odd shaped crinkly leaves but some are still small after a dry summer.
Quercus hypoxyantha
Quercus hypoxyantha
Quercus hypoxyantha
Quercus hypoxyantha
Quercus hypoxyantha
Quercus hypoxyantha
Salix udensis ‘Golden Sunshine’ one year on from planting and 4ft already. This will be a new entry for the 2020 Burncoose website.
Salix udensis ‘Golden Sunshine’
Salix udensis ‘Golden Sunshine’
Salix udensis ‘Golden Sunshine’
Salix udensis ‘Golden Sunshine’
Salix udensis ‘Golden Sunshine’
Salix udensis ‘Golden Sunshine’

2018 – CHW
The first flush of autumn colour on Cladastris kentuckea.
Cladastris kentuckea
Cladastris kentuckea
The Beast damaged Rhododendron stenaulum is shooting away nicely at all levels after its hard pruning and despite the drought which has brown tipped the new leaves. The dunging has clearly helped.
Rhododendron stenaulum
Rhododendron stenaulum
Rhododendron stenaulum
Rhododendron stenaulum
Rhododendron stenaulum
Rhododendron stenaulum
A young Zanthoxylum coreanum with its first fruits which are still green. This is another new Zanthoxylum species to us even if the spelling is incorrect. Cannot find anywhere to check it in the reference books.
Zanthoxylum coreanum
Zanthoxylum coreanum
I pruned out the three branches on Populus deltoides ‘Purple Tower’ which had reverted to green.
Populus deltoides ‘Purple Tower’
Populus deltoides ‘Purple Tower’
Populus deltoides ‘Purple Tower’
Populus deltoides ‘Purple Tower’
Betula albosinensis ‘China Rose’ had some serious regrowth from below the graft which I also cut out today and you can see piled beside the young tree.
Betula albosinensis ‘China Rose’
Betula albosinensis ‘China Rose’
Cedrus brevifolia is making serious new growth after the drought has now ended.
Cedrus brevifolia
Cedrus brevifolia

2017 – CHW
Astonishingly good blue new growth on Rhododendron cinnabarinum concatenans Group.
Rhododendron cinnabarinum concatenans Group
Rhododendron cinnabarinum concatenans Group
Rhododendron cinnabarinum concatenans Group
Rhododendron cinnabarinum concatenans Group
Lindera sericea had appeared to be a rounded bush but suddenly four new growth stems have shot up tall. A new species of lindera to us.
Lindera sericea
Lindera sericea
Lindera sericea
Lindera sericea
Lindera sericea
Lindera sericea
Neolitsea polycarpa is making good growth. The leaf form resembles the lindera below Donkey Shoe. It is certainly hugely different from Neolitsea sericea.
Neolitsea polycarpa
Neolitsea polycarpa
Neolitsea polycarpa
Neolitsea polycarpa
Rehderodendron kwatungense is now growing well. Nice bark too.
Rehderodendron kwatungense
Rehderodendron kwatungense
Rehderodendron kwatungense
Rehderodendron kwatungense
Rehderodendron kwatungense
Rehderodendron kwatungense
Polyspora longicarpa is full of bud for late autumn or early in the New Year. This plant was windblown and nearly dead four or five years ago but has now settled in.
Polyspora longicarpa
Polyspora longicarpa
Polyspora longicarpa
Polyspora longicarpa
Yet another good Rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’.
Rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’
Rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’
Rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’
Rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’
Secondary, and very dark, flowers on Magnolia ‘Genie’.
Magnolia ‘Genie’
Magnolia ‘Genie’
Magnolia ‘Genie’
Magnolia ‘Genie’
Sadly the last old clump of Rhododendron ‘Charles Michael’ is now dead.
Rhododendron ‘Charles Michael’
Rhododendron ‘Charles Michael’

2016 – CHW
A visit by Harry Watkins who is writing a PhD paper on magnolias. A very wet afternoon so the pictures are dreadful. Harry is not fazed by the rain. Copious fruit on Cornus kousa ‘Gold Star’. Very good indeed.
Cornus kousa ‘Gold Star’
Cornus kousa ‘Gold Star’

Lomatia ferruginea is just going over.

Lomatia ferruginea
Lomatia ferruginea
Gevuina avellana, the Chilean nut tree, is just coming out and we discover a few green turning black nuts close to the base of this year’s flowers. They do not look that significant.
Gevuina avellana
Gevuina avellana
Hoheria sextylosa ‘Pendula’ is now coming out properly a week on from the last inspection.
Hoheria sextylosa ‘Pendula’
Hoheria sextylosa ‘Pendula’
Eucryphia cordifolia is just starting to shed its flowers. Two to three weeks later this year than usual this year.
Eucryphia cordifolia
Eucryphia cordifolia
2015 – CHW
Hoheria sextylosa is at last out. Very late and later than other hoheria species but Hoheria sextylosa ‘Pendula’ is still in tight bud which is most unusual. In the nursery they had flower in early August.
Hoheria sextylosa
Hoheria sextylosa
Hoheria sextylosa
Hoheria sextylosa
Hoheria sextylosa
Hoheria sextylosa

1995 – FJW
It looks as if the drought is now over – the worst since 1976 and probably the worst I have seen.

1971 – FJW
All corn in – and nearly all straw – yield good.

1962 – FJW
Pinnatifolia past best, Nymansensis at its best – no lapageria. The season has been 3 weeks late all through the year.

1914 – JCW
Cyclamen, solanum, cassia, hydrangeas, roses are very good. The lapagerias coming on. R flavidum has some nice flowers open and also R decorum, Wilson’s best Intricatum is good.

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