A splash or two of colour in the garden

Berberis and Pampas grass

Acer palmatum Corallinum

Taxodium distichum

There is still colour to be found on a walk around the garden at High Beeches in
early December.  A berberis provides a fiery backdrop to the pampas grass.

Acer palmatum Corallinum has held on to
some of it leaves as has Taxodium distichum
brightening a dull day.

Acer palmatum Corallinum, the coral bark maple, is a rare and distinct cultivar.

Taxodium distichum, the swamp cypress,
is a large deciduous conifer.  A native of the US, it was introduced to the UK by John
Tradescant in 1638.  It can be grown in wet soil but grows better on well-drained soil and thrives in dry sandy soil.  It has fibrous reddish brown bark and pretty feathery green foliage which turns reddish brown in autumn.  A long
lived tree and wind hardy.  The famous tree in
Santa Maria del Tule, Oaxaca in Mexico has the largest girth of any known tree, measuring
35.8m in 1982

Magnolia Seed

Magnolia Alexandrina



Magnolia Charles Raffill

Magnolia Seed

It has been a good year for seed on the
Magnolias.  The exotic and strange shaped
pods are often pink and split open to reveal
bright red seeds.

Magnolia Alexandrina (Magnolia x soulangeana 'Alexandrina') a hybrid between
Magnolia denudata and Magnolia liliiflora,
 M. Alexandrina is a named form and one of the most popular of magnolias.  It is free flowering in April and the flowers are white and flushed purple at the base. It is a
small tree here at High Beeches.

Magnolia  campbellii var. campbellii x var. mollicomata  'Charles Raffill'.  A cross made by C P Raffill at Kew in 1946.  A vigourous tree with large flowers which are deep purple on the outside and white with a purple marginal flush on the inside.

Magnolia globosa

Magnolia grandiflora 'Goliath'

Magnolia globosa is a large shrub with nodding creamish flowers produced in June.  It was introduced by George Forrest in 1919
from China and first flowered in the UK
at Loch Inch in 1931.  It is closely related to
M. wilsonii and M.sieboldii and is not
particularly common in cultivation.












Magnolia grandiflora 'Goliath' has large white flowers almost a foot across and flowers throughout the summer into the
autumn.  One of the trees here at High Beeches was badly damaged in the storm
of 1987 but has now fully recovered.
The timber of Magnolia grandiflora (Southern Magnolia) is harvested in the US and used for among other things, furniture and veneers

Nyssa Sylvatica

 

Nyssa sylvatica High Beeches

Nyssa sylvatica

There are a number of  Nyssa sylvatica trees at High Beeches Garden all lighting up the garden even on a cloudy day. 

Nyssa sylvatica (Tupelo tree) is a native
of the North Eastern US and one of the
best trees for autumn colour.  Nyssa sylvatica 'High Beeches' was awarded the the First Class Certificate by the RHS for its
brilliant coloured and glossy foliage.  Nyssas sucker and some have been allowed to grow on creating this beautiful group.


This Nyssa was planted as part of a group with
Nothofagus fusca, Stuartia monodelpha and
Eucalyptus gunni.  The tall fastigiate tree in
front of it is Ginko Biloba which has yet to
turn yellow.



Nyssa sylvatica

A relatively young Nyssa planted close to the
garden entrance with a backdrop of Beech
and framed by Kalopanax pictus and Acer flabellatum.

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BERRIES AND SEEDS 2

Sorbus sargentiana

Stuartia rostrata

Berries and Seeds

There are so many plants fruiting in the
garden here at High Beeches that I could
fill several pages.

Sorbus sargentiana produces large heads of
red berries of up to 15cm across.  Sorbus
do not thrive particularly well here but S.
sargentiana does better than most and almost
always puts on a good display of berry and
autumn colour.  It is a native of Western
China and was introduced by Ernest Wilson
in 1908.

The Stuartias all have seed heads this year.
S. rostrata has beaked fruit and is one of the better Stuartias for autumn colour.  A native of China and introduced to the USA in 1936.

Magnolia globosa

The Magnolias are covered in seed pods many
are large and odd shapes.  Those of
M. globosa are a striking red.  This magnolia is related to M.wilsonii, the
flowers and fruit are similar.  A native of
China, Nepal and India, it was introduced by George Forrest in 1919.













Euonymous oxyphyllus

Euonymous oxyphyllus has very striking
fruit and beautiful purple red autumn foliage.
It is an excellent addition to the autumn garden.
A native of China, Japan and Korea it was
introduced in 1892.


September colour in the Garden

Hydrangea paniculata 'Unique'

September colour in the garden.

It looks as though Autumn will be earlier
here than last year.  There is already colour
throughout the garden.  The Acers are all
turning red and yellow and the
Liquidambers, the Nyssas and Parrotias
all are showing colour and the promise of a
spectacular autumn display.

Hydrangea paniculata 'Unique' is turning
a beautiful shade of pink and the many clumps
of grasses are starting to flower.  Stipa
gigantica is looking especially pretty this
year.


Stipa gigantica



Acer palmatum  Senkaki


Acer palmatum Senkaki  and a young beech
glowing in the September evening sun soon
to be joined by the Golden Ash and the
Disanthus cercidifolius.

It is also a very good year for berries.

The garden is open until the end of

Young Beech

October.

There will not be any Halloween events
at High Beeches at Half Term.

Late flowering wildflowers

Three wildflowers flowering in the garden.

Mentha aquatica

There are still many wildflowers flowering in
the garden.  Among them are Mentha aquatica
(Water Mint), Hypericum, perforatum (Perforate St John's Wort) and Pulicaria dysenterica (Common Flea Bane).

Water Mint is a hairy perennial that smells
strongly of mint.  It is found in damp ground,
is very popular with insects and is common
through Europe and some parts of Asia.






Perforate St Johns-wort is an upright perennial,

Hypericum perforatum

native to Europe and Asia.  A herb which is
sometimes used to treat mild cases of depression.
Research is going on into its antibacterial
properties.  It is poisonous in large doses
to grazing animals.

Pulicaria dysenterica

Common Flea Bane is a creeping perennial
found on heavy soils in damp places and is
also common throughout Europe and Asia.
It has been used in the past as an incense to
drive away insects and has been used in the
past as a treatment for dysentry.

Beautiful Eucryphias

There are two species of Eucryphia in the garden,  E. cordifolia and E glutinosa, and
three hybrids E. cv Grayswood, E. cv Nymansay and E cv Rostrevor.

Eucryphia glutinosa is a native of Chile and was introduced by R Pearce whilst collecting for
Veitch's Nursery in 1859.  It is hardy and flowers freely in July and August .Evergreen in the wild it  is not very common as it is difficult to propagate successfully and is becoming rare in Chile.

Eucryphia glutinosa

Eucryphia cordifolia was introduced in 1851 and is a native of the rain forests of Chile.  It is only hardy in the southern counties and is grown most successfully in the west country.

Eucryphia x nymansensis 'Nymansay'

Eucryphia x nymansensis 'Nymansay' is a beautiful tree of rapid growth which flowers in August/ September.  It is a hybrid between
(E. cordifolia and E. glutinosa) and was raised  by James Comber, Head Gardener at Nymans.









Eucryphia x intermedia 'Rostrevor' a hybrid between (E.glutinosa and E. lucida) a free flowering small tree raised at Rostrevor in Northern Ireland.  'Grayswood'  is similar.

Eucryphia x intermedia 'Rostrevor'

.

Wildflowers in the Garden

The wildflower meadow is still looking wonderful, full of seed heads and grasses and humming with insect life.


The garden is full of wildflowers too.


The Ivy leaved Bell Flower, Wahlenbergia
hederacea is a delicate, trailing perennial of damp ground.  It has pale blue flowers in June and the leaves are rounded with lobes like tiny ivy leaves.  It is not that common in the south east of  England.









Small Cow-wheat, Melampyrum sylvaticum.
A straggly annual,semi parasitic on the roots
of other plants and an indicator of ancient
woodland.
It has a relationship with the Wood Ant.  The
flowers produce a sugary liquid from tiny glands
below the petals that the Ants are attracted to
and feed on.  The seeds of the plant are very
similar in appearance to the cocoons of the ant and are transported back to the nest where they can grow.
It is a food plant of the caterpillar of the rare
Heath Fritillary Butterfly.

Musk -mallow, Malvia moschata.
A hairy perennial  with pretty pale pink
flowers in July and August found in dry
grassy places.

Whites in the Garden

July is the month for all things white contrasting with the many, shapes, textures and shades of green provided by the huge variety of trees and shrubs in the garden.

The Styraxs, Stuartias, Cornus and Philadelphus are in flower and the Eucryphias will soon follow. The garden is also carpeted with wildflowers attracting clouds of butterflies.  There are many dragonflies to be seen on the ponds.

Styrax japonica

Styrax Japonica, a graceful tree, dripping
with pure white flowers.  A native of
Japan, China and Korea, it was probably first
introduced to Britain from China by
Wilson although seed was also collected
by Pere Farges in 1898.

Cornus kousa

Cornus kousa, another native of China and
Japan and also a Wilson introduction in
1907.  A beautiful tree with showy white
bracts.  The large tree here at High Beeches
was badly damaged in the storm of l987
but is now almost fully recovered.

Stuartia rostrata

High Beeches has the National Collection
of Stuartias although it is a struggle to
grow the American plants here.  Both
rostrata and pseudocamellia are in flower
and the monodelphas and sinensis will soon follow.  All are beautiful trees, flowering well with camellia like flowers and good autumn colour.

June in the Garden

June in the garden brings a

variety of trees and shrubs

in flower.

The beautiful ancient wildflower
meadow is at its best, a stunning carpet
of  Ox-eye Daisies, buttercups, yellow
rattle, orchids and many more.

Magnolia tripetala, the Umbrella
Tree.  One of the most common of the
American magnolias, it is a large tree
with large leaves and cream coloured
flowers in May/June.  A native of the
eastern US, introduced in 1752.
The one here was planted in 1932.

Rhododendron maddenii ssp crassum.
A large shrub with beautiful white/pink,
highly scented flowers which fill the
garden with fragrance at this time of year.
One of the hardiest of the group and a
native North Vietnam, SE Tibet and China.
It was introduced in 1906 by George Forrest.

Styrax hemsleyanus a lovely small tree
with white flowers borne in long racemes.
A native of China and introduced in 1900 by
Ernest Wilson.  The most impressive tree in
the country is in the walled garden at
Trengwainton in Cornwall.

Crinodendrons

Crinodendrons

A small genus of five species.  We have one at High Beeches and a selected clone.

Crinodendron hookerianum Gay
formely (Tricuspidaria lanceaolata)
the Lantern tree, has long-stalked
red lantern like flowers in May.
A large shrub here at High Beeches
was  planted in 1914.  A native of
Chile it was introduced by
William Lobb for Messrs Veitch,
 in 1848.

Crindodendrons prefer cool, moist, peaty soil
and are not always hardy, they are mostly to
be found in gardens  in the UK on the west coast and the Isle of Wight.

Crinodendron hookerianum 'Ada Hoffmann'
is a pale pink flowered clone selected in
the wild.  The plant here at High Beeches
was planted in 2009, flowering for the first time
in 2010.

In praise of the beautiful Nothofagus

Nothofagus, the southern hemisphere beeches grow well here at High Beeches.

Related to Fagus, a genus of large ornamental, fast growing, evergreen and deciduous trees.
There are five in the garden here including:



Nothofagus dombeyi  a medium to large tree
from Chile and Argentina and introduced in l916 by F R S Balfour.  The beautiful old tree at High Beeches was a victim of the l987 storm but a young tree planted in 1989 is growing well.










Nothofagus fusca, the Red beech, can be frost tender when young but grows into a beautiful medium sized tree.  A native of New Zealand.  The one here was planted in 1931.











Nothofagus obliqua the Roble Beech.  A large
fast growing tree from Chile and Argentina
introduced  from Chile by H J Elwes.  The timber is not dissimilar to oak and has similar uses.  This one was planted in 1990.






Nothofagus alpina (N. nervosa).  A large, fast
growing tree with large leaves similar to
carpinus, colouring well in autumn.  A native
of Chile and Argentina introduced in 1913.
It produces fine timber used for wine barrels,
veneers and interiors.  This tree was planted
in l991.

Some of the smaller Rhododendrons at High Beeches

High Beeches has a large selection of the smaller Rhodendrons many to be found growing on Forrest's Bank with Rh. rex and Rh. Elsae towering over them.

Rhododendron primuliflorum

One of the most enchanting is Rhododendron
primuliflorum a small to medium sized shrub.
The leaves are small and white underneath and
the small flowers are daphne like, tubular
and pink in colour borne in small rounded
heads.  It won 'Best in Show' at Wisley last year.

Rhododendron russatum introduced by
George Forrest in l917 is another small
shrub of up to 1.2m high. It has flowers of
a beautiful deep blue-purple in April/May.

Rhododendron campylogynum is a very
pretty dwarf shrub which produces long-stalked, bell shaped, rose purple flowers and
was introduced by George Forrest in l912.

Rhododendron russatum

Finally Rhododendron Yellow Hammer
(Rh. flavidum x Rh. sulfureum) a beautiful
yellow hybrid which is flowering particularly
well this year.  Raised at Caerhays in Cornwall
it is to be found in flower throughout the year.

Rhododendron campylogynum

Rhododendron Yellow Hammer

Early Rhododendron Competition

High Beeches took part in the Early Rhododendron Competition at Wisley last weekend.

Competing in the RHS Shows is challenging but hugely enjoyable and High Beeches had a successful show with a number of firsts.  We usually do better in the classes for species rather than hybrid rhododendrons and this year was no exception. One first in the hybrid section, six firsts in the species section and the garden was awarded the John Fox Plate for the largest number of points gained overall in the South East Group.

Rh.luteiflorum

Magnolia stellata, Illicium anisatum, Camellia R.L.Wheeler, Rh. arboreum x repens

  Our prize winners included Rhododendron Florida Ogada, Rh. neriflorum, Rh. luteiflorum, Rh. irroratum 'Polka Dot' and Rh. racemosum.   We were also successful in the class for 'Four trees or shrubs of different genera, one vase of each' winning it with Camellia R.L. Wheeler, Rh. arboreum x repens, Magnolia stellata and Illicium anisatum.

Magnolias

The magnolias are looking superb at High Beeches.



Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta one of the most beautiful of Magnolias was discovered by Ernest Wilson in 1903, although he never saw it in bloom, and named after Charles Sargent, Director of the Arnold Arboretum. Most of the older trees came from Chenault of Orleans, this is one of them. In l997 this tree was a casualty of the great storm. The decision was made to cover the root ball with top soil and to wait and see what would happen. The tree put out new shoots and although it is not quite the tree it was prior to 1997 it still flowers all over, a truly magnificent sight.

Magnolia campbellii var.campbelli x var.
mollicomata. A cross made by C Raffill of Kew
in l946, seedlings were distributed to a number
of gardens in 1948. The clone Charles Raffill
is a fine tree.











Magnolia campbellii Lanarth a striking form
of subsp. mollicomata has very distinctive deep
pink flowers.  A native of Yunnan introduced
by George Forrest in 1924.