Disanthus cercidifolius

Disanthus cercidifolius, a member of the hamamelidaceae family, is lighting up the garden with the spectacular colour of its heart shaped leaves.  A native of Japan and China it was introduced to the UK in about 1893.  It is a woodland plant, an acid soil lover and fairly hardy.  There are seven plants flourishing in the garden at High Beeches.

Seeds and Berries

Early signs of Autumn

Sorbus hupehensis

Early Autumn is bringing a taste of the spectacular colour to look forward to.  The acers are starting to turn yellow, orange and red.  The liquidambers and parrotias are already showing signs of colour.  The grasses are looking good too.

It is the time of year for berries and seed and this is a particularly good year.

Sorbus hupehensis is covered in bright pink berries.  A Rowan native to central and western China.  It was discovered by Ernest Wilson in 1910.

Acer caudatifolium

Acer caudatifolium, a beautiful snake bark maple from Taiwan.

Symplocos paniculata

Symplocos paniculata a delightful deciduous shrub with white, fragrant flowers in June and bright blue fruits in autumn.  A native of China, Himalaya and Japan.  First introduced to the USA in 1871 and then to England.

September Wildflowers at High Beeches

SEPTEMBER WILD FLOWERS 

There are still many wildflowers to be seen in the garden at High Beeches.  It is a particularly good year for the Devil's-bit Scabious, succisa pratensis which is flowering freely throughout the meadows and garden.  The Devils-bit scabious, a beautiful lavender blue, was used to treat Scabies and is a good source of nectar, it is also a food plant of the Marsh Fritillary butterfly

There are large clumps of Common Fleabane, Pulicaria dysenterica, to be found, its name comes from past use as an incense to rid the house of insects and it was also used in the treatment of dysentry. Water Mint, Menta aquatica, grows in the ghylls, a valuable source of nectar for bees and butterflies as well as a food plant for caterpillars.

Lesser Skullcap, Scutellaria minor and Cow Wheat, Melampyrum pratense are also flourishing.  Cow Wheat is an ancient woodland indicator and its seed is attractive to wood ants.  It is also a food plant for the caterpillars of the Heath Fritillary butterfly.  The delicate Skull cap is semi parasitic on other plants and was used in traditional medicine.

Lesser Skullcap

Devil's-bit Scabious

Common Fleabane

Water Mint

Cow Wheat

Woodland Gentian

TheWoodland Gentian, Gentiana asclepiadea,

 is established here at High Beeches and in August the gentians flower throughout the garden.  High Beeches is the only known site in the UK where these gentians are naturalised.

The Woodland or Willow Gentian is a perennial and is a native of central and southern europe and is usually to be found in woodland mountain areas.  It is a beautiful plant with elegant arching stems and bright blue trumpet like flowers.

Stewartia sinensis

 STEWARTIA SINENSIS

The Stewartias at High Beeches are in flower.

A small genus of ornamental trees and shrubs related to the camellia.
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Stewartia sinensis has attractive peeling bark and good autumn colour.  A native of central China and introduced to the UK by Ernest Wilson in1901.  A highly desirable ornamental tree but rare in cultivation.



Quercus oxyodon

A rare oak, Quercus oxyodon, is flowering at High Beeches.

Although evergreen Quercus oxyodon sheds its leaves in the spring and then flowers before producing new foliage in the summer.  It is a low growing tree of up to 10 metres in height with wide spreading branches.

 A native of China and probably introduced by Ernest Wilson in 1900.

The tree at High Beeches is an old one.  There is another at Caerhays planted in l919 but there is a debate as to whether or not they are the same plant.
A small number of other gardens have young plants, including Nymans and Chevithorne Barton.

Liriodendron tulipifera

LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA, the Tulip Tree

 

 

A large tree of up to 30 metres in height.  The tulip tree has very distinct foliage, which turns golden-yellow in autumn.  It flowers in June and the flowers are not unlike tulips hence its name.  It is an early introduction to this country from North America, the first record of at Tulip Tree is from 1688 and it may well have been introduced earlier.

 

The magnificent Tulip Tree at High Beeches grows on the bank between the road and the car park and was probably planted in the early 1900s.