Saturday 4th.

Our second Rhodo SW Branch visiting day was to West Somerset near Minehead. First stop was Dunster Castle where we were met by Jonathan the Senior Gardener. Previously there had been two full time gardeners, two years ago another two were taken on (including Jonathan) which is making life easier.   A lot of clearing had to be done as the garden had got somewhat neglected in parts. The site is very difficult as it is mostly steep slopes which means maintenance is difficult due to access issues. There were some interesting plants such as Gevuina and Grevilleas which indicate what a mild climate this coastline has. The famous Dunster Meyer’s Lemon in its purpose built case died a few years ago and was replaced by a cutting from the original plant. After several years of waiting it fruited and turned out to be a grapefruit! A lemon plant is being brought on in the greenhouses. The rhododendrons however were mostly over.

It had been an interesting morning and after an early lunch we made our way to Greencombe at Porlock, where the rest of our party met up.

We were welcomed by owner Rob Schmidt a nephew of Miss Lorraine who had created the garden in the 1960s. Apparently her gardener at the time went around other gardens and took cuttings of likely plants to suit their north facing aspect - about 1000 in all!  It is a woodland garden and has a magical feel to it as you walk along the paths in the woods, inhaling the scents of the ‘smellies’, Rhododendrons such as R. lindleyi and a great many plants of  ‘Lady Alice Fitzwilliam’. There was a gigantic Rhododendron protistum - a champion reaching up 40 feet to the light.  Rhododendron augustinii was abundant in shades of blue; a fantastic sight. I also noticed a patch of the double form of white Wake Robin Trillium grandiflorum plenum. A Spring garden, but I wonder what happens in high summer onwards, as I didn’t notice hydrangeas or eucryphias for instance. We rounded off the afternoon with a welcome cream tea.

Sunday 12th.

What a gorgeous week it has been - sunny and warm with no rain! I noticed that Magnolia ‘Eileen Baines’ is flowering well even though she is still a young plant. Very gratifying. Also R. moulmainense aka R. ellipticum

has been putting out its wonderful bronze new leaves on long stalks. I don’t mind the pink flowers so much now clashing somewhat with the bronze. The R. edgworthii, R. ellipticum and a tree paeony make a lovely picture together. Another wonder, and the larger Nolina hibernica has suddenly put forth a flowering spike while I wasn’t looking. An amazing sight. I hope the plant doesn’t die after flowering which it shouldn’t if correctly identified by Nick Macer.

Sunday 19th.

Garden open this afternoon and 49 visitors (and 12 children) came in full sunshine and temperatures of c. 24C. Everything this year has been flowering like mad, so there was lots to see. It had been wet the previous night so things were looking fresh. Gregg, Head Gardener at Chevithorne Barton, came and it was good to be able to spend a little time showing him the more unusual trees and shrubs, an appreciative and knowledgeable audience! Magnolia triloba had one flower at perfect state of opening.

The rose Lady Hillingdon’s photo on Instagram in which I quoted her diary entry ‘I lie back, shut my eyes and think of England’ provoked another quote from Seamus O’Brien about Lady Moore of Glasnevin commenting on this rose - ‘she’s no good in a bed, much better against a wall’. Did she know what she was saying?

Anyway, she is a gorgeous rose with wonderful new growth.

Sunday 19th.

Garden open and we had almost 50 (49 plus 12 children) visitors on a beautiful sunny day. Gregg the Head Gardener at Chevithorne Barton came and it was a pleasure to show off some treasures to an appreciative audience! Treasures there are aplenty and flowering is spectacular. The three Crinodendrons a case in point. I’ve never seen pink Ada Hoffmann so completely full of flowers, and white Alf Robbins is doing well and promises to be a stunner in a few years.

Many others are outstanding at the moment. Magnolia ‘Porcelain Dove’ and Camellia ‘Hawaii’ (carrying on and on).