NEW PLANTS FOR CHELSEA

See us at stand GPE16  Tuesday 20th May - Saturday 24th May 2008


Walking around the Show Tunnel there do seem to be quite a number of new plants shaping up for Chelsea this year.  This is perhaps a very dangerous statement to make since the weather in early May determines what will actually make it onto the show stand for judging on 19th May.  As ever some things will flower too early despite our best efforts with the coldstore and some may not be far enough out into flower despite forcing on with heat.

Our definition here of ‘new’ means new to the Burncoose Nurseries show stands and new to our mail order catalogue.  These plants are not the result of plant breeding at Burncoose but they are all little known in horticulture in the UK and have very probably not been seen by the public before.  As such they should provide particular interest at this year’s show.


NEW FROM NEW ZEALAND – These plants are New Zealand natives or imported from New Zealand by Burncoose.

Meyrta sinclairii – tropical in appearance with paddle shaped glossy green leaves this is a truly architectural plant which grows to about 15 feet in height.

Libocedrus plumosa (Kawaka) – an unusual slow growing conifer with a pyramidical shape and compressed rich green leaves which give an attractive feathery effect.

Weinmannia trichosperma – a small evergreen tree with unusual but very attractive pinnate leaves.  Each leaf has up to 20 individual leaflets with a small pair of triangular wings between each leaflet.  The plants on display at Chelsea are not mature enough to flower but these would normally appear in dense racemes in May or June.  An unusual tree to try out in a woodland setting which has proved perfectly hardy.


NEW ENKIANTHUS

These plants are much under rated and should be more widely grown.  They flower in May and all have drooping cup or urn shaped flowers which have attractive veining. They flower well from an early age and have the added attraction of beautiful autumn colouring. Certainly one of the best smaller growing shrubs in this respect.



New to the Burncoose Stand this year (we hope):-

    Enkianthus ‘Red Velvet’    -  rich red flowers

    Enkianthus ‘Ruby Glow’    -  pinkish white flowers

    Enkianthus ‘Venus’        -  very large shell pink flowers

    Enkianthus ‘ Victoria’    -  striking red flowers

    Enkianthus ‘Wallaby’    -  dwarf habit – pink flowers

together with some old favourites

    Enkianthus perulatus    -  white flowers

    Enkianthus campanulatus    -  sulphur bronze flowers


NEW PLANTS OF SPECIAL HORTICULTURAL INTEREST – RARE AND UNUSUAL

Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Pendulum – cercidiphyllums are perhaps best known for their pale yellow or smoky pink Autumn colour and associated sweet scent which resembles burnt sugar.  This rare variety has stunning long pendant branches.  A stunning effect both in the summer or autumn in a formal or informal garden setting.

Corylus avellana ‘Red Majestic’ – this corkscrew hazel has stunning purple leaves.  Ordinary corkscrew hazels make attractive garden plants and, in maturity, provide a safe haven for nesting birds.  This new purple leaved variety is quite a showstopper and, even in winter, the unusual shapes and forms of its branches provide novelty and interest.

Kalopanax septemlobus – despite the presence of many prickles on its branches this unusual tree has very attractive 5 or 7 lobed leaves which are up to a foot across.  A novel feature plant for the arboretum or woodland garden.

Cornus kousa ‘Wolf Eyes’ – a rare cornus with drooping white leaves which are tinged pink and unevenly mottled with white and a hint of yellow along the edges.  Hopefully the normal white flowers of Cornus kousa will be present at Chelsea but this plant stands out for its foliage alone.


NEW HERBACEOUS PLANTS FROM AMERICA

Here the timing risks are even greater but we hope to show:-

Hemerocallis ‘Navajo Princess’ -  5-inch pale pink flowers with a bold red eye

Hemerocallis ‘Space Coast Scrambled’ - huge creamy white flowers with a frilled golden edge

Echinacea ‘Green Envy’ – unusual green flowers with rounded petals which have a growing purple tone from the base as the flowers mature

Hosta ‘Stained Glass’ – leaves have gold centres with irregular light and dark green margins

These are part of a much larger range of new hemerocallis, echinaceas and hostas which are new to Burncoose this year.