16th October

…fallen leaves. Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’ Autumn colour just starting on Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Viridis’. Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Viridis’ Another sweet chestnut branch down. Another sweet…

7th November

‘Soft Caress’ – a few plants the rabbits missed. Mahonia eurybracta ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia eurybracta ‘Soft Caress’ Saxifraga ‘Black Ruby’ – flowers fade rapidly from red to pink. Saxifraga ‘Black…

17th September

…Bonfire’ Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’ just out in flower. Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’ Magnolia aquifolium with good autumn colour. Magnolia aquifolium 2022 – CHW A large pallet of daffodil bulbs…

11th November

…‘Purple Haze’ x Sycoparrotia ‘Purple Haze’ x Sycoparrotia ‘Purple Haze’ Camellia ‘Cornish Spring’ full out before mid-November! Camellia ‘Cornish Spring’ Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’ now full out in the nursery…

8th November

…of puffball? Possibly stump puffball or soft puffball? puffball puffball 2020 – CHW Drab drizzly day. Wrote up the care article for Camellia sasanqua and its hybrid crosses.These two Camellia…

30th March

…Blush’ and ‘Fairy Wand’ Camellia ‘Coral Bright’, ‘Fairy Blush’ and ‘Fairy Wand’ I have a very soft spot for this Korean form of Magnolia cylindrica. The flowers are not pure…

9th April

…tree? Ucodendron whartonii Daphniphyllum macropodum var. humile with attractive flower buds and soft new growth. A very compact and neat small rounded shrub. Daphniphyllum macropodum var. humile Daphniphyllum macropodum var….

18th April

…too close to the drive. A soft pink blush to the opening flowers quickly turning pure white. Magnolia ‘Alixeed’ A tail end flower on Magnolia dawsoniana ‘Chyverton Red’ on the…

23rd April

…out time to brief Asia on the ones to take cuttings from in five to six weeks’ time when they are soft. Rhododendron sinonuttalii has buds for the first time…

24th April

…cuttings will need to be taken in four to six weeks when still soft (fragrantissimum, formosum, Princess Alice, Lady Alice Fitzwilliam, Berts Own, HarryTagg, Anne Teese, ciliicalyx, Countess of Haddington,…

7th May

…full out. The clump is 15ft tall and equally as wide. Buddleia salvifolia Buddleia salvifolia Fagus sylvatica ‘Zlatia’ has soft yellow leaves at first (as here) but they turn green…

27th May

…so, and a very short life in our climate. Just the stumps left to burn up. Very soft and spongy wood. Paulownia tomentosa ‘Lilacina’ Uplifting a beech tree and a…

20th June

…drive. Very early in view of how late these trees were into leaf after The Beast. Seed heads Seed heads I always have a soft spot for the (now) wild…

23rd September

…The reference books say these cones are in fact soft and prickly ‘fruits’ so there we are. Well worth a look in a week or two as I have never…

4th October

…mist in 5 weeks. Cuttings must be soft. Acacias on wall trying hard. 1900 – JCW Came down for the election, cyclamen fair. The supposed C Dickens x has several…

17th October

…polyanthus in sight. Roses good, all fuchsias and soft stuff cut out. 1901 – JCW A few daffs besides Polyanthus coming through the ground, mainly maximus. I picked a lot…

14th December

…rude weather. 1933 – JCW Just the hardest frost I can remember, I expect all the fuchsias are dead and the flower buds in all our soft rhodo’s. 1932 –…

26th January 1897 – 2020

…cut, Geraniums probably dead. The Saluensis Camellias all coming out again but no colour on any Rhodo. This frost harder than Dec 38 but plants not so soft. Hamamelis quite…

6th February 1897 – 2020

soft weather, Hepatica angulosa, Chimodoxa out, first Caerhays daff shows colour, white hoop petticoat out, minimus at its best, Blood Red Arboreum shows colour, C sardensis shows colour, Glory of…

22nd February 1897 – 2020

…It broke again and made shoots of 2ft by October but very soft. 1925 – JCW Well ahead of 1922 say ten days ago almost all the Sutchuenense show flowers…