2021 – CHW
A possible new addition to the Labrador pack.

Ficus carica ‘Ice Crystal’ with its first figs.
2020 – CHW
After two days of welcome rain and drizzle everything looks fresh.
The very pink and pale form of Hydrangea aspera var. sargentiana is now full out outside the front gate.
2019 – CHW
Another better flower on Magnolia kwangtungensis (Manglietia moto). Too high up to smell it. Pale-ish creamy white.



Thinking about it when we clear the remainder of the Leylandii hedge in the end bit of Kennel Close this will be a good spot for the dozen or so new species of cotoneaster that are ready to plant out. Or should they go into more dappled shade in Old Park. Probably not as the pheasants will eat all the berries before we begin to see them.
The new Beatrice plantation of Camellia sasanqua varieties to commemorate her birth is now ordered up from France. They are going onto the bank at the entrance to Old Park which was all a sasanqua plantation 40 to 50 years ago. All dead of old age bar one along the path at the bottom of Old Park which was rejuvenated after being smashed by a tree.
A day to review the real impact of the drought both on this year’s and more recent new planting. A rare dead ilex species planted last December in partial shade.
Again to Eddington’s Nursery.Crocosmia ‘Zeal Tan’ a medium growing red. Nothing special but a better sized red for some gardens.
Little in flower in the garden and Rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’ nearly over by Georges Hut.Quite a surprise above Hovel Cart Road with a magnolia showing a copious second flowering.
2015 – CHW
The two large Eucryphia cardifolia beyond the playhouse are still not even faintly out but the Eucryphia glutinosa is. A very bad picture as I cannot get near to it. The plant grows in and old brick lined frame above the Rockery and was never planted out. Now surrounded by wisteria and mahonia. This is a deciduous species which is quite rare, very slow growing and with lovely mottled grey bark. At Burncoose by the pond there is an even rarer double flowered form which would be the one to propagate.
Eucryphia glutinosa is the one which survives here (continent) longtimes (but E. lucida is also offered), the picture shows an example of the plena group, seemingly without name or lost. With summers being often dry, for such plants needing humidity the place to plant has to be carefully choosen, mostly valleys, but take care that the place doesn’t suffer waterlogging, i.e. airfree soil, which causes quickly rot. It may help to plant on an artificiall hill, adding fine gravel to the soil. Besides Eucryphiae, Nothofagi and Magnolia sieboldii, wilsoni need humidity to survive longtime.
The plant described as Buddleja forrestii, with the coppery indumentum on the leaves and branchlets, is much more likely Buddleja macrostachya. I base this identification on the longer corolla tubes and the tomentose exterior to the corolla and calyx – I am confident the ovary and seed capsule are also stellate-tomentose, whereas B. forrestii has a mostly glabrous ovary/capsule. I am growing the same collection and have confirmed the species as B. macrostachya with a dissection of an individual flower.