Camellia sasanqua ‘Dazzler’ has been more or less blown away recently and its flowers are scattered and nearly over for another year.

Araucaria bidwillii was the International Dendrology Society’s ‘Plant of the Year’ in their recently published yearbook. Under threat in Australia, too tender for anywhere in the UK except the very mildest locations. We lost another of these in a cold place on the drive but this one is going great guns.

Many seed clusters of Lithocarpus pachyphyllus have been stripped from the tree in recent gales but these two persist only 4ft off the ground with fat ripe acorns showing clearly. A squirrel has had a go so perhaps Asia ought to grab these two while they remain intact?

A good new display of cyclamen and winter pansies to brighten up the front door.

2018 – CHW

This huge bare root plant of Sorbus ullungdoensis had a hard top pruning when it was planted last December and has settled in well with, now, some autumn colour. The effect of the pruning has been to encourage new basal shoots which we will need to remove to send the sap back up to the crown of the tree.