2021 – CHW
The second grass cut of the garden is well underway and perhaps half complete. After a wet July most areas will need a second cut so that the public can view the garden and its wild primroses, garlic, violets and bluebells unencumbered by grass growth next spring. After a much drier August shady areas will not need a second cut but the newly planted and more open areas definitely do.
These two pictures show how the larger rhododendrons have fared since they were moved out from the Rookery Nursery bed in late March. Some watering was necessary in a dry May. They need rain now, as the pictures demonstrate, but plenty of new growth none the less and a good start for these rarer species.


Crataegus schraderiana with its fruits now coloured up.
Hedychium densiflorum ‘Assam Orange’ was a gift from Leslie Baker last year. It is establishing well.
2018 – CHW
This is a discovery! A mature evergreen euonymus species which I had never noticed before and will need to get identified. Can anyone help? One obvious seed pod but none I could see higher up the tree.
Surprising what is still in flower while autumn approaches.Cornus amomum ‘Blue Cloud’ with wonderful autumn colour.
2016 – CHW
Mespilus germanica with a good crop of fruit which is not yet ripe. The tree is putting on secondary new growth after the rain.
2015 – CHW
Outside the front gates Hydrangea aspera ssp robusta (ex Crug) is flowering for the first time. Very late and long after the other aspera villosa group flowers have faded. It looks rather like a white form of Hydrangea sargentiana but now the botanists strike again and Hydrangea sargentiana is now reclassified as Hydrangea aspera subsp. sargentiana. On what basis was this change made I wonder?
Thank you for nice pictures! But I think the top right picture of the 8th of September is wrong. It says Cornus amomum but shouldn’t it be Cercis (perhaps canadensis) ?
Greetings from Sweden!
Thank you for your comment. You are indeed correct and the picture on the right is NOT Cornus amomum ‘Blue Cloud’. We will get the correct pictures up as soon as our webmasters are back from their well deserved Christmas break!