Illicium aff. griffithii (WWJ 11911) is very similar but larger growing with slightly darker flowers.

Illicium parviflorum currently flowerless.

As is Illicium oligandrum.

Pterostyrax hispida full out.

2025 – CHW

Jim Gardiner sent me a picture of he and Roy with the cup winning exhibit from the RMC Group AGM at Leonardslee last weekend. The magnolia was exhibited by the Crown Estates and was Magnolia macrophylla ‘Whopper’ x M. ashei.

Magnolia x wieseneri ‘Aashild Kalleberg’ flowering well in 40 Acres. The flowers droop at first unlike the conventional M. x wieseneri where they are upright. The flowers of ‘Aashild Kalleberg’ do however upright themselves before the flower goes over as you can see.

To Trelissick to have a look at what was once their National Collection of Photinia.

Photinia nussia – a small evergreen tree with interesting bark.

Photinia niitakayamensis I think rather than Photinia davidiana.

Photinia davidsoniae with spikes like ours in the Ririei Opening and by George’s Hut.

A very dark Syringa whose leaf looks like S. emodii.

Photinia glabra – perhaps the form ‘Parfait’ (‘Pink Lady’) with bronze young leaves margined pink.

Photinia davidiana var. undulata.

Photinia glabra.

The very rare Photinia glomerata.

Melicytus ramiflorus which I have only seen before at Ventnor. Not at all like our Caerhays species of Melicytus.

Photinia parvifolia in full flower – a small tree.

2024 – CHW
Hydrangea serrata ‘Crug Cobalt’ (BSWJ 6241a) just out by the 4-in-Hand. Well worth propagating to get another group of these for planting out.

Beside it is the only surviving plant (of 3) of Hydrangea ‘Runaway Bride’ looking justified in its former Plant of the Year award.

The very red and late flowering Azalea ‘Jane Fire’.

Grass cutting well underway below White Styles.

A splendid young Rhododendron decorum below the track below White Styles Field.

Below the former gardens of White Styles Cottages are large clumps of Philadelphus ‘Beauclerk’. 3 or 5 flowers in each raceme and about 10 feet tall in full shade.

Populus wilsonii ex Gaoligongshan was only planted last autumn. Distinctive leaves and leaf petioles.

Quercus farokoensis (G1691) from Thomas Methuan-Campbell has most attractive new growth which I had not appreciated before.

With two rotary machines (one brand new) and two strimmers the bank at Old Park is soon being cut down.

The Aesculus wilsonii clump at the entrance to Old Park are particularly floriferous this year.

Deutzia pulchra (FIFL 26) just out in flower. A gift from Roy Lancaster.

Buddleja nivea yunnanensis with its enormous leaves below the Fernery.

Deutzia ningpoensis also below the Fernery at its very best.

2023 – CHW
Merrilliopanax alpinus (BSWJ 13939) with its first ever flowers by Rookery Nursery.

Magnolia wilsonii (DJHC 98369) with several flowers. A bit later than M. sieboldii and M. sieboldii sinensis but earlier than M. globosa.

Laurel cutting on the drive making progress.

Still 9 cygnets alive (out of 10) which is remarkable.

The white wisteria growing up a yew tree in the Rookery putting on a good show. At least 100 years old!

2022 – CHW

Rain not far away but humid and fine.

In the Rockery we have now proved how well a Podocarpus ‘County Park Fire’ has responded to a harsh pruning to get it away from the Rhododendron sanguineum subsp. didymium and Rhododendron russatum.

Also in the Rockery I am not sure if this is a late flowering form of Rhododendron yunnanense (more likely) or a late form or Rhododendron davidsonianum. Note the colour variation in the flowers. Both may be wrong and it may be a separate species in its own right?

The Pentapterigium serpens planted in the Rockery two years ago has two flowers.

Cornus kousa ‘Wolf Eyes’ flowering away outside the front gate. The root stock with green leaves has overtaken the small amount of variegated foliage still left but it is none the worse for that.

The fabulous Cornus kousa ‘Satomi’ below Slip Rail. The largest of our three plants.

Crataegus columbiana planted in March with its first rather unexceptional flowers.

Deutzia monobeigii in Tin Garden. Smallish but pretty. A Forrest introduction.

Magnolia globosa still flowering away.

Styrax hemsleyanus nearly out and flowering much more profusely with pendulous racemes of flowers than in the two previous years. Most of the other styrax species seem to be having a year off (especially S. formosanus forms) after the excesses of last year.

2021 – CHW
A wonderful five and a half hours in the garden with Sue and Bleddyn Wynn-Jones from Crûg Farm Nursery. The leading plant hunters and collectors of the current generation. An opportunity to view and discuss what has grown well and badly here from their collections, whether we have been growing certain genuses in the wrong places, and how / where / at what altitude they grow in the wild. We have been making mistakes but we have also been getting some things very right. Aralia vietnamensis was performing better than Bleddyn had ever seen elsewhere but I explained that other aralias has not done well. Schefflera in more shade and, more importantly, in more wind exposure.A youngish Euonymus tingens nicely in flower.

First flower out on Magnolia dealbata.

Rhododendron stamineum in the main quarry.

Carpinus japonica now covered in flower cones.