The first time I have ever seen flower heads on Persea japonica (BSWJ 12789). I cannot say they are of much interest!

The bark of Persea japonica is rather more interesting!

The Embothrium lanceolatum above Roger’s Quarry is nearly dead. These plants seem to live only 30 or so years with us.

Styrax tonkinensis may be nearly 20 feet tall after only 8 years but still no flowers. The tree split in half in the spring.

A Crug Farm Daphniphyllum aff. longeracemosum nearly died last year but, after a hard pruning, it has new shoots much lower down the stem.

Cornus hongkongensis is putting on a fine show but has oddly drooping branches.

An interesting colour combination of Hydrangea sargentiana ‘Gold Rush’ and Fagus sylvatica ‘Pendula Aurea’.

2023 – CHW

Back in Seaview and the ancient Pittosporum tenuifolium in the garden has sunk over even more, so further branches have had to go. The insurance company once got stroppy about the threat to the house. No need to worry now as it will fall the other way.

No flowers yet on a large elderly plant of Myrtus communis ssp. tarentina in the garden.

Phygelius aequalis is, however, already almost completely over. Full out last year on the same date.

The Hypericum ‘Hidcote’ has had a generous clipping. RJW appears to have done ‘gardening’ during an earlier visit this year.

A gorgeous dark maroon, red-black hollyhock. Alcea rosea ‘Nigra’ (or a very near seedling to the true black form).

Outside the Yacht Club workshop and growing from the edge of the pavement is a large clump of yellow hollyhocks – Alcea rosea ‘Indian Spring’ (or similar).

2022 – CHW

A visit to the delightful and beautifully maintained gardens at Kiftsgate Court thanks to Max & Anna Kendry. In marked contrast to Ventnor Botanics, as I told who I think was the owner; Johnny Chambers. There is no predominantly herbaceous garden in Cornwall anywhere near as good as this. Wonderful planting combinations, great views over the valley below and signs of labels, care and maintenance everywhere. A true gem and the best new garden I have visited since the 2019 lockdown. Only a few hundred yards from Hidcote, but who would bother with the National Trust when the ascendency of the private sector was so obvious here. Amazing what Mediterranean species were growing facing west in the lower garden. Good mature magnolias, great pruning on the Magnolia delavayi on the house, the best Populus lasiocarpa I have ever seen. Outstanding in every respect and I look forward to returning at a different time of the year to take in more.

The view over the valley with a young aralia in the foreground. How many miles?

Phlox [?] and Ceanothus ‘Pearle Rose’.

The commanding view of the house over the valley.

Geranium ‘Azure Rush’ makes a huge clump.

And set beside Sanguisorba hakusanensis ‘Lilac Squirrel’ – quite superb.

Olearia nummulariifolia in full flower. I would have thought too tender for Warwickshire.

Phlox ‘Milly van Hoboken’ – sweetly scented.

Phlox ‘Cool of the Evening’ – not so scented today.

Dierama pulcherimum var. album which we stock but have never flowered in the nursery.

Hydrangea xanthoneura wilsonii in flower. I suspect the naming has been revised and I need to investigate.

Rosa filipes ‘Kiftsgate’ – a gigantic edifice which is 85 years old (20m x 25m).

Gorgeous double blue flowered geranium for which I could, sadly, find no label. [It is Geranium ‘Cloud Nine’!]

Two newer creations at the end of the garden. Not to my taste but so what!

A drought struck and pruned Burncoose magnolia in need of TLC.

Deutzia setchuanensis (possibly setchuanensis var. corymbiflora although the leaf description of corymbiflora did not always match what I saw) in many borders as feature plants where they have been staked up (usually multi stemmed) into 6ft tall shrubs covered in flower when we visited.

The lower garden and superb views (I did not, sadly, but for obvious reasons, photograph the Mediterranean species on the difficult and uneven stone paths down and up).

Lonicera implexa – a species I had never seen before.

What I assume is Schizophragma hydrangeoides (perhaps ‘Rose Sensation’?) with a fine show on the wall of the house. Probably even more pink in the early flowers.

Buddleia crispa full out. Normally you never see a flowerhead with all the individual flowers out at once. Usually it is just a few with the rest over.

2021 – CHW
Another smart tour of Ventnor so not so much time for ‘nicelys’ but still managed 69.Wisteria brachybotrys I assume with its last few flowers. Very vigorous with huge leaves growing in the newly planted Japanese garden near the sea.

We watched, very briefly, the Round the Island yacht race today. Hundreds of yachts of all sizes.

I had not realised that Ventnor had bought quite a number of magnolias from us and planted them in a windswept coastal location with loads of rabbits and inadequate guards. Stunted, dieback and bark all gnawed as you can see.

Greenish lizards under the agave plantation.

Agave americana in flower at 25ft in front of Washingtonia robusta.

Several Fucraea longaeva with 20ft tall flowers fully out.

Yucca rigida in flower.

At the entrance to Ventnor gardens an extraordinary sight. Dracunclus vulgaris in full flower from within a clump of Fascicularia.

2020 – CHW
A day to look at Meliosma dilleniifolia and its subspecies (which were previously species in their own right) to try to see what we actually have growing here. These are July flowering, spreading, tiered shrubs which may make small trees eventually. ‘New Trees’ indicates that the latest classification is now as follows:Meliosma dilleniifolia (upright panicles of flowers)
Meliosma dilleniifolia subsp. cuneifolia (plumes of creamy white flowers with hawthorn-like fragrance)
Meliosma dilleniifolia subsp. flexuosa (pendant terminal panicles of fragrant white flowers)
Melisoma dilleniifolia subsp. tenuis (pyramidcal nodding panicles of tiny creamy yellow flowers)So not an easy starting point with around eight plants of different ages (three to fifteen years old) to look at all with labels which may well be wrong today and nearly all bought over the years from Mark Bulk’s nursery and elsewhere in Holland. Tom Hudson has just given us a cutting of an unnamed Meliosma species which he grew from botanic garden seed originating in the wild some time ago which adds to the confusion. At least the other Meliosma species growing here are rather easier to identify:Meliosma pungens (now Meliosma simplicifolia subsp. pungens – original Chinese introduction here which still survives)
Meliosma alba (formerly Meliosma beaniana – original Chinese introduction here which still survives)
Meliosma veitchiorum (the only one to retain its original name – original Chinese introduction here which still survives)
Meliosma oldhamii (now Meliosma pinnata var. oldhamii – flowered here last year for the first time – see this diary)Pretty much a ‘buggers muddle’ as we will now see!1. This was planted in 2005 as Meliosma dilleniifolia subsp. cuneifolia above the George Blandford. However the flowers are in nodding pyramidical panicles of tiny creamy yellow flowers with a pinkish base so it is subsp. tenuis I believe.

2. This younger plant in Kennel Close carries the subsp. cuneifolia label but is also subsp. tenuis even if not quite out

3. This large plant was planted in 2006 above Charlie Michaels Nursery bed also as subsp. cuneifolia. The same story here as it is identical to 1. above.

4. There is another younger plant above the greenhouse with no flower as yet. Also labelled subsp. cuneifolia but looks much the same as 1. to 3. above.

5. This one is (unbelievably) also labelled subsp. cuneifolia but is actually correctly named. The flowering plumes are upright and creamy white and they have a sourish hawthorn smell. The leaf shape is different too. This one was planted only last autumn.

6. The one on Sinogrande Walk is looking sickly in full sun but, inevitably, is labelled subsp. cuneifolia although it also looks like subsp. tenuis.

A fair display of misnaming by our Dutch friends! Two more 10 to 15 year old Meliosma dilleniifolia have died recently after achieving a height of 6x8ft as I discover today. Dry summers or perhaps they are short lived anyway? We have a supposed subsp. flexuosa coming on in the greenhouse I think. There may be one or two more plants to locate.

2019 – CHW
A visit to The Garlic Farm and Colin Boswell to view their traditional wild flower meadow beside the shop and restaurant. A real tourist trap. The meadow was just going over its maximum flowering but still impressive. It is replanted each autumn after two doses of rather unorganic round up which is of course not talked about. These plants would all have grown in island cornfields 80 to 100 years ago.

This flower is a ‘corn rattle’ which is hardly ever seen today. Caws called it a ‘corncrake’ which upset Boswell.

Poppies galore with cornflowers.

Allium ameloprasum, elephant garlic, was one of several small plots of garlic species growing amid the wild flowers.

Then on to Tipsy Wight, a small farm business employing four people making vodka based liqueurs flavoured with natural handpicked fruits growing in the fields and hedgerows on the farm. Summer fruits, beech leaves, quince, rosehips, bullens, sloes etc. About 20 flavours at 24% proof and hand bottled into bottles with misshapen bottoms as you can see. Stocked by English Heritage in its shops and available by mail order. The solution for me to the annual Christmas present problem. We sampled the quince and it tasted far nicer than I dared expect from this foul smelling fruit. They want to grow Ugni molinae for its red fruits which taste like strawberries. Perhaps a sale for Burncoose here but they will need a couple of hundred plants to produce a viable crop.

A nice market but expensive bottles and packaging. The vodka is bought in neat. The whole business in three rooms of a former stables.

The wonderful view from the Lovegrove’s Hill Farm near Bembridge facing south. Ash disease is taking hold all over the farm.

2018 – CHW
The garden here in Seaview is pretty bare and unloved.The Phygelius x rectus ‘Devils Tears’ is in full flower and the best thing here at present. About 5ft tall and very much in its prime despite the cold in March which you might have thought would have cut it back to ground level. The inside of each of the tubular flowers is flashed with yellow which you only see if you turn an individual inverted flower to face you.

I planted the climbing Fuchsia ‘Lady Boothby’ here against a wall of the house (facing west) three years ago and it is doing well. It now needs more supports on the wall to encourage more growth but sadly the leaders have been pruned out by someone who failed to realise that it is a climbing fuchsia!

Hypericum ‘Hidcote’ has been so scorched by the current heatwave that the petals on the flowers are literally shrivelling on the plant without coming out properly. You would have thought a hypericum would have been tough enough to overcome the drought.

Jasminum officinale is nicely out on the wall too and so far untouched by the drought. About a fortnight later into full flower than last year.

The difference between the 1976 drought (in Cornwall at least) and the current one is that in 1976 there was no appreciable rain from 23rd April until September after a record early harvest. This year we started a late season after a very wet April and the underground water table started full. That is perhaps why we are not yet into serious water shortages and hosepipe bans.

2017 – CHW
The Rhododendron ‘Harrow Hybrids’ on the drive are just coming out and what a sight these huge clumps are. Clearly Rhododendron auriculatum in the parentage to get such late flowering and the leaf clearly shows this too. I wonder how these three separate huge clumps came to be in the garden (actually there are four) and from what era, breeder or nursery? At least we have successfully layered this clump to ensure its survival although the layers are now too big to transplant. Just an extension of the clump in reality.

Hydrangea ‘Taube’ is just out. A startling blue indeed and a plant everyone should grow (on acid soil) if they only have room for just one hydrangea.

Another batch of dead stumps dug up to make room for replanting in the spring.

The end of the embothrium which has been so splendid in recent years. It died over winter. These trees live only 30 years or so as we have proved yet again. Time to plant several more as the others dotted about the garden are the same age.

Hydrangea ‘Lady Taiko’ has this startling blue-white bi-coloured red effect but the mopheads soon burn in the sun.

Hydrangea ‘Geoffrey Chadbund’ – purplish at first fading to pinkish-red here. This is an enormous clump of plants on the drive. Quite a spectacle today and for a week or three.

Hydrangea ‘R F Felton’ is another good paleish but imposing blue mophead.

Buddleia lindleyana is just out much earlier than last year overhanging the drive. The deep purple trumpets on long flowering racemes (often splitting into three racemes) are normally a September show.