And a Silver-Gilt medal as usual at this time of the year.

Catalpa ovata flowering well in Old Park near the kennels.

Jaimie saw the swallows hunting for nesting debris (i.e. mud/soil) near the water tap in the Back Yard. So he decided to make their lives easier by putting the soil into a bowl for them. They were quick to use it.

2025 – CHW

Then to Busy Bee Garden Centre where there was little stock left and just well in the scorching heat.

Rose ‘Tottering-By-Gently’ – I expected a large frilly number but it isn’t.

Four rather startling Rudbeckias with outlandish names. I always wonder about the similarities between Helenium, Gaillardia, Helianthus and Rudbeckia.

‘Summerdaisy Green Sun’

‘Summerdaisy Choco Sun’

‘Summerdaisy Double Red’

‘Summerdaisy Red Bicolour’

If I was an insect Gaillardia ‘Flamenco Bicolour’ would look very similar to the above.

Geranium pyrenaicum ‘Bill Wallis’ with tiny blue flowers in profusion.

A display of Penstemon.

2024 – CHW
The large and elderly Rhododendron johnstoneanum cut down in March is not exactly reshooting well but there are a few positive signs. In this very wet year there ought to be more regrowth.

Still plenty of flower on Rhododendron griersonianum.

Styrax japonicus ‘Evening Light’.

Styrax japonicus ‘Crystal’ on the Main Ride by the tree fern is doing well. A weeping form where one struggles to see the flowers.

Styrax japonicus ‘Pendulus’ must be nearly 30 feet tall now.

Styrax japonicus ‘Purple Dress’ is a better darker coloured leaf than ‘Evening Light’.

Not many flowers on Stewartia x henryae this year.

The first time I have seen Euonymus purpureus performing.

Styrax japonicus ‘Wespelaar’ also has very dark purple leaves.

2023 – CHW

A trip to Thompson’s Garden Centre which also appeared to have had an excellent spring. Not much stock left at all.

Alcea ‘Celebrities Carmine Rose’ and two other double flowered holyhocks. Lizzie is keen for a purchase for her garden but the plants I saw were far too pot bound to be planted successfully now.

Potentilla fruticosa ‘Bellissima’ – was quite striking and worth Burncoose stocking.

These grafted cherries will not last long and, frankly, shouldn’t be for sale. The grafts are only half sitting on the rootstocks and have been shooting massively from below the graft. One gust of wind and disaster!

Dianella ‘Destiny’ was quite a nice new variegated thing. With blue flowers probably very nice indeed!

2022 – CHW
Good to see new shoots emerging only about eight weeks after Jaimie cut down the ancient and original Camellia saluenensis by the ladies loos.

Hydrangea sargentiana ‘Gold Rush’ now performing well three years on from planting out a clump of three.

The annual grass cut is perhaps halfway through.

Seedheads well formed on Staphylea colchica.

Grass cutting at Donkey Shoe.

Euonymus wilsonii suffering in the drought with the new leaves much smaller than the older ones.

Euonymus tingens nicely in flower.

Euonymus echinatus is growing into a compact shrub.

Euonymus kachinensis suffering from drought but with hopeful reshooting from the main stem.

Schefflera rhododendriflolia making fantastic growth. I suppose the leaves do look a bit rhododendron like!

2021 – CHW
Another solitary visit to Ventnor Botanics. There are bits of the garden getting so overgrown and full of echium, Verbascum and weed seedlings that a complete cleanout is needed to start again. The key spot to start would be the cistus collection which is long past its best with most of the plants overmature and near dead not to mention the bindweed infestation.I discover Ungnadia speciosa with an acer-like leaf. Not in any reference books that I have here.

Correa lawrenciana grampaniana was a 12ft tall shrub with long reddish trumpet flowers.

I have tried this at Caerhays and lost it. Picconia excelsa is a mature evergreen tree which you could easily mistake as a Laurus nobilis.

Asimina triloba in full flower. One of three mature trees here. The two much younger trees at Caerhays are variable and different in their flowering habits. We see individual flowers lined down the twigs and not in small clusters as here.

Glycyrrhiza glabra would be a good addition to the Burncoose website.

Banksia ericifolia in flower as a smallish shrub.

Cuphea ignea is another possibility for the website. Looks very vigorous at Ventnor and excellent groundcover.

Bowkeria cymosa just coming into flower alongside the peculiar Podanthus ovatifolius.