Lizzy & ‘Buddy’ win the dogs scurry at the GWC Clay Shoot.

Marsdens sponsor the clay shoot trophies.

A fair little crowd for the prize giving after the event.

Lizzie gets the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes of Buddy, Bobby and Simba.

The closing speech.

2023 – CHW
Still 9 healthy and nearly mature cygnets on the lake. A remarkable performance by these two swans which says a lot about the abundance of food.

The Game Conservancy Charity Clay Shoot prize giving and speeches. Sean Jeffries, a former keeper here and at Longleat wins a team prize. My daughter Serena comes third in the ladies competition and we risk a kiss. (After the recent ladies football world cup in Australia public kissing by male football officials is rather frowned upon). Speeches in full flow.

Even more nearly ripe seed on the ancient second (white) camellia sasanqua on from the side door than we saw 3 weeks ago on the first pink one.

Schefflera shweliensis (TH 3330) has settled in well. How many different species do we have now? 12-15 I guess.

Magnolia laevifolia x M. maudiae ‘Eternal Spring’ is now 10-12 feet tall and growing away well in the Aucklandii Garden. In flower in the nursery last spring this was impressive. Thankfully in a good place with plenty of shelter.

Crug Farm’s Vaccinium dunalianum x caudatifolium (NMWJ 14558) is another completely new species to us and not to be confused with our Vaccinium dondaldianum.

Seed heads forming on Euonymus moupinensis (E. echinatus) – just a few and, like the flowers, they sit half way down the leaves on long stalks.

2022 – CHW
Magnolia rostrata partially defoliated as well and all seed heads have dropped prematurely.

A 3 year old Magnolia ‘Apricot Brandy’ very dead.

And another rhododendron.

Just one seed on a new, virtually dead, ancient Rehderodendron macrocarpum. The drought has hastened the demise of this old, original tree.

Massive flowers shoots forming on Schefflera delavayi. Untouched by the drought.

Borderline dead large Rhodendron sinogrande with minimal new growth.

Virtually leafless Sophora ‘Sun King’. Probably dead.

Ligustrum confusum has shed nearly all its seed head in the drought. Normally a good crop of eventually black seeds.

2021 – CHW
A nursery visit to check how the improvements were progressing there.Berry in full colour on Sorbus hupehensis already in August.

Parrotia persica already showing wonderful autumn tints.

A good batch of seed grown Embothrium lanceolatum coming on in the mist houses.

Many more rhododendron cuttings taken this year to eventually increase our species range in the catalogue.

The new propagators shed by the three mist houses. They could ‘live in’ really!

New benching still to go into the largest mist house.

The seed propagation shed is also nearly finished.

A few new things in flower:
Cautlaya spicata ‘Robusta’

Globba schomburkii just out. New for the 2022 catalogue.

Aralia cachemeriana finally in flower for the first time in the nursery. These herbaceous aralias are really good value in the garden as I saw in Barnstaple.

The ‘partridge berry’, Mitchella repens, with berries. Seldom seen in the nursery but then we do not have many US prairie partridges either!

Colour almost showing on Camellia sasanqua ‘Narumigata’. Another week or so in the tunnels.

2020 – CHW
A Burncoose afternoon in the sun after another storm has passed through. The exact name given to it by the now ‘woke’ weather forecasters is instantly forgotten. Not much of a storm here!

Tilia henryana flowering in the nursery. Sadly our tree in Penvergate has been blown to bits by the wind. I need to go and have a look. Need to start again with this August/September flowering species much loved by bees. It is later even than Tilia kiusiana into flower.

Buddleia ‘Silver Anniversary’ full out and looking good – flower and foliage.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Little Lime’ is turning colour and now greenish. This is an exceptionally good smallish growing paniculata variety with huge flowers.

Rhododendron pentaphyllum turning already to its good autumn colours.

Fine autumn colour already on Oxydendron arboreum. What could be redder than this in August?

Sedum spectabile ‘Brilliant’ sitting alongside Senecio ‘Angel Wings’ makes an interesting contrast and a nice idea for a border planting combination.

2019 – CHW
Some website videos in the bag today with Karol of drying hydrangea flowers to preserve their colours for winter decorations and flower arrangements. Basically you need to wait before cutting until the flower colours have faded and discoloured. If you cut flowers in their full normal colour they will dry off as brown rather than retaining the unusual dappled colours as the flowers fade out.The flowers on Hydrangea ‘Mme E Mouilliere’ have faded nicely to greenish white and are ready to cut for drying. Avoid the odd pure white flower that is still full out.

A pinkish then changing to purple hydrangea that has now faded to exquisite combinations of bluish-green or speckled reddish-green on different flowers on the same bush. These too are perfect for drying to preserve these wonderful assorted colours. The reddish-green ones are from full sun while the bluish green flowers were in more shade. Again avoid the few flowers still showing their original and correct flower colours.

This blue flowering hydrangea already has flower heads which have dried off and gone brown. However it also has plenty that have turned bluish-green and are perfect for cutting and drying for Christmas decorations. If dried correctly the colours will stay and you will not need spray paint or sparkle to use them to their full potential.

2018 – CHW
Schefflera aff. mynocarpa has a flower head forming late in the year as it did last year.

Schefflera pauciflora next door already has well-formed seed heads.

It is a tall plant with a straight stem that is now producing side shoots.

2016 planted Tilia endochrysea has survived the drought with quite a bite of slug damage on the leaves. Quite dull now and not much like an obvious tilia leaf at this stage in the year.

Vaccinum megaphyllum (from Rod White) has seed clusters which are now setting.

2017 – CHW
More seed questing.

Schefflera pauciflora has its first ripening seed clusters. A good colour! Nearly ready to collect.

Magnolia nitida has well formed seed heads this year although they are nearly all high up the tree. Nothing last year so Asia needs to collect what she can later with the long handled pruners when ripe. Six to eight weeks away from being ripe I guess.

We have to collect 170 Magnolia sieboldii seeds for a magnolia research project. Although there are still (amazingly) a few flowers showing there is also a plethora of seed pods on this tree. Some ripe and showing orange seeds. Some less so but what a sight this tree is today!

A few seeds on Ligustrum confusum (Record Tree) which will go black when ripe. Worth collecting I think so will talk to Asia.

Schefflera alpina also has a small seed cluster on a young plant. Quite different in colour to S. pauciflora.

An elderly Rhododendron hookeri with attractive peeling bark which I had not taken in before. There are hairs on the leaf veins and at the base of the leaves. The bark is very similar to Rhododendron thompsonii in the way it colour and peels.