Some fruits on Cotoneaster wilsonii already ripe.

Gunnera leaves pecked by pheasants seeking water.

A young Acacia cultriformis has made exceptional growth.

A Copper Beech with a dead crown.

A young Magnolia in a dry spot with major leaf drop.

Gunnera manicata collapsing in the drought.

Rhododendron sinogrande with a huge set of seed but no new growth.

In full shade a Rhododendron sinogrande just survives.

A group of Rhododendron arboreum appear to have ridden out the drought.

Lawn Field at the end of Old Park without a hint of green.

Despite watching these youngsters are struggling.

These will be dead within a week.

Another Magnolia branch splits out.

The spring from the central Gunnera bed has run dry.

Another defoliated Sycamore.

In shade the centre of the wood looks not too bad – survival likely!

A young Pterocarya has relished the heat unlike the one in the Isla Rose Plantation.

The main stream from below The Vean is still just running.

Another summer branch fell from an oak to compound the Goretti mess below the drive. No sign of Ross while I have been away for more clearing up in Bond Street.

2025 – CHW
Better rain today bit still only light rain.

Illicium tashiroi with good flowers.

Our second replacement Uocodendron whartonii is on its last legs in the drought.

Persea japonica with green fruits on reddish stems.

Ilex kingiana with a good crop of berries near George’s Hut.

One Rhododendron excellens (deseeded) looks OK. The other does not in the drought.

Rhododendron ‘Mi Amor’, also deseeded, except for a few seed heads saved to collect later, and good firm buds for next year.

A Rhododendron yakushimanum thrives in full sun. In Isla Rose they are now dead.

An old Scot’s Pine by George’s Hut is now virtually dead as a result of the heatwaves.

2024 – CHW
The large strip which you see here was green hay harvested and then spread on fields we are trying to improve into Enhanced Wild Flower Meadows.

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.