New stonework replaces a rotten wooden beam in the inner courtyard which had been causing a damp patch in the Georgian Hall.

Phillip Eastall sends me the image of Magnolia ‘Philip Tregunna’ painted by Philip Tregonnan which was exhibited at the current Helen Hilliard exhibition.

A full house in the Burncoose café during welcome rain.

Grandchildren, Jack Wooley and the dogs.

Zara performing a dance.

Lamorna on a swing.

2025 – CHW

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanille Fraise’ stabilised after the rain but still sickly.

Sorbus gonggashanica.

Magnolia grandiflora ‘Kay Parris’ with several flowers.

Paulownia kawakamii has relished the heatwaves. Tremendous growth and next years flower buds already obvious.

Cotoneaster moupinensis with ripe berries.

Cotoneaster hualiensis looking sickly.

Carpinus pubescens growing well despite the drought.

Sorbus parvifolia with a few green fruits.

Viburnum sambucinum with black tints in its leaves.

Quercus rugosa.

Diospyros cathayensis has some fruits forming after we earlier saw the male and female flowers.

A sun baked rhododendron struggling into new growth.

Branches blown down at the Hovel.

The first Camellia sasanqua is nearly out.

2024 – CHW
Last night the hand out of the £9,700 profit from the Caerhays Charity Fete in June. The costs of the event were only £3,600.00The St Austell Boy Scouts receive £2K.

The Children’s Hospice in St Austell receive £3,287.84.

Scouts and Hospice. Tregony Primary School & St. Michaels Church Caerhays also received similar large donations.

The party in the hall for all those involved in organising the fete.

Then to Burncoose.
Cotoneaster Hybridus Pendulus covered in berries above Senecio ‘Angel Wings’. An interesting plant combination.

Astonishing to find 4 camellias already in flower in a tunnel. Some sasanquas you might expect to be out but not a couple of the others.

Camellia sasanqua (pink).

Camellia ‘White Swan’.

Camellia ‘Sundae’.

Camellia ‘Snow Flurry’.

An excellent crop of seedling Michelia doltsopa.

Solanum jasminoides ‘Album’ covered in flower.

Hedychium coccineum.

These Acer palmatum varieties were imported from the New Zealand winter in July. Excellent new growth already.

2023 – CHW
Hornets guarding their nest in a hole in a tree.

Metapanax davidii with seed heads and its interesting leaf structure.

Buddleia heliophila now fully out.

Rather pathetic secondary flowers on Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’.

Peeling bark on Betula utilis subsp. albosinensis ‘China Ruby’.

A similarly confusing range of bark colours on Betula utilis subsp. albosinensis ‘Chinese Garden’.

Amid the sea mist a tent for another wedding on Beach Meadow.

Cows and calves graze beside the lake but the 9 cygnets and their parents have all flown away.

Lapagerias have been out by the front door for a week or two.

2022 – CHW
I can see a very few ripening white seeds forming on our female Melicytus obovatus. This species has, according to all the reference books, separate male and female plants. There cannot be another plant of this rare species for 10 miles (i.e. at Tregrehan) so why are seed setting? Earlier in the year I photographed just a few yellow flowers (female flowers purple) which I assumed were male. Are the reference books all wrong? Has the plant self-pollenated? Looks like it to me!

The label has sadly been lost on this interesting orange Hedychium.

Hedychium spicatum ‘Liberty’ (BWJ 8116) planted in 2020 below the tower now has 3 white flowers.

This is what a welcome half an inch of rain looks like in the granite bird bath outside the front door. It has been totally dry for at least 8 weeks.

2021 – CHW
I was wrong to say a month ago that the summer drought risk had passed. No rain for three weeks and several young hydrangeas, rhododendrons and azaleas now dead. Rain perhaps on Thursday.Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’ nicely out in the nursery.

Hedychium densiflorum ‘Assam Orange’ nicely out outside the Smoking Room.

The first Lapageria rosea flowers.

Lapageria rosea ‘Picotee’ again with a large truss of flowers.

Escallonia bifida covered in bumble bees and red admirals.