25th January

FJ Williams Profile Picture
FJW 1955-2007
CH Williams Profile Picture
CHW 2015-
JC Williams Profile Picture
JCW 1897-1939
C Williams Profile Picture
CW 1940-1955


2024 – CHW

Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ just starting to drop its flowers. No frost damage at all. It has been out for at least 5 or 6 weeks already.

Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’
Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’
Likewise Camellia japonica ‘Lady Clare’ now in full flow on the castle wall. Surprisingly unfrosted.
Camellia japonica ‘Lady Clare’
Camellia japonica ‘Lady Clare’
A young Dicksonia antarctica above a large and cut throat Rubus squarrosus in a damp corner.
Dicksonia antarctica
Dicksonia antarctica
Daphne bholua ‘Mary Rose’ still in tight bud – odd how much later this one is than all the other bholua varieties.
Daphne bholua ‘Mary Rose’
Daphne bholua ‘Mary Rose’
No flower tassels at all this year on Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’. I wonder why?
Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’
Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’
Very frosted and dead young Echiums outside the Library window. Elsewhere the larger one year old plants just survive.
Echiums
Echiums
Lapageria rosea ‘Picotee’ now about full out. No frost damage. Surely very late for any Lapageria? I wonder why?
Lapageria rosea ‘Picotee’
Lapageria rosea ‘Picotee’
Frost damage on the Arum lilies.
Arum lilies
Arum lilies
And on the agapanthus but we know that both will fully recover very quickly.
agapanthus
agapanthus

2023 – CHW
Frosted new growth on Rhododendron maddenii.
Rhododendron maddenii
Rhododendron maddenii
All seeds have dropped on Schefflera delavayi.
Schefflera delavayi
Schefflera delavayi
Acacia cultriformis nearly out.
Acacia cultriformis
Acacia cultriformis
Mahonia japonica nearly over.
Mahonia japonica
Mahonia japonica

2022 – CHW
A new laurel shelterbelt on Bond Street.
laurel
laurel
Camellia x williamsii ‘Mary Jobson’ at its best.
Camellia x williamsii ‘Mary Jobson’
Camellia x williamsii ‘Mary Jobson’
Camellia x williamsii ‘Rosemary Williams’ just going over.
Camellia x williamsii ‘Rosemary Williams’
Camellia x williamsii ‘Rosemary Williams’
Rubus tricolor and Erica arborea growing on a bank.
Rubus tricolor
Rubus tricolor
Swelling magnolia buds outside the back yard but both the bud protection coverings remain in place.
magnolia buds
magnolia buds
Twenty new varieties of Amelanchier from Starborough Nursery for a new planting in Old Park.
Amelanchier
Amelanchier

2021 – CHW
Camellia japonica ‘Bokuhan’ just out by the Playhouse. Only a single flower as yet.
Camellia japonica ‘Bokuhan’
Camellia japonica ‘Bokuhan’
Stewartia monodelpha has tilted even more! We need to secure it back to the dead oak tree behind it quickly.
Stewartia monodelpha
Stewartia monodelpha
Honey fungus kills another decent large leaved rhododendron species which has grown here for six to seven years below Donkey Shoe.
Honey fungus
Honey fungus
The buds on the New Zealand form of Magnolia mollicomata subsp. Lanarth look unfrosted (thankfully).
Magnolia mollicomata subsp. Lanarth
Magnolia mollicomata subsp. Lanarth
A decent flower on Camellia x williamsii ‘Jovey Carlyon’.
Camellia x williamsii ‘Jovey Carlyon’
Camellia x williamsii ‘Jovey Carlyon’
More seeds collected from Schefflera aff. myriocarpa.
Schefflera aff. myriocarpa
Schefflera aff. myriocarpa
The yellow foliage on Podocarpus totara ‘Aurea’ stands out proud today in the afternoon light.
Podocarpus totara ‘Aurea’
Podocarpus totara ‘Aurea’
Podocarpus totara ‘Aurea’
Podocarpus totara ‘Aurea’
Fruits still aplenty on Malus x micromalus. They have been here since leaf drop and nothing seems to want to eat them. What a show!
Malus x micromalus
Malus x micromalus
Malus x micromalus
Malus x micromalus
The elderly Daphne bholua on the top wall is now full out despite being in its dotage.
Daphne bholua
Daphne bholua
Daphne bholua
Daphne bholua
Daphne bholua ‘Gurkha’
Daphne bholua ‘Gurkha’
Daphne bholua ‘Gurkha’
Evening sunlight. The weather has gone mild after an unusual frozen night of -4°C.
Evening sunlight
Evening sunlight
These are the first upright and bluish-green shoots of Allium vineale (wild onion) which we photographed with extraordinary seed heads last June/July on the bank.
Allium vineale
Allium vineale
At 4pm still plenty of ice despite the thaw.
ice
ice

2020 – CHW
Here is a good tip when having a bonfire near other plants. Shield them from the heat with large cut laurel
stems.
laurel stems
laurel stems
laurel stems
laurel stems

2019 – CHW
Michael and Tim have been burning up windblown leylandii in Kennel Close. A whole row of leylandii were planted as a temporary shelter belt behind a laurel hedge. The leylandii are beginning to stunt the growth of the laurel lower down and frankly it is time for this whole lot to be removed, although only 12 years have passed since they were first planted.
burning up windblown leylandii
burning up windblown leylandii

2018 – CHW
Schefflera aff. myriocarpa now has huge racemes of ripe seeds about 10ft up the plant. Difficult to photograph on a windy overcast day. It was flowering in October/November.

Schefflera aff. myriocarpa
Schefflera aff. myriocarpa
Schefflera aff. myriocarpa
Schefflera aff. myriocarpa
Nearby Fatsia polycarpa is in full flower. I do not think I have ever caught this properly in flower before. The best thing in the garden today? The plant is 8-10ft tall with a similar dense spread. The flowers do not stand erect to the branches but are more lateral.
Fatsia polycarpa
Fatsia polycarpa
Fatsia polycarpa
Fatsia polycarpa
Fatsia polycarpa
Fatsia polycarpa
Fatsia polycarpa
Fatsia polycarpa

2017 – CHW
Now we see why the camellias and magnolias are later than last year despite the very mild winter (as in 2015)! A surging cold east wind arrives to chill and plunder. It will last for the next three days and bring down the odd branch. I doubt we will see Magnolia campbellii out now until early March. Nevertheless in the camellia shelter belt below Burns Bank I notice the first flowers on: Camellia ‘Mary Costa’
Camellia ‘Mary Costa’
Camellia ‘Mary Costa’
Camellia ‘Mary Costa’
Camellia ‘Mary Costa’

Camellia ‘Debbie’

Camellia ‘Debbie’
Camellia ‘Debbie’
Both a bit late and probably blown out by the branches waving in the wind.

2016 – CHW
Here we have Spanish bluebells a good six inches out of the ground and plenty of native bluebells showing nearby. Normally these are out in April so what is the betting now on a flower in late February? A prize for the first person to find a bluebell flower?
Spanish bluebells
Spanish bluebells


1990 – FJW
TERRIBLE STORM – very bad for garden.(Handwritten note added to page of Garden Book)
Storm of January 25th 1990
Blew out (all record sized trees)
1 Nothofagus obliqua
2 Nothofagus menzeseii
2 Nothofagus procera
1 Nothofagus solandrii
1 Nothofagus antarctica
½ Nothofagus cliffortioidesBig group Eucryphia cordifolia
Eucryphia nymansensis
Magnolia salicifolia
Abies nordmanniiAcer henryi Knocked out of shape
Tetracentron sinensis “ “Acer franchettii
Magnolia highdownensis
Sasafras
Magnolia hypoleuca
Acer cappadocicum
Etc, etc

1933 – JCW
Cold now, no real ice on the pond, Camellia speciosa faces the cold wall, blooms are very late as regards Azaleas, fuschias had all their flower buds cut lately i.e Jan 23 1933.

1921 – JCW
About 14 species of Rhodo’s in flower, one Caerhays daff, some Aconites, Snowdrops are going back. P.D’s pink Azalea is v.g, Erica darleyense also.

1920 – JCW
(Sunday afternoon) I was in the Beech Walk, a wonderful afternoon, the blood red scarlets were lovely and 3 big plants of Prunus conradinae in full flower, a remarkable Jan’y afternoon in any year. A good Sutchuenense in the 40 acres. About 20 species of Rhodo’s show flower.

1918 – JCW
Much as in 1914 after a spell of harsh cold, Erica darlyense and Hamamelis mollis are an easy best.

1914 – JCW
Mild again after the frost, a flower or two on C. Lady Clare, C coums good, bits of R yunnanense, R lutescens, R nobleanum, R dahuricum and R racemosum are open.

1902 – JCW
Far behind the above, snowdrops coming on, a Camellia or two, it has been very mild up to this, but it is a late season now. No Maximus anywhere near out but a stray seedling trumpet in the Kitchen Garden show colour and Minimus is at its best.

1899 – JCW
Clianthus open, several stray roses, snowdrops at their best about, a good many Camellia open, Cyclamineus just open, S.E wind has just started.

1898 – JCW
Picked the first Cernuus at the lodge, Clianthus and Habrothummus have been in flower for weeks, seedling gunnera on the move.

1897 – JCW
Anenome blanda out, frost left.