26th 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

Still very mild and overcast.

Jaimie has got a good lot of plant labels out into the garden 2 weeks before we open to the public.

plant labels
plant labels
Euonymus fortunei ‘Wolong Ghost’ is finally making some progress climbing up a Copper beech tree. Not much to show for it after 4 years.
Euonymus fortunei ‘Wolong Ghost’
Euonymus fortunei ‘Wolong Ghost’
A Rhododendron ‘Countess of Haddington’ by the entrance to the garden half blown out of the ground.
Rhododendron ‘Countess of Haddington’
Rhododendron ‘Countess of Haddington’
Most of the magnolia buds outside the Back Yard still have their two coverings but a few have shed the outer one.
magnolia buds
magnolia buds
magnolia buds
magnolia buds
Severe frost damage on a Camellia sasanqua by the Stable Flat.
Camellia sasanqua
Camellia sasanqua
Nearby a Camellia x williamsii ‘Donation’ with nearly all its flowers frosted.
Camellia x williamsii ‘Donation’
Camellia x williamsii ‘Donation’
Here a Camellia japonica with leaf and bud drop from the cold spell.
Camellia japonica
Camellia japonica
Camellia japonica
Camellia japonica

2023 – CHW
First colour showing on Magnolia ‘Strybing White’ and a windblown petal on the ground.
Magnolia ‘Strybing White’
Magnolia ‘Strybing White’
Magnolia ‘Strybing White’
Magnolia ‘Strybing White’
Cutting back the far end of the laurel hedge below the Main Ride has revealed a lot of layering. Now cut, these encroaching layers can be dug out with a digger to give room for more planting.
Cutting back the far end of the laurel hedge
Cutting back the far end of the laurel hedge
Cutting back the far end of the laurel hedge
Cutting back the far end of the laurel hedge
An interesting set of newspaper cuttings about West Portholland together with pictures of Pengelly Farm and the farmer which lived there and still live there today.
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings
newspaper cuttings

2022 – CHW
An exciting development. Jaimie has discovered a self-sown Camellia x williamsii seedling near Crinodendron Hedge which has bicoloured flowers and is markedly different from any other x williamsii variety growing or bred at Caerhays. Is it worthy of registration and naming? We think so but judge these three pictures for yourselves. Now we need to consider an appropriate name to try to register it as. Camellia x williamsii ‘Bicolor’? Or ‘Isla Rose’ after my eldest granddaughter? It is growing reasonably near the Isla Rose Plantation. Isla Rose not a bad selling name once we get this into propagation next year at Burncoose but other suggestions welcome.

Camellia x williamsii seedling
Camellia x williamsii seedling
Camellia x williamsii seedling
Camellia x williamsii seedling
Camellia x williamsii seedling
Camellia x williamsii seedling
Zanthoxylum armatum (NJM 11.080) continues to surprise. Ripe and red pepper seeds still in evidence and this species is an evergreen. Some of the nastiest prickles or spines you could wish for as well. Looks to be a large upright tree eventually which other species growing here are not.
Zanthoxylum armatum
Zanthoxylum armatum
Zanthoxylum armatum
Zanthoxylum armatum
Zanthoxylum armatum
Zanthoxylum armatum
Zanthoxylum armatum
Zanthoxylum armatum

2021 – CHW
Filthy wet day but much milder.This is a graft of Magnolia campbellii subsp. mollicomata ‘Lanarth’ which was taken from one of the original wild collected Lanarths growing at the top of the lawn at Lanarth near St Keverne on the Lizard where I expect it is also out today. This small tree is a beauty with the stunted growth of its parent, smallish rather rounded leaves, and true ‘Lanarth’ coloured flowers. The five or six original Lanarths at Lanarth are all slightly different in colour but not in habit. Most are in the walled garden there. Small spreading trees in old age from the 1930s which never have that many flowers but what a colour! Jaimie spotted this, our fourth magnolia to flower this year, above Orchid House Nursery bed. A better colour than the seedling Lanarth above Crinodendron Hedge but identical to the one on the bank outside the Georgian Hall whose buds still look tight which was planted in the mid-1950s and has only flowered three or four times.
Magnolia campbellii subsp. mollicomata ‘Lanarth’
Magnolia campbellii subsp. mollicomata ‘Lanarth’
After Helen Chen’s statement that Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’ was very rare in cultivation and, in her view, one of the very best bamboo varieties I thought I had better photograph the canes and clump again. There seems to be a bit more running and spreading from the original planted clump than one usually sees in P. nigra itself. The canes are clearly still immature but the older ones are developing darker colouring just below the node. This is brownish-black with a hint of red at present. An attractive foliage effect too and planted in a good place for visitors to see and enjoy it in the future.
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’
Phyllostachys nigra ‘Megurochiku’

2020 – CHW
Magnolia ‘Todd’s Forty Niner’ is finally showing colour. I have checked this once a week since Christmas.
Magnolia ‘Todd’s Forty Niner’
Magnolia ‘Todd’s Forty Niner’
Magnolia ‘Todd’s Forty Niner’
Magnolia ‘Todd’s Forty Niner’
Magnolia ‘Todd’s Forty Niner’
Magnolia ‘Todd’s Forty Niner’
Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’ now full out above the greenhouse. Rather late this year.
Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’
Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’
First flowers on Rhododendron ‘Golden Oriole var. Busaco’.
Rhododendron ‘Golden Oriole var. Busaco’
Rhododendron ‘Golden Oriole var. Busaco’
Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’ full out.
Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’
Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’
Tillia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ stands out well in heavy rain.
Tillia cordata ‘Winter Orange’
Tillia cordata ‘Winter Orange’

2019 – CHW
Magnolia campbellii ‘Darjeeling’ has sprung open, probably as a result of the north wind, since it was showing nothing three days ago. Jaimie has cut an excellent flower and brought it into the house as you can see.
Magnolia campbellii ‘Darjeeling’
Magnolia campbellii ‘Darjeeling’

2018 – CHW
Wind damage to the Schefflera taiwania seed heads which have blown onto the ground while still green and far from ripe.
Schefflera taiwania
Schefflera taiwania
A flower from Magnolia delavayi also blown from the tree in the gales
Magnolia delavayi
Magnolia delavayi
New growth well developed already on the evergreen Carpinus kawakamii.
Carpinus kawakamii
Carpinus kawakamii
First flowers at the top of Rhododendron ‘Crossbill’.
Rhododendron ‘Crossbill’
Rhododendron ‘Crossbill’
Likewise on Rhododendron ‘Bo-Peep’ (yellow form).
Rhododendron ‘Bo-Peep’ (yellow form)
Rhododendron ‘Bo-Peep’ (yellow form)

2017 – CHW
The shooting season is over and I emerge from three days in bed suffering from a lurgy and exhaustion having hosted 80 plus days. All that remains by the front door are clods of mud from the guns trailer.
clods of mud
clods of mud

2016 – CHW
Rhododendron ‘Tessa’ has a few flowers of a poor colour beside the clump of Rhododendron ovatum. Normally a semi evergreen but not this ‘winter’!
Rhododendron ‘Tessa’
Rhododendron ‘Tessa’
Rhododendron ‘Tessa’
Rhododendron ‘Tessa’


2003 – FJW
First Narcissus by green gate – Camellia as usual.1995 – FJW
Flower on Magnolia Bishop Peter.1989 – FJW
Cam williamsii past their best. Keysii, Crossbill coming. Major remedial (!) works being done at the top of the wood – i.e most of old show stopped dead and now cut down.1981 – FJW
Very mild winter to date. Williamsii’s well and truly out and Sutchuenense, Red Admiral etc. Far too early. Trewidden Argenteum has been first class.1969 – FJW
First snowdrops.1958 – FJW
Period of frost and snow left. 8° frost – little damage. Camellias unabashed.

1940 – CW
I returned after a cold spell when the pond frozen all over as 4 degrees of frost at Trewidden about 21st Jan. All fuschias cut, Geraniums probably dead. The Saluensis Camellias all coming out again but no colour on any Rhodo. This frost harder than Dec 38 but plants not so soft. Hamamelis quite perfect and not touched.

1930 – JCW
Much as on January 27th 1924 but more C speciosa in, H mollis over but H Arborea is good so is lutescens and moupinense, cyclamineus open.1917 – JCW
Nothing of any use excepting Hamamelis mollis which is very good.1901 – JCW
I saw several yellow Crocus open, have not been about for some days, several seedling trumpets show colour. Snowdrops and Coums are at their best. D. Kingsmill just through the ground.