19th January 1897- 2020

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


2020 – CHW
Camellia campetre ‘Fairy Blush’ almost full out.

Camellia campetre ‘Fairy Blush’
Camellia campetre ‘Fairy Blush’
Camellia campetre ‘Fairy Blush’
Camellia campetre ‘Fairy Blush’

Camellia campetre ‘Fairy Blush’
Camellia campetre ‘Fairy Blush’
Rhododendron ‘Crossbill’ now half out.
Rhododendron ‘Crossbill’
Rhododendron ‘Crossbill’
Rhododendron ‘Bo-Peep Yellow’ splendid in the sun a fortnight after it first showed.
Rhododendron ‘Bo-Peep Yellow’
Rhododendron ‘Bo-Peep Yellow’
Rhododendron ‘Bo-Peep Yellow’
Rhododendron ‘Bo-Peep Yellow’

2019 – CHW
Click here to read my eulogy to my Dad.The wreath of williamsii camellia flowers on Dad’s coffin today at the funeral.
wreath of williamsii camellia flowers
wreath of williamsii camellia flowers
The flowers outside the front door.
The flowers outside the front door
The flowers outside the front door

2018 – CHW

First daffodils out in Kennel Close but the flowers have been eaten by pheasants or guinea fowl.

First daffodils
First daffodils
First daffodils
First daffodils
And here are the offending guinea fowl! They have survived happily here for at least three years.
guinea fowl!
guinea fowl!

The plan today was to inspect our young collection of fan palms. Not all have survived but there are five to look at in Kennel Close. I manage only three today.

The planting plan is far from perfect but I think this is Trachycarpus wagnerianus. Doing well anyway in the shelter from a laurel hedge and developing a good sturdy trunk. Smaller and more delicate fan leaves than Trachycarpus fortunei.

Trachycarpus wagnerianus
Trachycarpus wagnerianus
Trachycarpus wagnerianus
Trachycarpus wagnerianus
Trachycarpus wagnerianus
Trachycarpus wagnerianus
The second one is I believe a form of Chamaerops humilis. Possibly Chamaerops humilis ‘Volcano’. I will need to investigate the invoice from 2015 from The Palm Centre. The leaves do have a silvery blue indumentum on the undersides. Clearly this plant too is doing well with many offsets forming a good clump.
Chamaerops humilis 'Volcano'
Chamaerops humilis ‘Volcano’
Chamaerops humilis 'Volcano'
Chamaerops humilis ‘Volcano’
Chamaerops humilis 'Volcano'
Chamaerops humilis ‘Volcano’
No idea of this one either but is seems to be a trachycarpus with huge fan leaves with a circle or corolla at the base of the fan leaf as you can see. Anyone any ideas please? The answer is just Trachycarpus fortunei but I have never seen the circle before?
Trachycarpus fortunei with huge fan leaves
Trachycarpus fortunei with huge fan leaves
Trachycarpus fortunei with huge fan leaves
Trachycarpus fortunei with huge fan leaves
Trachycarpus fortunei with huge fan leaves
Trachycarpus fortunei with huge fan leaves
Trachycarpus fortunei with huge fan leaves
Trachycarpus fortunei with huge fan leaves

2017 – CHW
The young Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ outside the Drawing Room is flowering nicely for the first time. A replacement for the Garrya elliptica which once grew here. The new plant has enormous flowering tassels which show up superbly at this time of the year and is a great improvement on its predecessor. This is a male form and we have, as yet, no female in the garden.
Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’
Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’
Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’
Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’

2016 – CHW
Hawthorn breaking into leaf this early! These plants will be planted in the cleared scrubland on Treveor Hill when it becomes dry enough underfoot to even think of planting anything! A record? Certainly a record to me.
Hawthorn
Hawthorn
Alongside the cash point Magnolia veitchii and Magnolia campbellii still have quite a lot of leaf left even in this exposed spot. M campbellii will be out in three to four weeks with no frost.
Magnolia veitchii and Magnolia campbellii
Magnolia veitchii and Magnolia campbellii


1997 – FJW
Picked two flowers on Cam nobilissima

1968 – FJW
David picked first lot of snowdrops well out.

1963 – FJW
Charles collected 40 dead birds in an hour. Everything deeply frozen.

1950 – CW
No daffodils out or near. Camellias very early St Ewe line at best and at least six doubles also Lady Clare and Lady Bullen. Hamamelis at best. Camellia Cornish Snow had a few flowers for some time. Rho ririei out and a few early hybrids. Turning cold.

1949 – CW
First daffodil out – a wild hybrid by Fastuosa Bamboo. Few Rho var sutchuenense hybrids, a good many Camellias but no Reticulata – Hamamelis good, also mucronulatum.

1947 – CW
Hamamelis very good. Pink heath well out and some white, Camellia hybrids only first begun. Very late. First flower on Engine House double white. No Reticulata showing colour. Mucronulatum very good, one sutchuenense hybrid. This after a long spell of gales with frosts and very mild indeed.

1946 – CW
Very few Rhododendrons out except Mucronulatum. None of the Arboreum hybrids. A lot of the Kurume Azaleas showing bits of flower. Camellia hybrids very good and Reticulata Mary Williams, out also several of our seedlings. Just been cold and the only Sutchuenense hybrid out cut but not the Camellias in the main. Eight large buds on the Magnolia grandiflora.

1931 – JCW
A very late year for Rhodo ⁿs. Mucronulatum has been nice and Rh venustum most excellent. C speciosa well out on the wall and in the camellia bed.

1916 – JCW
Many Rhodo’s of sorts and kinds opening but the fences of Berberis fascicularis ( or Pinnata) make the best January flowering shrubs that we have seen , almost all from Fisher Lindsey.