Eucryphia x lucida flowering late in deep shade and shelter. The one by the greenhouse in full sun was over three weeks ago as you would expect and I had to check that the leaves were not, in part, trifoliate which would have made this a Eucryphia x intermedia variety.

Yet another large clump of 30 to 40 year old Rhododendron decorum. The bark gives it away here and is nothing like that of Rhododendron auriculatum. Lizzie and I smelt the scent 50 yards away today and tracked it down.

Good to see that the very recent grass cutting has avoided the regrowth on this nice clump of Aquilegia.

Another two (different) plants of Rhododendron excellans; one with purplish new growth and one without.

Just a few developing seed heads on Rhododendron excellans to cut off on one of the three plants planted in 2015 and doing well.

Every garden visit finds something completely and gorgeously new! This Mahonia species was a gift from Harvey Stephens, then running the Savill Garden. It clearly had no label on arrival but I guess it is Mahonia gracilipes but I see that Windsor have produced a few named hybrids between M. gracilipes and Mahonia eurybracteata so this may be a named form of what are now christened as Mahonia x savilliana in the latest Hillier’s. However M. gracilipes has slender stalked open branched sprays with purple-red outer petals and creamy white inner petals as here AND it flowers in summer which very few Mahonia species do. Then again M. gracilipes in the nursery has never flowered quite like this in pots but this is now a 4-5ft bush! Need to look at the leaves more closely to be certain I have this right.

Magnolia rostrata has not produced any seed heads this year unlike last. The veined leaves are as impressive as ever.

2019 – CHW
To the greenhouses to do some videos with Karol and Asia.Salvia confertiflora in flower here for the first time beside the main greenhouse. This is a woody perennial which is frost tender. Very beautiful and striking.

Melianthus villosus setting seed. This was grown from seed from Ventnor Botanic Garden. Not as tall growing as Melianthus major but very attractive in flower which I missed here. We must propagate the seeds of this rare South African species and get it into the catalogue.

Grevillea ‘Robyn Gordon’ in full flower.

One of the Rubus bought in from the Plant Heritage Rubus stand has gone rampant after repotting. Rubus treutleri has alternate leaves and one stem has grown 6ft in six weeks.

2018 – CHW
One of the two large Fuchsia exorticatica has died in the drought outside the front door. The survivor has a good crop of juicy black fruits.

The Mexican dahlia species which flowered eventually last December had seemed dead but has suddenly reshot from the base.

As we feared many clumps of agapanthus were nearly killed in the frost. A few survivors struggle within the clumps and very few flowers this year which are rather paler than usual.

A hint of rain and the moles have reactivated their hunt for worms nearer the surface of the lawn.

2017 – CHW
The ancient Pittosporum tenuifolium in our Seaview garden.

A fat fruit forming on Passiflora caerulea. It will soon go yellow.