Arum lilies flattened by the drought.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanille Fraise’ a really good colour.

Quercus humboldtii still just survives.

Podocarpus lambertii seems to be thriving.

No fruits this year on any of the Diospyros.

Prunus serrula ‘Tibetica’ in the sun.

As in previous droughts the Cercidiphyllum are the first trees to pack up.

This Cercis will be dead shortly as well.

A squirrel has pinched some of the walnuts of Juglans ailantifolia.

Tim watering away on the big leafs. A losing battle.

In another fortnight of drought 10% of the garden will be dead. Away for a week now and I dread how bad it will be on my return.

2025 – CHW

Now at The Cottage.

Acorns with galls growing on some.

I was puzzled as to what these ‘flowers’ were at the tips of some of the stems on an old oak tree. My guess was male flowers heads that had been infected by some grub. Actually I was not far out. These are Oak artichoke galls containing a single grub from an egg laid in the new growth shot in the spring. Andricus foecundatrix is the Latin name. Not something I had ever noticed before.

Fruit on the native Bird Cherry, Prunus padus.

Crataegus monogyna are everywhere laden with ripening haws.

The columnar oak tree is growing on well despite the drought.

Prunus spinosa this year laden with blueberries. Plenty of sloes for the sloe gin to come!

2024 – CHW
Fuchsias by the front door have prematurely dropped their leaves in the constant wet weather. I had forgotten the Rubus species planted in the Lower Rockery in 2020 and acquired from a Plant Heritage exhibit of Rubus at the 2019 Hampton Court Flower Show. The two species have grown exponentially into a thicket which will soon need a digger to remove.This is Rubus treutleri which does not feature in Trees & Shrubs online or in Hilliers. I see that Crug Farm collected it in Northern India. Perhaps it isn’t a shrub? Nonsense! No sign of any flowers or fruit. Nasty black prickles.

This is Rubus setchuenensis. Some new shoots are 8 feet tall in a season. No prickles at all and some flowers and fruits ripening as you can see.

This Magnolia sprengeri var. diva ‘Burncoose’ died in the droughts and was cut down. It then tried to reshoot but roe deer nibbled the shoots hard before we got the high wire netting in place. Now it is really dead and needs digging out.

Clethra tomentosa ‘Cottondale’ just out.

Clethra alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice’ just out beside it. A strong colour this year although this 2003 planted plant is now looking very tired and elderly.

Nearly ripe seeds on Styrax wilsonii. Asia needs to prepare to collect them fairly soon.

2023 – CHW
Serena gives me a perfect picture of Lamorna arriving here and pleased to be at the castle.

I attach another picture of Manglietia 0695 which flowered here this year and the email correspondence between Tom Hudson, Dick Figlar and the Chinese as to its true identity. We seem to be still no closer to knowing exactly what it is!

The newly potted on Magnolias look a superb crop for next spring at Burncoose.