Despite the drought Hydrangea ‘Taube’ is out at The Cottage.

Drought has however killed off part of the Viburnum plicatum ‘Lanarth’.

Ripe Damsons behind The Cottage.

The columnar oak progresses.

Not a single crab apple on the tree in a drought year.

Well-formed hazel nuts.

The Betony had finished flowering.

As had most of the Knapweed.

2025 – CHW

A visit to Thimbleby Shooting Ground for a simulated game shoot day. This huge shop and clubhouse was erected during lockdown.

Four pictures of the place.

Enjoying breakfast.

Team photos before the simulated grouse drive.

The tented lunch hut by a lake.

2024 – CHW
Oemleria cerasiformis has died but some side suckers survive on the Main Ride.

Then to Tin Garden area.

Two young plants of Rhododendron wilsoniae seem to have been bleached in the sun in Tin Garden. The lower leaves are untouched. Rather odd in such a wet year. I hope they will recover?

A young Cercis chingii has made good growth.

So has Carya cordiformis.

Ilex cerasifolia from Brazil with berries forming.

Tom Hudson’s Lithocarpus quercifolius (TH 4595) living up to its name.

Nothaphoebe cavaleriei looks quite different to the Phoebe cavaleriei photographed only a couple of days ago.

Decaisnea insignis (also from Tom) is now growing away well.

Lyonia ligustrina had a few flowers but I missed them.

2023 – CHW
A greenhouse trip to see new things and start to plan the autumn planting.

Corylus chinensis with enormous hazel leaves.

Calycanthus ‘Venus’.

Mahonia eurybracteata with its first flowers.

We saw this Lysionotus pauciflorus (BSWJ 335) in flower for the first time last year.

Magnolia (M. laevifolia x M. championii) x (M. laevifolia x M. maudiae). This gift from Raf in February is suddenly covered in flowers. Its leaves do look a bit like M. laevifolia although larger as are the flowers themselves. What a bizarre cross?

Buddleja limitanea in flower.

Crinum x powellii ‘Album’ flowering its heart out beside the greenhouse.

2022 – CHW

28°C as we hit the second heatwave and real deaths now.

Out best blue mophead hydrangeas shrivel before our eyes.

Clethra tomentosa ‘Cottondale’ now full out and enjoying the heat.

Just 2 seed heads left standing on Magnolia campbellii ‘Darjeeling’.

Clethra alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice’ looking at its best.

Dead Rhododendrons.

This big leaf has collapsed in the last 2 days.

First casualty in a bed of young Rhododendron burmanicum.

New growth collapsing on Rhododendron ‘Fragrantissimum’ in full shade.

This was not dead 2 days ago.

A Magnolia sieboldii frying with its leaves being progressively burnt off by the sun – the other half of the plant already dead.

2021 – CHW
Bell heather (Erica cinerea) on Wolsingham Moor which was already nearly over.

The Cottage in the evening sun.