With Granny Fiona.

The view from the new barn conversion.

The conversion itself.

A turnip chopper.

The remains of the castle itself in the farm yard.

What their Higher Tier clover cover crops looked like in the drought.

2025 – CHW

A thunder clap or two and a brief shower last evening.

Hydrangeas at the Top Lodge looking even worse than a week ago with no rain.

Our new clearing on the drive for replanting in the autumn and spring. Only 7 trees removed to make way for new things. We try to create an acre of new planting space in the garden each year to keep the momentum of growth going in the garden. You can see exactly how dry it actually is from the stump grabbing. This area used to grow a range of big leaf rhodos in full shade but droughts have whittled this down to only one decent plant.

The timber on the top ride and the steep track Ross has used to drag it uphill. Just a bit of tidying up still left to do and job done. The sycamore at the bottom of the track stays although we were not sure about this at the start. One hit on a Camellia ‘Mary Phoebe Taylor’ which will resprout when chopped back. I think at least one of the Rhodo ‘Cornish Reds’ below could be cut back to reshoot.

2024 – CHW
Back in Cornwall to find a second clutch of swallows nearly ready to fledge in the stable.

Pseudopanax adiantifolius flowering properly for the first time here.

A good cut back of the Hydrangeas near the 4-in-Hand and the brambles in these clumps go too.

The Aucuba also gets a haircut.

As do the Magnolias below the lawn.

Eucryphia cordifolia is always a week or two behind all the other Eucryphias.

Lots of decent secondary flowers on Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’.

Myrcia laruotteana var. paraguayensis has grown exceptionally quickly since it was planted in 2019. Plastered in flower today and already 12 feet tall.

Pseudopanax ‘Moa’s Toes’ has, by comparison, grown slowly.

2023 – CHW
Unusual coloured gladioli in The Cottage in Yorkshire.

This is rather more like it for August.

Even the tea towels enlighten.

Peacock butterflies on a Buddleja davidii ‘Empire Blue’.

The commemorative planting of Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’ growing away well.

Well-developed trunk on Nothofagus antarctica.

2021 – CHW
Scarborough lilies now out in flower at The Cottage. Cyrtanthus elatus is a deciduous perennial from South Africa which is suitable for growing on a windowsill but not outdoors.

2020 – CHW
A few things looking excellent in the nursery today:

Liriope muscari

Digitalis ‘Goldcrest’

Sedum ‘Red Cauli’

Chitalpa tashkentensis

Tibouchina orangensis with splendidly huge flowers.

Cercis glabra has developed leaves with intricate purple-red veining.

Senna corymbosa full out.

A single secondary flower on Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’.

2019 – CHW
A helicopter traverses the electricity lines near the castle after heavy rainstorms checking for breaks. There was a blackout just before we left for The Cottage in Yorkshire and many others through the country in the last week due to grid failure.

2018 – CHW
Head Gardener Jaimie has been keeping up with the daily diary while I have been away in the north.Another wander in Old Park. Tail end flower of Magnolia sieboldii ‘Michiko Range’ seedling.

Odd seed on the later flowering magnolias. There is not much seed around on the magnolias at all this season after the snow in February/March.

Magnolia ‘Apollo’ showing a couple of late flowers. I would imagine they will first drop off rather than open.

Plague of flies in the bracken. Spiders/wildlife being well fed by them I would imagine.