Also below is my reply to Colin.Dear Colin,

I attach the Hilliers entry for Erica x williamsii.

There is a very elderly bank of heather on the drive here, where the two drives merge, which I had thought was Erica ‘P.D. Williams’ after some research quite a few years ago. Now I am far less certain although J.C. Williams and P.D.W. were close friends. The plants here flower early in the spring and are very much pinker than the photographs which you sent.

I now think what we have is more probably Erica vagans ‘Saint Keverne’ but that may well just be a guess based on the Lanarth family connection. Apparently ‘Saint Keverne’ is found in the wild in Cornwall but I do not see it mentioned in your mighty work.

All very interesting and I have just learnt a lot about heather species in Cornwall!

Thank you for this and for all your other current work for the farm.

Best wishes,

Charles

2023 – CHW
Storm Betty last week has left a trail of minor destruction.One of 3 larger trees in Kennel Close blown off their stakes.

Tilia kiusiana full out and sweetly scented.

Our largest Stachyurus chinensis has now died – aged about 40.

Oak branches litter the ground.

Ross has finally made a start on clearing the camellia piece for replanting next spring.

The elderly Acer nikoense just about still alive but probably worth digging out while the digger is on site.

2022 – CHW

Then, with bated breath, my first proper trip around the garden after an absence of 10 days away.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ on Hovel Cart Road is looking good. A pleasant surprise.

Dead Rhododendrons by Higher Quarry Nursery.

The Queen Mother’s magnolia shedding leaves prematurely with die back from the uppermost twigs all over the crown. The seed pods have long fallen off and been rejected by the tree to save energy as is normal in dry spells.

These Rhododendron auriculatum may or may not survive. We have seen them like this before but not as bad.

These big leaf’s will not make it I suspect. Hardly any new growth.

With water these plants are now out of danger. Jamie’s intervention last week has saved them.

These old Rhododendron sinogrande will probably die but a day’s heavy rain may yet save it. Nothing sadly in the forecast for the next week.

Rhododendron barbatum on its last legs but the 2 plants besides it in more shade are OK.

Typically one of a group of scented rhodondrons has had it. A familiar tale this year.

Watering has however saved our best Rhododendron arizelum.

A dead Acer by the Tin Garden.

Two years on from planting these Deciduous azaleas have failed.

A nearly dead Cercis canadensis. One branch had died off a fortnight ago as we saw then.

Sorbus thompsonii virtually defoliated and probably now deceased 12 years from planting out.

Two casualties in the newly planted Crataegus collection. Not bad in full sun out of 25 or 50.

Two or three of the 12 newly planted German magnolia varieties have defoliated but they may just survive. Perhaps a watering might save them.

At last something looking healthy! A young Clerodendrum bungei has enjoyed the heat.

Thankfully the clump of young Rhododendron williamsianum by George’s Hut look fine. The myopex covering has retained the moisture around this group.

Escallonia bifida in full flower and enjoying the drought. A fine show today.

2021 – CHW
Back in Cornwall on a warm day.Hydrangea robusta ‘Tatiana’ from North Vietnam is late flowering and a relatively small flower. Nice enough though.

Before leaving I observed three young jays eating these crab apples. They did not eat that many!

Syringa reticulata had a few flowers in May which never really opened properly in the dry spell. Here what I assume is a second flush.

Magnolia ‘Yakeo’ well into its second flowering as usual.

A developing seed head on Magnolia sapaensis for the first time here. One for Asia to gather before too long even if only three to five individual seeds.

And then a flower on Magnolia tamaulipana just full out and already dropping its anthers. These flowers last 48 hours at most so a lucky chance to have seen it today. Smell light but slightly unpleasant.

2020 – CHW
Taxodium distichum ‘Hursley Park’ is a dwarf which originated from a witches broom but it is finally growing well with plenty of secondary new growth. A good spot to look down on it.

The new growth on Rhododendron ‘Tally Hoo’ is excellent. Just one flower remains.

First flowers on the newly planted Eucryphia nymansensis ‘George Graham’. Bought from Mark Bulk. Cannot see much difference to ‘Nymansay’ but nothing wrong with that!

Pea-like seedpods forming on Maakia hupehensis which we saw in flower not long ago.

Roe deer (buck) damage again – this time on the thin trunk of Euptelia polyandra which was earlier doing well. The bucks must hunt hard for stems like this to rub their horns on.

A line of huge elderly Camellia japonicas that were in full shade until three years ago are seeding profusely in full sun. Some seeds are nearly ripe already.

The small Lithocarpus pachyphyllus in flower a few months ago now has huge seed clusters which have bent the branches nearly to the ground. The seeds are huge and will all be viable if we beat the squirrels.

Escallonia bifida from Brazil and Uruguay is just in bud. Another new one to propagate.

Hypericum lancasteri is perfectly out as a clump and perhaps the best thing today in the garden.

Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’ is not so ‘little’ now below the wall but its leaves and flowers are in comparison to pure grandiflora.

2019 – CHW
I got excited to see developing acorns for the first time ever on Quercus lamellosa. When looking more closely many have already dropped to the ground. When cut in half no acorn has actually formed within the circled green cup. Perhaps those still left on the tree will grow on and ripen but I have my doubts. Pictures I have seen of Q. lamellosa acorns show them as being much larger than these. Asia needs to keep a close eye on what is still left on the tree.

A young plant of Rhododendron decorum with just a few very late flowers.

Aesculus x glaucescens (now renamed x neglecta), just above the Q. lamellosa, has quite a few conkers on just its lower branches. These are nearly ripe enough for Asia to pick. Perhaps in two to three weeks before the squirrels find them. Very little seed on any of the other Aesculus in Kennel Close. x neglecta is a cross between Aesculus flava and Aesculus sylvatica.

A single secondary flower on Magnolia ‘Cleopatra’. Rather a darker colour than its spring flowers. In most instances secondary flowers are paler than the normal ones.

Whitish fruits on Sorbus gonggashanica which should flush even more pink when fully ripe.

Crataegus aprica with its first fruits which are, as yet, unripe. Several of these new Crataegus species with fruits will be worth collecting soon (especially Crataegus wattiana) and having a try at germinating them.

2018 – CHW
Rubus lineatus just coming into flower. Suckering away nicely to produce a big clump with very attractive foliage.

Few trees have quite such large and impressive leaves as Ailanthus altissima. Sadly no flowers yet on this 20 to 30 year old tree.

Hoheria populnea ‘Alba Variegata’ was virtually killed in The Beast. It is however shooting from the trunk with the new growth almost completely white with few green centres in the younger leaves.

Cotoneaster hualiensis with a fine crop of berries again this year.

Sorbus gonggashanica with its first crop of white berries which are just developing a pink tinge.

Tilia heterophylla has the most enormous leaves on a young plant.

I had always thought this tree was Persea japonica but now it has schima flowers high up. The leaves are not at all like those on our other nearby schima. I am now stumped! The smaller plant of Persea japonica up by Georges Hut has very similar leaves. I must ‘go compare’ as they say.

2017 – CHW
The huge clump of Hydrangea paniculata on Hovel Cart Road is very fine and just showing hints of pink. The best thing in the garden today by far.

I had been wondering what this odd thing was in the bed opposite the front door. It is the late flowering Mexican dahlia species which we bought in February. Still no sign of a flower.

The Korean raspberry, Rubus tricolor, has plenty of fruit but mice or birds are devouring them quickly.