Steve sends me a picture of Eucomis ‘Aloha Nani Pink’ flowering in the nursery.

Tom Hudson sends me pictures of his Lithocarpus glaber which looks very different to our plants in the nursery with this name.

A new 10,000 litre tank installed in the garden and filled by water from the reservoir below the church.

2025 – CHW

No rain until a week from today. The garden looks ghastly! Shrivelling before our eyes.

Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’ laden with secondary flowers.

An old reed warblers nest found while trimming the islands on the lake.

The swimming pool hole in the ground gets deeper and deeper after a week’s digging.

Acer henryi showing drought induced early autumn colour.

Hoheria sexstylosa ‘Pendula’ just starting to flower lower down the tree.

Hoheria sexstylosa ‘Snow White’ flowerless this year but the 3 plants are looking fit.

Tilia kiusiana flowering nearly over for this year.

Hoheria sexstylosa ‘Crataegifolia’ coming to its best and covered in bees.

2024 – CHW
Below is an interesting email from Wild Flower Expert and Author, Colin French concerning Erica x williamsii and with pictures of this very rare naturally occurring hybrid.Dear Charles,Earlier this year I discovered an Erica x williamsii plant (see attached photographs) on Goonhilly Downs, which has just been confirmed. This find may be of interest to you because I believe it was named after one of your ancestors. Do correct me if I am wrong. The first plant is thought to have been found by a Miss Williams, although I believe this hybrid between Erica vagans and Erica tetralix is named after P.D. Williams of Lanarth. It has only been found in the wild on the Lizard and only ten plants (excluding mine) have been definitely found. There may have been a few more than ten plants ever discovered as it is not clear whether the early records refer to one or more plants. Whatever the number, it is an extremely rare natural hybrid, when you consider how common both parents are on the Lizard heaths.

Best wishes,

Colin

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.