Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanille Fraise’ whose colour has nearly vanished already.

Mowing off the dead grass in White Styles in the hope of rain.

A now truly dead Rhododendron grande.

Rhododendron schlippenbachii looking prematurely autumnal.

A young Rhododendron orbiculare dead as a Dodo.

Myrceugenia leptospermoides in flower here for the first time.

Cornus sunhangii (TH gift 2024) growing well.

Some berries on Myoporum laetum but some drought shrivelled.

I suddenly find Lithocarpus dealbatus which I thought we had lost. Not great in the drought but holding its own.

A fine crop of berries on Melicytus crassifolius. The best show yet.

Myrcia laruotteana var. paraguayensis in full flower. Very vigorous quick growing trees.

Eucryphia ‘Nymans Silver’ just survived the last drought but now dead.

Syzygium smithii with just a few flowers but remarkable new growth in drought conditions.

Osmanthus americanus also has good new secondary growth. A new species here which Hilliers say is tender.

Lapageria rosea at its best growing through a Camellia sasanqua and with its roots in moist shade.

2025 – CHW
At last real rain overnight. A proper downpour and the August drought/heatwave is over! A joy to go around the garden today.

Tom Hudson sends me a picture of the first seed heads on his Parastyrax species nova.

Photinia nussia, a gift from Fromfield, dead in the drought with its spines showing up.

Parastyrax sp. nova has not set any seed here although there were two flowers earlier.

Viburnum arboricolum (BSWJ 3052) is doing well.

Stewartia ‘Anne’ showing early autumn colour.

Pseudotaxus chienii with new growth.

Camellia ‘Holly Bright’ with its highly serrated leaves.

Stewartia pseudocamellia ‘Ogisu’ also with early autumn tints.

2024 – CHW
Magnolia ‘Sentinel’ is not one I have seen before with secondary flowers.

Mespilus germanica was clearly grafted onto a hawthorn. The roe deer are nibbling at this growth from below the graft at the base of the tree.

Magnolia ‘Ossie’s Yellow’ has often had secondary flowers but they are usually much more yellow.

Sorbus hedlundii (KR 1810A – best clone) with enormous fruits for a Sorbus.

Betula luminifera ‘White House Farm’ is taking off exponentially in this fine growing year.

Yet another splendid Magnolia ‘Yakeo’.

Magnolia ‘Tinkerbelle’ has one very dark flower.

Thuja koraiensis was planted in 2015 but now a decent small tree with male and female stroboli. Very aromatic foliage.

Hypericum lancasteri only just out after its neighbouring species are long over.

A few secondary flowers on Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth’ at the 4-in-Hand.

2023 – CHW
A long eared bat flying around by day.

This fungus is growing on an old sycamore stump near Tin Garden. Jaimie says it is Favolaschia calocera but I cannot find this in my fungi book.

Unformed seed clusters blown off the original Lithocarpus cleistocarpus by George’s Hut.

Much larger (but still not yet viable) seed clusters off the younger Lithocarpus cleistocarpus above Hovel Cart Road. Some here have been eaten by squirrels already.

The new Rookery clearing is now more or less complete.