2025 – CHW (images to follow)
All our Kania 2000 squirrel traps which had rusted out have all been revamped with new metal casing and are ready to go again.
Maclura pomifera with fruits (formerly Cudrania). A fairly nasty prickly little shrub!
Desmodium elegans flowering away on a hot bank.
The second brood of wagtails in the yard have now fledged.
Photinia integrifolia (HWJ 946) was planted in 2011. This is the first time I have seen it flowering. Velvety brown indumentum on the top of the leaves which are smooth and shiny underneath. Usually it’s the other way around!
Photinia villosa with the fruits just starting to turn orange. Three plants in the clump which are now multi-stemmed shurbs of 15-20 feet in height.
By a process of elimination this must, I think be Photinia glabra – one plant by George’s Hut and one plant growing out of the base of Photinia prionophylla. Minutely serrate leaves but rather different from the P. glabra which I looked at Trelissick. When measured in 1966 this tree was billed as P. serratifolia but it is surely nothing like serratifolia – new growth especially.
Photinia davidsoniae with its prickles on the new growth and on larger branches. Interesting bark on the tall upright trunks.
Seed heads on Photinia prionophylla and the huge evergreen tree which it is. Strangely none of our Photinia species seem to be featured in the Tree Register. I find it hard to believe that this is not at least a County Champion? Hilliers say it’s too tender for them to grow.
2024 – CHW
To Tregrehan to look at Cinnamomum species but, as usual, we were distracted onto Hydrangeas and Maurice Foster’s excellent new book on the subject. We took with us C. camphora, C. japonicum and C. glanduliferum as well as Maclura tricuspidata.
Schizophragma integrifolium var. fauriei at its finest. Not particularly tyring to climb here and more of a shrubby habit.







2022 – CHW
A trip to Bodmin Garden Centre which has made huge investments in state of the art multi-span tunnels in the last year since I last visited. They are now more of a growing nursery than a Garden Centre and we should be engaging with them for trade orders of herbaceous plants and for landscape deals.
Stand out plants included:-
Agapanthus ‘Dark Silk’ – very dark.

Then quickly into Treseders Nursery.
Prostanthera spinosa – and it was! Not very exciting flowers and decided not to buy. They have a great collection of Prostanthera species and varieties from Australia.
2021 – CHW
A visit to Newquay Garden Centre which is a long oblong site and not in Newquay at all; Quintrell Downs in reality. More gifts and café than plants but the plant area was well laid out with a reasonable range of more common plants. Of the local garden centres I have visited recently Bodmin garden centre was by far the best for plants.
Things we might consider for Burncoose included:
Cordyline australis ‘Salsa’ – nice but tender I assume.
The variegated leaved Buddleia ‘Harlequin’ has largely reverted to ‘Royal Red’ above the top wall but is still a magnet for butterflies. Many flowers are already over but a second flush now accompanies the latest rain induced growth.
Four Crataegus species with fruits have coloured up well in 10 days:
Crataegus ellwangeriana ‘Fire Ball’ – nearly ready for Asia to gather.
The hydrangeas viewed from the top lodge looking down the drive – what a sight today.

The hunt for Eucryphia and Hoheria out in early August revealed that it is still a bit early for most but not all of them.
Hoheria angustifolia is now 25-30ft tall with dense foliage and tiny leaves but, today, the tree is plastered in flower as you can see here.
2018 – CHW
A tour with Peter Mills and the first real trip all over the garden for three and a half weeks yesterday.
Sea fret and drizzle while the rest of neighbouring Europe hits over 40°C.
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snow Queen’ is already turning an autumnal pink in the drought.
Then Will and Mary Caw’s garden.A fine hollyhock growing 8-10ft.
Finally we hit the jackpot on the last day in Seaview. The brand new Eddington House Nursery is beside the church in Brading only two miles away. Brand new stock too and a startlingly good plant display with good growing display beds to ponder and everything excellently laid out. Lots of new things to consider here.Commelia colestis may well be a bit tender but it is a vivid blue and might be available from Kernock as a plug liner? We used to stock this once and it sold well. What else is blue in flower in August?



Then we get to some outstanding new agapanthus varieties all in full flower. We certainly need to add some of these to our catalogue (and to sell at Hampton Court) and drop some of the New Zealand varieties.
Agapanthus ‘Silver Moon’ – silver leaf edge variegation and much better than Agapanthus ‘Tinkerbell’.
2015 – CHWA quick trip up the drive to catch a few more hydrangeas:
Hydrangea ‘Tricolor’Rather an insipid plant especially when grown in a cold, hot, exposed position as here. The leaves have yellow and white on their edges and the lacecap is a weak colour. Needs to be grown in more shade and shelter. Planted 2002.


Hydrangea ‘Joseph Banks’At Burncoose on the drive the clump is still going strong 120 years after featuring in a picture in the RHS Journal. Nearly as old here I guess. Creamy white opening to a pale blue (on acid soil) and lasting to Christmas without frost. The commonest hydrangea seen in Cornish woodland garden drives but none the worse for that.


Hydrangea ‘Sheila’Not unlike ‘Love you Kiss’ once full out but this pink lacecap is one of the more improved and newer forms which stands out as being a bit different to the norm. This clump was planted in 2011 and has darkish new growth and early leaves.



Hydrangea aspera Villosa GroupVery variable and short lived especially if grown in full sun which this one is not. Some have flower heads remarkably similar, at least at a distance, to some smaller forms of Hydrangea sargentiana. I reckon about 30 years in full sun and 40 in the shade. The lovely peeling bark only appears in maturity on some forms after say 10 years. A popular hydrangea but I prefer larger leaved Hydrangea sargentiana.



A raven feeding a single youngster by the Top Lodge ominously near a young lamb which must be a ‘mistake’ at this time of the year. The most horrid and damaging of all the corvids.Swallows have bred well at the Hovel but, in the early mornings, the telephone wires are already full of martins and swallows thinking about migration or perhaps just more bad weather as the harvest is scheduled to start?
Three weddings this weekend at The Vean / Coastguards Hut. A new record for the estate and Luke, new Vean manager, formally appointed. Today’s party seems to involve a ‘Mr Wacky’ who appears at the front door when lost and I hope is here to entertain children at the wedding. Otherwise the staff are in for a shock!
1990 – FJW
It could have been the hottest day since 1911 or nearly. Last limited shower about 5 days ago. Trees look terrible.
1915 – JCW
Buddleia at their very best but not much else. Philadelphus delavayi also good and late cuttings for Mr Ivey. The Auriculatum open in the sun also R ungernii and decorum.
1913 – JCW
Buddleias by the Cattlehouse fair, it has been too dry for them. Some nice roses and geraniums. P imperialis has been good. R maddeni at the brown gate is good.