16th December

FJ Williams Profile Picture
FJW 1955-2007
CH Williams Profile Picture
CHW 2015-
JC Williams Profile Picture
JCW 1897-1939
C Williams Profile Picture
CW 1940-1955

2023 – CHW

Acer campbellii var. fansipanense.(BSWJ 8270) still with leaves and good colour but not for much longer.

Acer campbellii var. fansipanense.(BSWJ 8270)
Acer campbellii var. fansipanense.(BSWJ 8270)
Prunus serrulata thibetica strutting its stuff at both levels with different (now peeled) colours.
Prunus serrulata thibetica
Prunus serrulata thibetica
Prunus serrulata thibetica
Prunus serrulata thibetica
A newly planted out Rhododendron crassum with its leaves curled up as they were in the summer drought. Now its overly wet and blown about so feeling sorry for itself.
Rhododendron crassum
Rhododendron crassum
Camellia japonica ‘Takanini’ nicely fronts the orange-red branches of Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ in Kennel Close. An excellent colour combination!
Camellia japonica ‘Takanini’
Camellia japonica ‘Takanini’
Camellia japonica ‘Takanini’
Camellia japonica ‘Takanini’
Little leaf drop yet on Berberis wilsoniae? Later than usual to go deciduous.
Berberis wilsoniae
Berberis wilsoniae
Good autumn colour and ripe fruits on Malus x prattii at Slip Rail.
Malus x prattii
Malus x prattii
Malus x prattii
Malus x prattii
Acacia baileyana almost out in flower rather earlier than usual although this is a young and vigorous tree.
Acacia baileyana
Acacia baileyana

2022 – CHW
Sheets of ice everywhere. The pair of swans and their one cygnet return to the lake after an absence of 6 or so weeks.
pair of swans
pair of swans
The lower end of the lake is well frozen today.
lower end of the lake
lower end of the lake
Camellia x williamsii ‘J.C. Williams’ frosted outside the Rockery but there are always more buds to come.
Camellia x williamsii ‘J.C. Williams’
Camellia x williamsii ‘J.C. Williams’
Camellia x williamsii ‘J.C. Williams’
Camellia x williamsii ‘J.C. Williams’
Hydrangea aspera ‘Robusta’ with leaves and flowers well frosted.
Hydrangea aspera ‘Robusta’
Hydrangea aspera ‘Robusta’
Yet Magnolia dawsoniana still has green leaves.
Magnolia dawsoniana
Magnolia dawsoniana
Three days ago all the leaves on the Ginkgo biloba fell as the sunshine caught the frost. They literally crackled to the ground.
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba
Frosted Zantedeschia aethiopica.
Frosted Zantedeschia aethiopica
Frosted Zantedeschia aethiopica
An immature pigeon squab dead on the lawn. Cold or the peregrine we have seen twice this week being mobbed by crows and jackdaws?
pigeon squab dead on the lawn
pigeon squab dead on the lawn

2021 – CHW
More removal of lower branches on some trees planted after the 1990 hurricane. The Nothofagus has grown well as a multi stemmed tree but was starting to shade out its neighbours.
removal of lower branches
removal of lower branches
removal of lower branches
removal of lower branches
Rabbits chewing on fallen twigs from a Michelia doltsopa.
Michelia doltsopa
Michelia doltsopa
This deciduous azalea on the main drive at Burncoose is, yet again, out for Christmas. Unusual to say the least but there are a couple of plants here on the drive which do the same although usually in February rather than December.
azalea
azalea
Cones developing on a specimen Sequoiadendron giganteum bought in for a nursery customer. Our 2007 planted tree has not yet produced any cones.
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Sequoiadendron giganteum
From Burncoose garden three more fungi identified (hopefully correctly) by one of the nursery staff:
Golden Needle
Golden Needle
Golden Needle
Split Gill
Split Gill
Split Gill
Turkey Tail
Turkey Tail
Turkey Tail

2020 – CHW
First buds opening on the paler form of Rhododendron irroratum.
Rhododendron irroratum
Rhododendron irroratum
First couple of flowers on Camellia ‘Cinnamon Candy’.
Camellia ‘Cinnamon Candy’
Camellia ‘Cinnamon Candy’
The old Gevuina avellana has massive dieback from the early summer drought and probably needs a haircut to reshoot from the base quite soon. Several of the tall branches on this multi-stemmed plant are nearly dead. I suspect this may have happened before.
Gevuina avellana
Gevuina avellana
Still plenty of leaf on a young Magnolia dealbata.
Magnolia dealbata
Magnolia dealbata
Flower buds emerging from Fatsia polycarpa which will be out soon.
Fatsia polycarpa
Fatsia polycarpa
The leafless Oreopanax incisus which also suffered from the drought and produced a flower (which I eventually cut out) has put on some welcome new growth from the top and plenty of side shoots from the base.
Oreopanax incisus
Oreopanax incisus
Oreopanax incisus
Oreopanax incisus

2019 – CHW
A wonderful photograph in Jim Gardiner’s Christmas card: This is a picture of Magnolia campbellii subsp. mollicomata ‘Jim Gardiner’. I guess the flowers have about double the number of tepals that you would expect to see in a conventional mollicomata. It is almost a double flower in reality; quite superb and certainly one to try to get hold of.
Magnolia campbellii subsp. mollicomata ‘Jim Gardiner’
Magnolia campbellii subsp. mollicomata ‘Jim Gardiner’

2018 – CHW
If ever anyone needed proof of why the war on squirrels is so essential here is a perfect example. A young 25 to 30 year old beech tree completely destroyed by bark gnawing above the Auklandii Garden. The central leader to this tree will now fail. Even if it does not the tree trunk will have a fundamental weakness which will one day cause it to snap off. We have caught 80+ squirrels since mid-June but this is not enough to have saved this tree from this very recent damage. The tree will now have to be felled.
beech tree completely destroyed by bark gnawing
beech tree completely destroyed by bark gnawing
beech tree completely destroyed by bark gnawing
beech tree completely destroyed by bark gnawing
Sequoia sempervirens with pollen and flowers showing in December by Bramble Field Corner. An odd time for this to be performing! Jaimie cut a spray and brought it into the house for inspection as I might well not have believed him.
Sequoia sempervirens
Sequoia sempervirens
Sequoia sempervirens
Sequoia sempervirens

2017 – CHW
Two new plants for the soon to be published 2018 Burncoose catalogue and website.Schefflera gracilis is a small growing shrub here with an extended flower spike and creamy white flowers. This is not a species yet in the garden at Caerhays so I wonder where this has sprung from? Perhaps our own propagation from a gift of cuttings? It appears more tender than some species but this may well not turn out to be true.
Schefflera gracilis
Schefflera gracilis
Schefflera gracilis
Schefflera gracilis
Schefflera gracilis
Schefflera gracilis
Schefflera gracilis
Schefflera gracilis
Schefflera taiwaniana we know to be perfectly hardy. It is already 15-20ft tall at Caerhays and multi stemmed. This species seems to flower with us either in late summer or in mid/late autumn. I am not really sure why but it does set copious seeds. Here a nice batch of young plants.
Schefflera taiwaniana
Schefflera taiwaniana

2016 – CHW
Euphorbia mellifera is shedding its old yellow leaves by the library window. Very attractive and not seen before.
Euphorbia mellifera
Euphorbia mellifera
Euphorbia mellifera
Euphorbia mellifera
Two echiums have died without flowering in their second year. Others look fit to flower next year.
Dead Echium
Dead Echium
Dead Echium
Dead Echium
Cotoneaster horizontalis has a fine show of autumn colour now the berries have gone.
Cotoneaster horizontalis
Cotoneaster horizontalis
Cotoneaster horizontalis
Cotoneaster horizontalis
Echinops battanicus still has a surviving pale blue flower and a couple of buds still to come if we remain frost free. Unusual!
Echinops battanicus
Echinops battanicus

2015 – CHW

Ginkgo biloba is just passing its best colour. Despite all the wind the ‘yellow’ has held for several weeks.

Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba

The unnamed Camellia x williamsii is now full out.

unnamed Camellia x williamsii
unnamed Camellia x williamsii

So is the Camellia x williamsii ‘J C Williams’ hedge outside the Rockery.

Camellia x williamsii ‘J C Williams’ hedge
Camellia x williamsii ‘J C Williams’ hedge
You can just see my old dog, Rio, taking himself down to the beach to see if any of his girlfriends are there rather than coming shooting. Sex before work! Last Saturday he missed the departure of the guns trailer for the same reason and was very contrite at lunch. All the dogs are exhausted but never too tired for a bit of bitching. Saturday’s mob were a bit like that too by the look of them and I am not referring to complaints.
Rio, taking himself down to the beach
Rio, taking himself down to the beach

1984 – FJW
Very bad storms all day – Porth Luney beach enlarged – early Williamsii splendid.

1934 – JCW
Most of the lapagerias are away for the most. We put 150 small tree ferns in the nearest quarry to the castle, it was mainly done by a man in the house.

1928 – JCW
A bud of Eriogynum opening in the Hall. C speciosa opening and a few Cam sasanqua left. Hamamelis mollis ½ open. Flowers on the white C japonica Dutch Pearl shows colour.

1927 – JCW
A good few lapagerias flowers, several Rho sulfureum and lutescens, and then odds and ends of rhodo’n. A very harsh wind, next to no frost.

1926 – JCW
Hardish frost last night. Cam sasanqua holds yet. Cotoneaster salicifolia is very good indeed but requires a sunny day.

1907 – JCW
Camellia sasanqua remains, no real frost, solanum quite fair, a fair lot of daffs of all ages have moved up.

1906 – JCW
Several coums open, a good few daffs up.

1897 – JCW
Jack [Williams] picked the first wild primrose.