An unnamed ancient Mahonia buried in behind the Hoheria. Jamie’s next target for a prune around.

Roy Lancaster’s Christmas card also said that his Carpinus rankinensis was still in full leaf. So is ours!
Trimming back the Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red’ at Donkey Shoe now complete and the seat is now useable again. A tidy job.
Severe flooding in the water meadows after the storms. Worse than last February.
2017 – CHW
FJW’s rhododendron hybrid outside the front gate is out again for Christmas. Its only redeeming feature!
The Camellia ‘St Ewe’ clump above the Auklandii Garden is full out and splendid in the sun.
2015 – CHW
Already the magnolia buds outside the Back Yard have shed their outer secondary protective layer. You can even see a hint of colour on one of them. Only one lower bud that I can see still has two ‘overcoats’.


1970 – FJW
Flowers out on pale Gunroom door Saluenensis – very mild indeed to date.
1933 – JCW
Fuchsias cut down excepting my father’s old one. Ice on the pond but over 100 waterfowl. I picked Thea speciosa flowers yesterday.
1932 – JCW
White camellia as above. Lapagerias nice. Fuchsias fairly good but have had heavy gales. No Barbatum open.
1918 – JCW
The white camellia by the Engine House, Rho dahuricum, mucronulatum and one barbatum are all nice, the pink and rose nobleanum are very good.
1914 – JCW
The day of the Belgian wedding breakfast. Some lapagerias open, some coums coming. Some Cam sasanqua open. All the remainder of the eligible ones leave for the war next week.
1904 – JCW
No daffs show flowers yet, several on the move in the open and in the pans. A few coums open, a few lapageria, little else. The heavy snow and frost of Nov 23rd has knocked out all flowers.