19th December

CONTRIBUTORS:
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

2019 – CHW

Trimming back the Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red’ at Donkey Shoe now complete and the seat is now useable again. A tidy job.

Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red’
Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red’
Trimming of lower branches on 30 years old trees below Slip Rail was overdue but has now made a lot more light and space for smaller growing shrubs. The evergreen azaleas here will benefit.
Trimming of lower branches
Trimming of lower branches
Trimming of lower branches
Trimming of lower branches
Trimming of lower branches
Trimming of lower branches
Regrowth from below the graft on the base of a Sorbus removed yet again during the trimming.
Sorbus
Sorbus

2018 – CHW
Severe flooding in the water meadows after the storms. Worse than last February.
water meadows
water meadows
Meanwhile, in the mild conditions, the gorse is coming into flower.
gorse
gorse
And the hazels are now in full flower.
hazels
hazels
hazels
hazels

2017 – CHW

FJW’s rhododendron hybrid outside the front gate is out again for Christmas. Its only redeeming feature!

FJW’s rhododendron hybrid outside the front gate
FJW’s rhododendron hybrid outside the front gate
FJW’s rhododendron hybrid outside the front gate
FJW’s rhododendron hybrid outside the front gate
The Ginkgo biloba is now shedding its leaves but still quite a sight today.
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba

2016 – CHW
The Camellia ‘St Ewe’ clump above the Auklandii Garden is full out and splendid in the sun.
Camellia ‘St Ewe’
Camellia ‘St Ewe’
Camellia ‘St Ewe’
Camellia ‘St Ewe’
Alongside are the first flowers on Camellia ‘Jurys Yellow’.
Camellia ‘Jurys Yellow’
Camellia ‘Jurys Yellow’
Jaimie has done another round of spraying over the new daffodil plantings and around the plants in Kennel Close which is showing up nicely.

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’.

magnolia buds outside the Back Yard
magnolia buds outside the Back Yard
magnolia buds outside the Back Yard
magnolia buds outside the Back Yard
If we get any real frost later the flowers are a ‘goner’ for next spring. The way it looks today some may well be out by late January. Amazing! Plenty of younger magnolias have still hardly shed any leaf at all!

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.