2025 – CHW
2024 – CHW
Magnolia campbellii ‘Valentine’s Torch’ has blown open below Donkey Shoe.
A nursery visit and larger camellias look good by the sales point.
The Hellebores look good too beside the new 40 Year Anniversary sign.
The landscapers have rearranged and extended all the upraised herbaceous plant beds.
New garden entry signage.
Erica canaliculata looking good.
An efficient new system for bed labels in all the tunnels.
A very dark coloured Rhododendron mucronulatum by the till.
Very early for buds to be showing up on Crinodendron hookerianum at The Copper House.
One bit of a heavily pollarded Camellia ‘Donation’ outside the Coach House is covered in flowers while, lower down, lots of new growth and no flowers? A strange and unexplained situation.
2023 – CHW
Here are pictures of Camellia x williamsii ‘John Pickthorn’ and ‘Mary Pickthorn’. The latter has still to be registered this spring with the International Camellia Society.
Here are pictures of Camellia x williamsii ‘John Pickthorn’ and ‘Mary Pickthorn’. The latter has still to be registered this spring with the International Camellia Society.
The Pickthorn’s were lifelong friends of my father’s/ the family and Henry was a trustee of the Caerhays Estate for many years. Both sadly died in the last year or so. As ever plants provided a more lasting tribute for everyone to enjoy.
Tom Hudson’s gift of a layer from his Rhododendron kyawii presented a bit of a problem in fitting it into the van but it has now been planted in a well sheltered site at the top of the garden. Hopefully the cut back branches will reshoot vigorously.
2022 – CHW
A morning filming to advertise the opening of the gardens on Monday 14th February. Mainly for social media and the websites with a crew of three from Idenna.
A morning filming to advertise the opening of the gardens on Monday 14th February. Mainly for social media and the websites with a crew of three from Idenna.
We filmed in the library and then five specific plants in the garden. Magnolia ‘Todd’s Forty Niner’ of course as the early magnolia to entice visitors to come early.
The bark has now peeled and blown away on Betula utilis subsp. albosinensis ‘Bowling Green’ to expose the wonderful colours of the next crop of bark.
Magnolia ‘Todd’s Forty Niner’ and Camellia reticulata – Garden form.
Camellia grisjii nearly over but still strongly scented.
The crew film Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’ and Camellia reticulata ‘Mary Williams’.
The New Zealand form of Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ still in tight bud.
No flowers out yet on Osmanthus delavayi which is slightly surprising.
The secondary flowers on Rhododendron cinnarbarinum Concatenans Group are now over with seed heads developing.
2021 – CHW
A good clump of primroses now out rather than just single flowers dotted here and there.
A clump of rather taller growing and more vigorous snowdrops than the common wild ones (Galanthus nivalis). These eventually have 8-10in long, broad, flat, light blue-green leaves after flowering. Galanthus elwesii I assume planted 100 years or so ago under the cedar tree which grew here until the 1950s?
Proper flooding again on the lake and up through the water meadows. No surprise!
One of the circa 1907 pictures featured yesterday shows the young and fairly newly planted shelterbelt at the top of the park. This is how it looks in maturity today as the rain starts again. A positively evil grey sea in a strong SW wind.
The lower leaves on x Eriobotrya ‘Coppertone’ heavily pruned by deer.
More flowers on the peculiarly coloured Rhododendron arboreum subsp. cinnamomium but still not full out.
First flower fully out on Rhododendron ‘Bo-Peep’ (yellow) and bursting buds everywhere.
First flowers (in heavy rain) on Rhododendron moupinense.
The now dead canes (after flowering) on Chusqua gigantea are on the list to be dug out shortly.
The oak branch by Georges Hut has been cut up but more pruning needed on the evergreen Acer fabri and Cinnamomum camphora which were hit by the branch.
Magnolia floribunda ‘Furry Wok’ still has a full set of leaf. Only planted last year in full shelter.
