2020 – CHW
Raf Lenaerts and Storm Ciara arrive together today. Raf is a young Belgian nurseryman and an outstanding plantsman. In return for propagation material on a two hour garden trip Raf presents us with a tray of new exotica to grow on for the collections here. New magnolias and Michelias as well as other novelty new species. The full list is attached.

The magnolia through the archway has blown open a bit.
2019 – CHW
A long overdue trip to Burncoose to be greeted by a wonderful display of new Helleborus varieties at the entrance. Clare, our nursery buyer, has done a great job getting these.
Helleborus Frostkiss ‘Dorothys Dawn’ – wonderful ‘icy’ foliage, huge pink bud clusters and flowers. A fantastic new introduction.
Camellias coming out in force in the nursery.Here Camellia x reticulata ‘Francie L’.
Sarcocca confusa
Daffodils and snowdrops splendid in full sun this morning. More rain due any minute.
On Friday I was greeted by a large fat rat running up the front stairs and heading for our bedroom. It turns out he has a hole behind the fire extinguisher outside our bathroom as well as a hole in the School Room. A cage trap baited with biscuits and cheese has yielded no results as yet but the teeth marks on the fruit in the bowl on the kitchen table are now explained. Not mice or the dogs!Another night of severe wind has put paid to several of the best magnolias and blown open others so here is a record of what has survived and not been photographed before.
A formerly rather stifled Magnolia campbellii now shows up properly after the clearances.

Magnolia sprengeri var elongata blown open but frosted by Tin Garden. Jaimie’s view is that it is a light coloured Magnolia campbellii and that I have muddled the two adjacent plants. Not sure? Await events. Jaimie now says ‘Labelled as campbellii, a seedling I believe, and Phillip Tregunna used to call it Forrest Pink’
2004 – FJW
Some frosted flowers on Backyard Magnolias1997 – FJW
First daff picked above Davidia minor or minimus? – still frosts at night.
1926 – JCW
(Note added to Garden Book page)
Some 80-0/6 mineral phospate put on the Big Vib. fragrans, Meliosma veitchiorum, the most western Euonymus fimbriatus (note correct name: Lucidus), one Vaccinium ovatum.
Several other plants?
The small Reevesia
The single Corylopsis near Reevesia
The one Corylopsis not ?? marked
The Pyrus flaggiana
C. H. C’s Syringa
The big Glauca Oak near Melinanthus
The Ribes longisternosum
1902 – JCW
Minimus going back, minor shows colour. Snowdrops just at their best.
1901 – JCW
Minimus at its best, a few minor, nothing else except seedling trumpets.
1900 – JCW
Minor only just shows the bud yellow.
1899 – JCW
Double trumpet open (common), several minor open, some H Irving just begun to tone down.