Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ and Camellia japonica ‘Takanini’.

Podocarpus lambertii is growing quickly.

Quercus rugosa restaked for the third time since September.

Viburnum sambucinum heavily scorched by the wind in Kennel Close

Thuja koraiensis becoming a decent tree.

First flower on the Camellia x williamsii ‘Donation’ outside the yard.

2024 – CHW

Chaenomeles flower and fruits as we have seen before.

The New Zealand Pomaderris apiculata about to come into flower.

Tail end flowers on a seedling Camellia saluenensis.

First flowers out on Rhododendron stenaulum high up and absurdly premature.

Nothing showing yet on any of the early flowering Magnolia ‘Lanarth’.

2023 – CHW
Planting progresses but the staking is still to do as are the repairs to the fencing where the wall has collapsed to keep the deer out. We are not going to bother with wire netting surrounds but all the Malus tress have spiral rabbit guards. I spaced several of the groups of 3 trees further apart after placing out.

This is the very final planting list and the amended final plan. There is plenty of room for another 40 or so trees!

2022 – CHW
Warm and sunny but chilly at night.Dicksonia antarctica growing out of an elderly Camellia japonica.

I was quite wrong a week ago. Today Magnolia ‘Todd’s Fortyniner’ is again the first magnolia to show colour. Only a couple of flowers yet showing but it will not be long in this sun and warmth before it is properly out.

Camellia ‘Buttons and Bows’ is a dainty, slow growing and upright plant but the flowers tend to be a bit hidden in the foliage. Not sure about the name either!

2021 – CHW
Milder and overcast today.The elderly Pieris forrestii ‘Forrest Flame’ above the top wall has well developed flower clusters for the spring as well as equally impressive clusters of not quite yet ripe seeds. Some brown but mostly still green.

The elderly (25 to 30 years) Daphne bholua ‘Alba’ is beautifully scented and just coming out today by the greenhouses. The plant is 12ft tall with a similar spread and has shot vigorously where dieback has been pruned out over the years. Rather thin at the top.

A cow parsley in full flower by the frames under a Corylopsis despite the cold last week.

Acacia melanoxylon is still some way off flowering. The trunk is maturing on this large tree which has attractive splitting stripes lower down.

The Escallonia ‘Iveyi’ have now had their haircut to reshoot rather quicker than I expected!

Two camellias hatstanded in the Auklandii Garden for the second time in the last 20 years (a ‘Debbie’ and a ‘Mary Costa’).

Uplifting the Nothofagus fusca with the long handled pruner. Now a small chainsaw on a pole! This is to give more light to the next door Magnolia ‘F J Williams’ which the southern beech has started to overshadow.

Cut back one Camellia ‘Debbie’ to give more room for a Corylopsis clump but leave the two behind standing to cut out the wind and under draft. Good thinking!

First flower (frosted) at the very top of Camellia ‘Anticipation Variegated’.

Still a good half of the leaves still present on Magnolia sieboldii ‘Genesis’ x Magnolia virginiana which, on reflection, is to be expected.

I collected ripe seed today on Schefflera aff. myriocarpa. Then I noticed the first ripe seed ever seen here on this Schefflera delavayi. Lots of small seeds of which by no means all are black and ripe as yet. One for Asia to collect.