Ehretia dicksonii with its broken branches tidied up.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Donation’ now full out in the Ririei Opening.

Rhododendron mucronulatum full out and a good dark colour this year.

2024 – CHW

A close inspection of Magnolia ‘Todd’s Forty Niner’ shows no colour as yet. Over the last few years this has been consistently the first magnolia to come fully into flower here.

Wild Crocosmia reshooting vigorously but I see no sign yet of any of the 2 forms of garlic which grow in the garden. The garlic has to be late into leaf in what is, currently at least, a remarkably early year.

Acacia baileyana now at its best.

The nearly evergreen here, Cotoneaster glabratus, is still loaded with berries on the drive. I grew this from seed from the Werrington plant 40+ years ago. The plants below Slip Rail have no berries this year but the small tree in Kennel Close is similarly laden. Why don’t the pheasants or thrushes like these berries? Well worth growing a few as this is a wonderful species which deserves to be much more widely grown.

Interesting fissured bark on Nothofagus obliqua on the drive. Very variable on both sides of the tree and at height.

x Sycoparrotia semidecidua just coming into flower above White Styles. Half the small tree is indeed leafless.

2023 – CHW (images to follow)
A cold snap looms again this week and the garden looks grey, wintery and uninviting.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Galaxy’ just out high up – only 2 flowers.

Rhododendron ‘Bo Peep’ out a bit more.

First flower out high up on Camellia x williamsii ‘Citation’ (‘Delia Williams’ not showing yet).

Camellia ‘Cinnamon Scentsation’ just showing.

Camellia ‘Cinnamon Cindy’ full out and rather good today.

2022 – CHW
Warm and sunny still with a few bumblebees confused by the weather. Good to see. Is spring here? The birds think so!

Acacia cultriformis nearly out in flower – earlier than usual.

First flowers on Camellia ‘Oo La La’.

A young Camellia ‘Bokuhan’ well out but with some chlorotic leaves.

First flowers high up on Camellia x williamsii ‘Caerhays’. Still rather pale but earlier than last year I suspect. ‘Caerhays’ is one of the last williamsii to flower and long after its sister seedling (also double), ‘George Blandford’.

First flower on Camellia ‘Alba Simplex’.

Unexpectedly leaves remain on Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Oconee’ and still have good colour.

2021 – CHW

Camellia ‘Adolphe Audusson’ now coming out properly on Burns Bank.

More buds opening on Magnolia ‘Todd’s Fortyniner’.

Camellia ‘Buttons and Bows’ now full out.

Acacia baileyana just coming out.

Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Umbilicata’ (as named by Susyn Andrews) in flower with fruit still on the tree. We have simply known it as the quince below Slip Rail.

Camellia grisjii full out.

Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’ and Camellia reticulata ‘Mary Williams’.

A fine flower on Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’.