2019 – CHW
All three flower colours are now evident on Camellia ‘Adelina Patti’ as you can see here. What an extraordinary ‘sporting’ camellia this is. The white flower has some touches of pink but I suspect there will be pure white flowers soon.

A young plant of Daphne bholua ‘Limpsfield’ flowering here for the first time and, of course, smelling gorgeous.

2018 – CHW
The old Paulownia tomentosa tree, located in the Main Quarry, has a dead side branch and from the fissure in the trunk is growing a Pinus radiata seedling. It has clearly been developing here for three or four years. The Pinus radiata grows above the quarry. The paulownia was a birthday gift to my mother from my father but has never really thrived here. Perhaps the soil is too thin or its top is too exposed and cold. Flowering has been sparse over the years with plenty of dieback.

Vaccinum urceolatum has well developed flower and/or new growth leaf buds in the Rockery. Rather forward for the time of the year. It was not long ago that we were admiring the black seeds and collecting them from this very rare plant.

2017 – CHW
An update on the newer climbing hydrangeas on the top wall. Hydrangea serratifolia (ex Holland) is now romping away but no flowers as yet. Most of the leaves have now serrations at all but the odd larger one has two or three spines on its leave edges and some odd spotting within some leaves. This is possibly insect larvae but does not look like it.

This was a much newer Hydrangea serratifolia from another source which did have serrated leaves. Pheasants or rabbits have left us only two now although there were several pre Christmas. The strange thing is that neither plant looks like the mature flowering specimen growing on a palm tree in the Chilean section of the Tregothnan arboretum. A very variable species I am told.

Hydrangea anomela subsp anomela has a few leaves still intact which is surprising. This climbing hydrangea, from a Crug Farm collection, is not self clinging. Flowers are smallish. An oddity but never likely to be a best seller.

2016 – CHW
Magnolia ‘Todds Forty-Niner’ ten days on and looking superb.