First flowers on Camellia x williamsii ‘Jury’s Yellow’.

A good large first flower or two also on Camellia x williamsii ‘Muskoka’.

The very last flower on Camellia sasanqua ‘Sugar Dream’. The storm has smashed the rest.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Mimosa Jury’.

x Rhaphiobotyra blown over in the gale.

A tall evergreen oak species smashed to bits.

Still plenty of leaf on Clethra tomentosa ‘Cottondale’.

An elderly Rhododendron schlippenbachii which needs the old branches pruning out.

2024 – CHW
A further inspection for damage after several rough and stormy nights. Very heavy rain from midday.

Above Orchid House Nursery the dead Neolitsea sericea has blown over onto a dead rhododendron.

Jaimie and his team have removed the ivy from under the Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Prince’ which now looks rather scruffy.

Camellia ‘Dewatairin’ (‘Hatsu Zakura’ as we have always called it) is very early for a Higo camellia and the flowers are quite variable as you see here. A large and rather sprawling bush.

A good bit of laurel pruning below the Main Ride.

The equally variable Camellia japonica ‘Volunteer’ is just coming out mainly at the top of the bush which was planted in 2014.

The very last flowers on New Year’s Day on the fifth (and last into flower) ancient Camellia sasanqua. Last year we had a flower here on Christmas day. This camellia has been in flower since mid-late October.

2023 – CHW
First battered flowers out on Camellia x williamsii ‘Mary Pickthorn’ which we intend to try to register this year with the International Camellia Society.

Lead drop on Azalea ‘Caerhays Lavender’ which is both normal and attractive today.
Unusual though to find leaf still covering Rhododendron ‘Ostara’. It is more or less deciduous and should be in flower in 4-6 weeks.

Magnolia ‘Galaxy’ suffers from a multitude of suckering from nearly all its branches. One only notices when it is leafless. Are they doing any harm really? Probably not but I would still remove the largest of them.

More flowers out on the supposed and questionably named Camellia gigantocarpa.

Older leaf drop on Rhododendron oreotrephes. How many times do we get asked in the nursery ‘what is wrong with my rhododendron’? The answer is of course nothing! Old leaf drop occurs at different times of the year on different species.

Clethra petelottii (FMWJ 13407) has had its leaves frosted. The buds still look fine. I thought this plant had shrivelled and died in the drought so two narrow escapes?

First few flowers out on Camellia x williamsii ‘Musokoka’ which was cut back 3 years ago.

For posterity, I attach a copy of our 2023 Christmas card. This year only a few things pictured on it would actually have been in flower on Christmas day. More cold weather to come?

2022 – CHW
A dark seedling form of Camellia saluenensis above the greenhouse is already shedding flowers. The old original by the ladies loo is about as dark a colour as this but still only a few flowers at the very top of the bush and unphotographable.

Rhododendron cinnarbarinum Concatenans Group still flowering away.

Camellia ‘Reigyoku’ now out with its unusual leaf variegation. An interesting contrast.

First flower on Camellia ‘High Hat’.

Fruits nearly ripe on Schefflera pauciflora (WWJ 1199).

2021 – CHW
Real frost again on New Year’s Day.Big leafed rhododendrons expressing their displeasure in the normal way.

Juglans ailanthifolia stands out in the sun. Amazing growth rate since planting in 2012. It will be a huge tree one day.

Rhododendron cinnarbarinum Concatenans Group totally frosted by Tin Garden.

Rehderodendron kwangtungense appears to be evergreen. I had not really logged this properly before.

Polyspora axillaris unfrosted nearby with only a few more buds to open. It has been out for five to six weeks already.

Rhododendron ‘Emma Williams’ is semi deciduous and here shedding quite a number of its older leaves.

A Camellia reticulata (Garden Form) putting on a good show above the Auklandii Garden.

No ice on the lake and most of the earlier flooding has subsided.

A large Pinus insignis has snapped off in Lower Hellens in the recent gales. That is three big trees now to clear up before we open if we are allowed to in mid-February.

Thick ice on the puddles at The Hovel.

Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ now properly out with scent.

Ilex aquifolium ‘Bacciflava’ in the wreath by the front door so two colours of holly berries mixed with Podocarpus salignus, Thujopsis dolbrata and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Variegatum’. Just the odd bit of Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Aureovarigatus’ in the mix. Rather an original mix!

Tier 4 (ie total lockdown) is likely for Cornwall at the next government review which we expect to be on 14th January if not earlier. That will be the end of the shooting season and the gardens probably will not be able to open in mid-February. Vean and holiday lets all now shut – again. More disaster, more loss of income and more furlough for all our (blameless) staff. Cornwall now has 96/100,000 positive COVID tests. A week ago this would have made us a Tier 1. The scientists want to lock us all down and continue the economic meltdown but do we trust the NHS and Public Health England to roll out the vaccination programme any better than the ongoing shambles of ‘test and trace’?