An oak branch lodged in a Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ seedling.

The first ever flower on the large Polyspora below the ‘Captain Rawes’.

Towards the top of the Rookery but below the Main Ride.

A Viburnum blown over.

Ilex corallina (formally Ilex centrochinensis) split off but we did take cuttings in December.

Quillaja saponaria snapped off.

A huge beech across the path towards Rookery Gate.

Three trees down beyond Magnolia ‘Lanarth Surprise’.

The beech half cut up.

Major Rowell’s rhododendrons blown asunder.

Catastrophic damage to rhododendrons.

A huge Abies has fallen into the 100 year old group of evergreen oaks.

Our best clump of Rhododendron maddenii flattened by the younger Magnolia ‘Philip Tregunna’.

The Pinus insignis at The Pound split asunder.

More fallen branch damage at The Pound.

Even small rhododendrons blown completely out of the ground.

2025 – CHW
An interesting cutting from The West Briton dated 10th January 1889

The Breakwater at Gorran Haven – We understand that Mr. John Charles Williams of Caerhays Castle, have, mainly for the benefit of the fishermen living in the locality, expended quite £3,000 in building a breakwater at Gorran Haven, dedicating it to the use of the fisherman forever. The fisherman have to pay him 5d a year as dues for every boat. This, of course, will only be a small return for the very large outlay Mr. Williams has made.

Polyspora longicarpa continues to impress with its huge flowers. Better flowering in full sun. Plenty of bee enjoying the nectar in mid-January.

The laurel hedge is progressing.

Along the way a camellia gets a haircut.

Dad’s azalea hybrids covered in flower.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Monica Dance’ with its very variable flowers.

2024 – CHW
Struck down with a chest infection and firmly in bed this week feeling ghastly. These are Jaimie’s diary entries.The nine young swans bred last year are finally being driven off the lake by their parents amid a lot of noise and flapping of wings.

The accumulation of sand blown from the beach onto the road has been removed by Bob with the telehandler. We now look forward to the restricted parking and no parking signs which have finally been approved by Cornwall Council after a 3 year struggle.

Despite the frost last week Rhododendron keysii still intact and undamaged.

Another plant of Rhododendron ririei just opening. A darker colour than the one seen recently.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Mimosa Jury’ just starting into flower and certainly early.

2023 – CHW
First daffodils out in Kennel Close.

More laurel hedge cut back below the Main Ride.

First flowers on Camellia x williamsii ‘Caerhays’.

First flowers out exceptionally early on Michelia ‘Fairy White’. A bit of frost damage.

Flowers now showing properly on Magnolia campbellii by Tin Garden.

Leaf blowing below Burns Bank.

2022 – CHW
An unexpected bit of storm damage down on Bond Street.

The second magnolia in the garden showing colour. Not surprisingly this is again Magnolia campbellii ‘Strybing White’. Originally from New Zealand and planted here in 1990.

Camellia ‘Hiraethlyn’ with just a hint of pink.

2021 – CHW
A month earlier than usual, and entirely due to lockdown, Asia and I spent yesterday picking out larger plants from the frames to plant out in different parts of the garden when it dries up a bit. We shifted a great deal and had the first planting session in the November lockdown. Even more to do this year than for several years with a distinct shortage of space apart from Old Park and Forty Acres Wood. I have perhaps overdone the ordering and propagation during the March to July lockdown out of boredom and a desire to cheer up with something pleasant and more productive.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Hiraethlyn’ was bred at Bodnant and has a slightly elongated shape with just hints of pink on the outside and inside of the outer petals. Slightly frilly edges to the petals. Three years from being a cutting. Not sure where this came from but a good thing.

A flower on a two year old rooted cutting from Tregrehan of Camellia yushienensis. Another new species to us here.

Piles of plants for Kennel Close and the Georges Hut area.

Another pile for behind the greenhouse and the new area above Crinodendron Hedge.

Magnolias for Forty Acres – mainly less exciting (breeding wise) new additions to the national collection. Around 60 new magnolias overall to go out now. We have grown these on for a couple of years. Potting annually in a shaded, plastic top covered but open sided frame built decades ago. Another 30 or so are still too small to go out this year and a further crop of 40 to 50 yet more new named and grafted varieties which arrived last November from Holland, Belgium and Switzerland or as gifts from gardening friends and Burncoose have yet to be potted on. These are mostly two to three years away from being big enough to plant out. Very few buds to be seen this year on any of the younger magnolia plants. Far less than on last year’s batch.

A few more flowers now out on the Tin Garden Magnolia campbellii which you can actually see in better light.

Flowers now out low down on Camellia x williamsii ‘Mary Jobson’ and the scent is good today.