A now very fit young Rhododendron sinogrande. The yellow striping in the leaves during the 2 drought summers is now a thing of the past.

Sycopsis yunnanensis is genuinely an evergreen.

Peumus boldus in full flower.

2024 – CHW
Another storm and plenty more rain which I observed from my bedroom!

Pomaderris apetala still not out in flower although the buds have looked ready to open for a good month.

The ancient Chaenomeles below Slip Rail now at its best.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Celebration’ by George’s Hut now at its absolute best and, like so much at the very top of the hill in the garden, completely unfrosted.

Attractive bark and swelling buds in the sun on Salix fargesii.

We saw Rhododendron stenaulum (Rh. moulmainense) in flower 10 days ago. Now full out and still unfrosted although Jaimie says we had -7° to -8° last week.

2023 – CHW
Cold weather has departed.Rhododendron mucronulatum at its very best.

Spanish bluebells sprouting already.

Snowdrops here emerging slowly.

Last flowers on Camellia ‘Yuletide’.

Still double bud coverings intact on Magnolia ‘Delia Williams’.

2022 – CHW
Despite the first night’s proper frost (-4°) a few more camellias are coming out on the drive. Dry and overcast with a cold nip in the air.Camellia ‘Debutante’

Camellia ‘Desire’

Camellia ‘Carter’s Sunburst’

Camellia ‘Magnoliaflora’

Camellia ‘High Hat’ – later out than usual

Camellia ‘Margherita Coleoni’

Camellia ‘Lady de Saumarez’

Camellia ‘Mathotiana Alba’ – rather early

Camellia ‘Adolphe Audusson’

2021 – CHW
Sarcococca ruscifolia with berries and flower on the greenhouse steps.

Sarcococca orientalis with pink tinged anthers showing from the flower heads and then white flowers.

Sarcococca wallichii flowers are over but the odd black berry remains.

I forgot yesterday that we also have Sasa (recently renamed Sasaella) ramosa (formerly Arundinaria vagans or Pleioblastus viridistriatus var. vagans just to really confuse you). If left untrimmed this would grow to around 3ft tall but it does no harm spreading here on a bank on the Main Ride with two clippings a year with the strimmer. It does spread quickly but so what.

The Camellia sasanqua x saluenensis chance seedling which we first saw last week has a better flower.

Compare it in size and colour to the nearby pure Camellia saluenensis to see how good our new seedling actually is.

A few more flowers out on Magnolia campbellii var. alba ‘Strybing White’ on a sunny day with blue sky.

The lower down buds still have both outer casings. The second photograph shows one bud frosted.

Tetrapanax papyrifera ‘Rex’ cut to the ground again in the cold. The side stems and the main stems are suddenly leafless. This was not a very hardy form or clone compared to the one on the earth bank hedge at Burncoose; never turns a hair and is flowering now as is a large one in a garden in Trevarrick.

Camellia ‘Cinnamon Sensation’ in shade. More pink in the flowers in full sun.

Our old Magnolia virginiana in full leaf as you would expect. The bluish undersides to the leaves are good in the sunlight. Bark interesting too.

I fear the frost has got the lower down buds on Magnolia ‘Bishop Peter’ which would normally be showing colour soon.

The seed heads on Platycarya strobilacea look splendid in the sun.

These 40 or so named camellias on Burns Bank came from California as cuttings in the early 1960s. They all need cutting down so we can again see them properly but we have only started on the bottom three for now as it would let in too much under draft to the garden above until the new shelterbelts get going. They are all on a plan Philip Tregunna produced 40 years or so ago but no chance of sorting them all out properly without a huge haircut. They were once good new varieties but, I fear, many have now been superseded by later breeding.

Camellia x williamsii ‘Caerhays’ flowers a good six weeks later than the fairly similar shaped (but with different colouring) ‘George Blandford’. The first flowers are high up on the top of the bush and hard, as yet, to photograph properly.

Rhododendron arboreum subsp. delavayi spotted as being just out today above the Main Quarry. Impossible to photograph as yet.