The frost has spoilt Camellia japonica ‘Lady Clare’.

Drainage ditches full.

Zantedeschia aethiopica touched by the frost but still largely intact.

Similarly the Echiums which have some blackening on the lower leaves.

Sharpened stakes of varying sizes from Burncoose for the spring planting programme.

2024 – CHW
Camellia japonica ‘Adolphe Audusson Variegated’ in its many variations.

First flower high up on Camellia japonica ‘Adelina Patti’.

Last year I was rather impressed with this chance seedling found growing under Ilex x meserveae ‘Blue Prince’. It is clearly predominantly C. saluenensis but with some addition – perhaps the nearby sasanqua? Trewithen have named one or two similar seedlings. My view this year is that it is not as good as I had thought but the flowers are nearly over.

The very last tiny flowers on Camellia sasanqua ‘Hugh Evans’.

Camellia grijsii full out.

Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’ very fine but the wind has spoilt the show a bit.

Camellia ‘New Venture’ just out. Bred by Philip Tregunna.

A small runty plant of Camellia x williamsii ‘Donation’ is suddenly out by Higher Quarry Nursery. Nothing at all on any other ‘Donations’ and I have been looking!

Even stranger are a couple of tiny rogue flowers on Camellia japonica ‘Kitty’ which can be full out in May/ June and have the odd flower in July.

2023 – CHW
Worth another look at the first flowerings of the 3 new Sarcococca species. We saw two only a day ago.Daphne bholua ‘Limpsfield’ starting to open. No scent in the heavy rain today.

Sarcococca coriacea (HWJK 2428) still in tight bud.

Sarcococca zeylanica (BSWJ 10199) almost out.

Sarcococca balansae (BSWJ 7285) in bud and flower now.

None of the 3 are exactly show stoppers! All quite similar and seem to be growing into large spreading shrubs with trailing stems. We now have at least 7 species here.

I have never seen this quite large flowered single Camellia sasanqua before in flower growing in full shade above the far end of Rookery Park. Is it a sasanqua ‘Narumigata’ with little pink showing in the flower in the shade? A very ancient plant from well before my time here.
The large pine branch below Engine House now burnt up. We are disrupted at this point as Lizzie’s Labrador ‘Nutty’ decides his spring mating season has arrived and he disappears down the Coastal Path. Recapture taken 1½ hours and we are both pissed off at our perambulations of the garden being disrupted.

Lord Falmouth’s (gifted, stolen and then replanted) Liquidambar styraciflua has lost its branches on one side from the pine branch.

However Podocarpus parlatorei has lost only its header and is already recovering and reshooting vigorously at the top of the small tree.

The roe deer have consumed the very last green shoot/ leaf on this young Schefflera rhododendrifolia and recently too. Our other plant is already too large for them to get which is a blessing. This one is nibbled each year.

2022 – CHW
Camellia x williamsii ‘Inspiration’ now fully out.

As is Camellia reticulata ‘Mary Williams’.

First flower out on the yellow form of Rhododendron ‘Bo Peep’.

Now that it is properly out I can see this is Rhododendron ririei and not a Rh. grande seedling as I had thought yesterday when consulting the planting plan.

Seeds on Sophora ‘Sun King’.

Rhododendron ‘Winter Intruder’ now at its best on the drive.

2021 – CHW
I had neglected to look at the old 1897 planted Camellia x vernalis ‘Dawn’ for 10 days and it is now full out and quite splendid in the sun today despite the recent frosts. The flowers are slightly irregular in shape and often shatter and get blown away but this is a special piece of Caerhays camellia history.

Cytisus ‘Porlock’ with a good show of flowers (again).

Clematis armandii now has several flowers high up on the castle wall. We saw the first a month or so ago.

Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ now at its finest despite some wind scorching on its leaves. A very intricate display within each long tassel. A splendid plant for a dark and cold castle corner.