16th July

FJ Williams Profile Picture
FJW 1955-2007
CH Williams Profile Picture
CHW 2015-
JC Williams Profile Picture
JCW 1897-1939
C Williams Profile Picture
CW 1940-1955

2026 – CHW (images to follow)

2025 – CHW

My annual visit to Thompson’s Garden Centre and a chat to the manager.

Delphinium ’Red Lark’ as we sold it at Hampton Court a week ago. The foliage on their plants pretty awful in the heat as well.

Delphinium ’Red Lark’
Delphinium ’Red Lark’
Delphinium ’Red Lark’
Delphinium ’Red Lark’
I am writing a new article on Photinias. A few on display here.
Photinia x fraseri ‘Carré Rouge’ a new form to me.
Photinia x fraseri ‘Carré Rouge’
Photinia x fraseri ‘Carré Rouge’
Photinia x fraseri ‘Carré Rouge’
Photinia x fraseri ‘Carré Rouge’
Photinia x fraseri ‘Louise’ which Burncoose stocks.
Photinia x fraseri ‘Louise’
Photinia x fraseri ‘Louise’
Photinia x fraseri ‘Louise’
Photinia x fraseri ‘Louise’
The very similar to ‘Louise’ Photinia x fraseri ‘Pink Marble’ – also a Burncoose offering.
Photinia x fraseri ‘Pink Marble’
Photinia x fraseri ‘Pink Marble’
Hebe ‘Lady Ann’ looked good.
Hebe ‘Lady Ann’
Hebe ‘Lady Ann’
Hebe ‘Lady Ann’
Hebe ‘Lady Ann’
Liriope muscari ‘Nigrescens’ unusually with a flower.
Liriope muscari ‘Nigrescens’
Liriope muscari ‘Nigrescens’

2024 – CHW
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Mainstreet’.
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Mainstreet’
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Mainstreet’
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Russet’.
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Russet’
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Russet’
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Overton’.
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Overton’
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Overton’
Still a tail end Wisteria flower in mid-July?
tail end Wisteria flower
tail end Wisteria flower
Eucryphia cordifolia is difficult from cuttings. However, here you see ripening seed pods from last year alongside flower buds for late August. We should think of collecting seed.
Eucryphia cordifolia
Eucryphia cordifolia
Our best clump left of Rhododendron ‘Royal Flush’ – Pink is on Burns Bank.
Rhododendron ‘Royal Flush’
Rhododendron ‘Royal Flush’
Rhododendron ‘Royal Flush’
Rhododendron ‘Royal Flush’
Seed heads on Buddleia limitea. I suppose it is easy enough from cuttings.
Seed heads on Buddleia limitea
Seed heads on Buddleia limitea
Aucuba dying below Hardy & Bert’s Nursery.
Aucuba
Aucuba
Buddleja lindleyana just out.
Buddleja lindleyana
Buddleja lindleyana

2023 – CHW

Now into the garden itself at Osborne House.

A fine clump of Tetrapanax papyrifer ‘Rex’ with no cold damage from last winter.

Tetrapanax papyrifer ‘Rex’
Tetrapanax papyrifer ‘Rex’
Arisaema going to seed?
Arisaema
Arisaema
Salvia cacaliifolia – introduced 1858.
Salvia cacaliifolia
Salvia cacaliifolia
Salvia involucrata ‘Mrs Pope’.
Salvia involucrata ‘Mrs Pope’
Salvia involucrata ‘Mrs Pope’
Salvia involucrata ‘Mrs Pope’
Salvia involucrata ‘Mrs Pope’
Asphodeline lutea setting seed – introduced 1596.
Asphodeline lutea
Asphodeline lutea
One of the 4 historic cedars below over last December. The Royal Family bought Osborne House from the Blanckford family in the 1770’s and these cedars are believed to predate this.
4 historic cedars
4 historic cedars
Sciadopitys verticillata with cones from last year.
Sciadopitys verticillata
Sciadopitys verticillata
The largest Viburnum rhytidophyllum I have ever seen.
Viburnum rhytidophyllum
Viburnum rhytidophyllum
A good clump of Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’?
Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’
Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’
Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’
Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’
A large Nyssa sylvatica.
Nyssa sylvatica
Nyssa sylvatica
Quercus suber planted by The Princess Alice in 1847.
Quercus suber
Quercus suber
Quercus suber
Quercus suber

2022 – CHW

Smilax aspera, the evergreen and slightly prickly climber is another plant which we need more pictures for on the website Care Article. New growth only and no flowers as yet in July.

Smilax aspera
Smilax aspera
Smilax aspera
Smilax aspera
Smilax aspera
Smilax aspera
Echium pininana collapsing and dying.
This one has already shed its seeds and died.
Echium pininana
Echium pininana
This one has a few weeks to go before it succumbs.
Echium pininana
Echium pininana
The Caerhays Charity Fete raised £13,400 and was distributed as follows:
St Michael’s Church, Caerhays £4000
Cornwall Air Ambulance £4000
St Austell Scout Group £2500 (towards their new kitchen)
Pre school Tregony School £2500 (to fund outing for 171 Pupils to the Hall for Cornwall)

Here the Scouts receive their cheque.
Scouts receive their cheque.
Scouts receive their cheque.
And here the Cornwall Air Ambulance.
Cornwall Air Ambulance
Cornwall Air Ambulance

2021 – CHW
Excellent bronzy-red new growth on Sisygium smithii.

Sisygium smithii
Sisygium smithii
Maddenia wilsonii is making good progress too. Very different in leaf to Maddenia himalaica which we saw in flower for the first time in March.
Maddenia wilsonii
Maddenia wilsonii
Sapium sebiferum did not like the winter but is recovering well.
Sapium sebiferum
Sapium sebiferum
Two diseased and elderly beech trees and an oak have been felled by tree surgeons. A little damage with tractors removing the trunks but not too bad.
beech trees
beech trees
First flower out this year on Magnolia sapaensis (four yet to come).
Magnolia sapaensis
Magnolia sapaensis
Rhododendron excellens (Alan Clark 5615) is out much later than the more recently planted clumps by Georges Hut. It looks here much like Rhododendron nuttallii to me but that too is well over. The pinkish new growth is similar to Rh. nuttallii as well. I now need to check the new growth on the other Rh. excellens.
Rhododendron excellens
Rhododendron excellens
Rhododendron excellens
Rhododendron excellens
Rhododendron excellens
Rhododendron excellens
Our young Desfontainea spinosa have their first flowers. Much larger and longer than on the old dead plant here or the stock plant at Burncoose. Some slug damage to some flowers.
Desfontainea spinosa
Desfontainea spinosa
Hydrangea seemanii now full out.
Hydrangea seemanii
Hydrangea seemanii
A flower cut from a Manglietia insignis given to us by Tom Hudson years ago and planted by the camellia foliage patch. Small and very pink flowers compared to the one I photographed here a fortnight or so ago.
Manglietia insignis
Manglietia insignis