Vaccinium species photographed in flower 3 weeks ago is now dead.

One dead in a group of three Rhododendron ‘Princess Alice’.

A large branch has fallen overnight from the Record Acer henryi.

Eucryphia x nymansensis ‘Nymansay’ out 3 weeks early.

Catalpa bignonioides nearly over.

Hydrangea paniculata and Hydrangea villosa outside the front gates.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Skyfall’ looking splendid.

2025 – CHW

Photinia beauverdiana var. notabilis with fissures in its trunk.

Last flower on Rhododendron kyawii.

Plenty of secondary flowers on Magnolia ‘Cleopatra’.

Fruits forming on Photinia niitakayamensis.

Photinia lasiogyna – how can Hilliers say it is a form of P. nussia?

Aesculus parviflora full out.

Seed forming on Sycopsis teucheri.

The Hydrangea ‘Fireworks’ in full shade by George’s Hut.

Buddleja curviflora – large plant to be planted out this autumn.

2024 – CHW
Very heavy rain here last Saturday while still in the Isle of Wight. All good news! First flowers on Gaultheria wardii (KR 11274) which was brough at the 2022 Tregrehan Plant Fair and planted near Rookery Path.

Cephalotaxus fortunei with ripening fruit which we have grown successfully in previous years. We only have one female small tree which was planted in 2009 along with 3 or 4 males.

I was only looking at a big tree in full flower at Ventnor last week and here is our own Myoporum laetum with a few flowers. What looks a shy flowerer in its youth should become much more prolific.

The flowers on Vaccinium dunalianum v. megaphyllum have fully opened now. We saw the buds about a fortnight ago. Still a reddish tinge to the flowers but this has faded.

Steve Dance took this photograph of Aloysia citrodora flowering at Trelissick. Neither of us have ever this shrub performing as well. Two dry summers do have their advantages here and there in the plant world.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Early Sensation’ and Hydrangea sargentiana.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Polar Bear’ and Hydrangea sargentiana.

Rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’ below Slip Rail enjoying the very wet summer.

Rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’ beside George’s Hut.

Hydrangea sargentiana ‘Gold Rush’ perfectly in flower.

2023 – CHW
An inspection of the Hoheria species and varieties today. Hoheria sexstylosa ‘Pendula’ and Hoheria populnea flower here in September but forms of H. sexstylosa are out already. Made a decent video for the Burncoose website.Hoheria sexstylosa ‘Stardust’ – upright habit and very floriferous.

Hoheria sexstylosa ‘Crataegifolia’ – not yet out.

Hoheria ‘Glory of Amlwch’ (H. glabrata x H. sexstylosa)

Hoheria ‘Borde Hill’ (H. angustifolia x H. sexstylosa) – just as good as ‘Stardust’ or even better?

Hoheria angustifolia – the smallest flower of any of the 5 species of Hoheria but the volume of flowers on this 30 year old tree is prodigious.

2022 – CHW

Visited a garden near Sidbury today with a view to putting together a planting plan for a newly cleared woodland garden area.

A superb Berberidopsis corallina trained on a back wall of the house.

Phlox and early flowering dahlias.

White Wisteria still in flower. I think Wisteria brachybotrys ‘Shiro-Kapitan’ but may be wrong? A hint of pink in the flowers and the leaves hairy.

Alchemilla mollis and Erysimum ‘Apricot Twist’.

A fine display of Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’.

An early seed head on Arum italicum in a bed of ivy.

2021 – CHW
The siege of the film crew making part of yet another film from one of Rosamunde Pilcher’s books for the German TV market is thankfully now over. During the week they have filmed a burial at the church, turned the tearooms into a prison and done heaven knows what in the library and drawing room. I guess about 100 people at times including the crowd extras for the funeral and the stewards/caterers etc. The church will get a decent income in a year when fundraising has been impossible until recently but the stipend still supposedly has to be paid (about £80 per head for each of 75 parishioners). The excellent part time vicar’s contract may be up shortly or so we all fear. The diocese and bishop demand the money for their ever expanding bureaucracy while the parishes still have to pay in a lockdown year.A few interesting things in the nursery today as we prepare for tonight’s gales.I do not know that I have ever seen a flower on Mitchella repens before but I have seen its ‘Partridge Berries’.

Viburnum cylindricum just coming into flower. Similar to Viburnum odoratissimum and Viburnum cinnamomifolium in leaf and flower?

Our next crop of Musa basjoo looking particularly healthy.

Stachyurus praecox ‘Devon Purple’ really is striking.

A few flowers on a batch of young Chitalpa tashkentensis ‘Pink Dawn’.

Fruits already on Aronia melanocarpa ‘Autumn Magic’. Nearly, but not quite, edible.

As fine a show of flower on Hosta fortunei ‘Aureomarginata’ as I can remember on any Hosta group.

At the nursery entrance Escallonia ‘Iveyi’ and Buddleia ‘Black Knight’ looking good together.