So to the Caerhays charity fete which attracted a record turnout of families and dogs (201 entries to the dog show). We hope for record profits for the church, Cornwall Air Ambulance, local schools and the scouts. The third carpark more used than I can ever remember it with long queues. A perfect day weatherwise; slightly crowded and not quite beach weather. A photo shows only about 15 families on the beach at midday.
Leptospermum scoparium ‘Red Damask’ beside the garden entrance.
Four shire horses arrive in a huge lorry.
An enormous bouncy castle and tents await the influx. (They make a donation of £150 which shows the usage).
Neil, Lamorna, Neil’s father and Lizzie – an early moment when there were still spare seats on the lawn.
Visitors begin to arrive.
The lawn fills up.
Food stalls outside the front door. One sells out by 2.15.
Mevagissey choir were impressive but so were Swamp Circus, Tregony Teachers and Suzi, the vicar’s daughter, who sang beautifully.
Archery and axe throwing.
Picnics everywhere and the craft tent with good sales.
A flyover by the Cornwall Air Ambulance on the way back from taking a patient to Derriford hospital in Plymouth.
Canoes on the lake with the swans and cygnets disgusted but keeping well away.
Our MP, Cherilyn Mackrory, draws the first raffle prize – most of the 12 prizes won locally.
4.30pm and only the bar still has something to sell. Ice cream sold out hours ago as did the food stalls.
2021 – CHW
The promised heatwave finally arrives.
Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ is finally recovering from the February cold.
Rhododendron auriculatum just out but very few flowers after two dry summers and little new growth.
2019 – CHW
Cornus kousa ‘Wolf Eyes’ in flower properly in Kennel Close. The one outside the front gate planted 15 years ago has been swamped almost entirely by growth from the rootstock so that only a variegated twig remains. We did not notice the problem in time.
Catalogue proofing (Burncoose 2019) 30% done after a couple of full days at it. Some light relief is needed from the boredom of it all.Striking red colours on Rhododendron cumberlandense from Alabama and Kentucky. It can be orange as well.
Jaimie and Michael have cut down most of the clump of camellias which were sent to us from California as cuttings in the early 1960s by Milo Rowell. None would be viewed as that brilliant in flower today but a historic collection for which we do have names even if not a very accurate plan. Do we dig them out or not? Over the top of them are two Magnolia kobus var borealis which are record trees. One has a single trunk while the other is multi stemmed. If we rip the camellias out there will be very little light to grow anything else unless we fell three overhanging smallish sycamores. Felling these could damage the record trees. We can puzzle over this for a few months before we decide.
Hydgrangea scandens, a Crug collection, is especially fine outside the front gate. I have never seen it showing up so prominently before. It looks as though, as its name implies, that it would like a wall to climb up but seems happy enough without.
2015 – CHW
We start to move into the stewartia and styrax flowering time although these have all been out in the nursery for several weeks. We photographed the rare Styrax wuyvanensis only last week.
Styrax japonica ‘Pendula’ is just coming out. It really is a pendulous tree and ought to be on a bank where one could look up at it. The other big Styrax japonica are some way off coming out.
Stewartia pseudocamellia below Slip Rail is the old original plant with some die back but excellent flaking bark. The other plant on Burns bank seems to have smaller flowers and flowers rather later.
2001 – FJW
No Royal Cornwall (Show) – cool dry six weeks now gives way to rain. Rho excellans and Lyi still hold their own.
1999 – FJW
Wet few days. New growth excellent – but dry Royal Cornwall. Very telescoped rhodo season. Rho on rubbish dump full out. R weyrichii gone. Big display in Old Park been over for some time. Wilsons’ R fortunei in Big Quarry well out. Saw Maddeni species in Auk Garden – and mother stoat and three family hunting.
1993 – FJW
End of very very wet few days – 200th Royal Cornwall Show. Abandoned – Simon Trudgeon from married.
1968 – FJW
Cut 9 foot thistle on Sinogrande Walk. Garden still late – Drive azaleas good.
1966 – FJW
A wet week has knocked off the Azaleas. Megacalyx excellent. A pretty normal year with mercifully little winter or spring frost. Griersonianums exceptionally good.
1899 – JCW
Habranthus pratensis out, R edgeworthi and gibsoni, a big lot of roses, a few waterlilies, a fair lot of Arums, picked of seed this week some Emperor, P Mary, no 23, and G Bell. All the early trumpets picked, moved a lot of bulbs.