14th June

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


2025 – CHW

Iris ‘Snow Queen’ on the lawn.

Iris ‘Snow Queen’
Iris ‘Snow Queen’
The dark red form of Azalea indica by the front door.
The dark red form of Azalea indica
The dark red form of Azalea indica
The tree fern in a tree stump is returned to its rightful spot after its trip to the Chelsea Flower Show. It is still alive but not looking like it did 3 weeks ago. Plenty of watering needed to get it rooted again through the old tree stump and into the soil.
The tree fern in a tree stump
The tree fern in a tree stump
The last of our Rhododendron nuttallii to flower. Three others are already over.
Rhododendron nuttallii
Rhododendron nuttallii
Cornus capitata nearly full out.
Cornus capitata
Cornus capitata
Picea pungens ‘Fat Albert’ was a purchase from Trevena Cross Garden Centre and planted in 2019. It is not looking well and has struggled into its new growth with lots of dead patches of needles. Drought damage or honey fungus from a nearby beech stump?
Picea pungens ‘Fat Albert’
Picea pungens ‘Fat Albert’
Several Hydrangeas starting to flower exceptionally early on the drive – here Hydrangea ‘Fireworks’.
Hydrangea serrata ‘Tiara’.
Hydrangea serrata ‘Tiara’
Hydrangea serrata ‘Tiara’
A pink form of Azalea indica.
Azalea indica
Azalea indica
First 9 spring lambs sold this week in Truro market for £133.00 each. Again, unbelievably early to start selling February born lambs, but we have had an exceptionally fine spring with lush grazing for ewes and lambs.
First 9 spring lambs sold this week
First 9 spring lambs sold this week
Deutzia x elegantissima ‘Rosealind’ about to drop its flowers and the colour has faded.
Deutzia x elegantissima ‘Rosealind’
Deutzia x elegantissima ‘Rosealind’
Hydrangea ‘Hamburg’ just coming out.
Hydrangea ‘Hamburg’
Hydrangea ‘Hamburg’

2024 – CHW
A flying visit to Belvoir Castle and a quick look at some of our previous planting at Croxton.Views across the garden.

Views across the garden
Views across the garden
Views across the garden
Views across the garden
Views across the garden
Views across the garden
Rabbits still a major problem.
Rabbits still a major problem
Rabbits still a major problem
Camellias eaten alive by rabbits.
Camellias eaten alive by rabbits
Camellias eaten alive by rabbits
The Salix and Poplars by the lake are doing well.
Salix and Poplars by the lake
Salix and Poplars by the lake
As is the Salix fargesii.
Salix fargesii
Salix fargesii
The magnolias are away too.
magnolias
magnolias
New outside catering at The Engine Yard.
outside catering at The Engine Yard
outside catering at The Engine Yard
outside catering at The Engine Yard
outside catering at The Engine Yard
The newly opened Belvoir Farm Shop.
Belvoir Farm Shop
Belvoir Farm Shop
Belvoir Farm Shop
Belvoir Farm Shop
Belvoir Farm Shop
Belvoir Farm Shop
Belvoir Farm Shop
Belvoir Farm Shop
Belvoir Farm Shop
Belvoir Farm Shop

2023 – CHW

An unexpected early drought casualty is Calycanthus ‘Athens’.

Calycanthus ‘Athens’
Calycanthus ‘Athens’

 

Rhododendron ‘Pink Polar Bear’ is struggling into flower and may well die before it does.
Rhododendron ‘Pink Polar Bear’
Rhododendron ‘Pink Polar Bear’
Philadelphus pekinensis just in flower in Tin Garden. Large shrubs in only 4 years.
Philadelphus pekinensis
Philadelphus pekinensis
Philadelphus pekinensis
Philadelphus pekinensis
Gardens closed now so the squirrel traps can come back into the open and an early catch here.
squirrel traps
squirrel traps
Philadelphus schrenkii var. jackii with few flowers as yet.
Philadelphus schrenkii var. jackii
Philadelphus schrenkii var. jackii
Deutzia monbeigii has many tiny flowers but, as usual, only on the older growth.
Deutzia monbeigii
Deutzia monbeigii
Deutzia monbeigii
Deutzia monbeigii

2022 – CHW

Syringa pekinensis ‘Yellow Fragrance’ not, as yet, looking very yellow (apart from the leaves).

Syringa pekinensis ‘Yellow Fragrance’
Syringa pekinensis ‘Yellow Fragrance’
Aesculus californica now nearly out and smelling gorgeous.
Aesculus californica
Aesculus californica
Keteleeria davidiana, which looked so sick after planting, now with good new growth and potential for cuttings.
Keteleeria davidiana
Keteleeria davidiana
Eucalyptus simonosii now full out all over the 30ft tall tree. Will it set seed? A superb tree with the most intricate pompom flowers as you see here.
Eucalyptus simonosii
Eucalyptus simonosii
Eucalyptus simonosii
Eucalyptus simonosii
Flowers just out on Liriodendron chinense at Slip Rail. No flowers out yet on L. tulipifera or the golden variegated form – both on the drive.
Liriodendron chinense
Liriodendron chinense
Attractive new growth on Lindera triloba.
Lindera triloba
Lindera triloba
Styrax japonicus from Taehuksando (BSWJ 14182) below Tin Garden. Superb large flowers but not that different to ‘Emerald Pagoda’.
Styrax japonicus
Styrax japonicus
Styrax japonicus
Styrax japonicus
Rhododendron ‘Tally Ho’ full out in the sun.
Rhododendron ‘Tally Ho’
Rhododendron ‘Tally Ho’
One of my mother’s Christmas azaleas planted out successfully years ago. A florist’s potful originally and now a half decent plant on Rookery Path.
Christmas azaleas
Christmas azaleas
Camellia ‘Grace Arbritton’ still with decent flowers below Rookery Path.
Camellia ‘Grace Arbritton’
Camellia ‘Grace Arbritton’
Euonymus moupinensis with its small reddish flowers that appear to be growing from the centre of the leaves. They actually have stalks back to the base of the leaves but unusual and peculiar.
Euonymus moupinensis
Euonymus moupinensis
Euonymus moupinensis
Euonymus moupinensis
Last flowers fading out on a 1980s planted Rhododendron yakushimanum in the Auklandii Garden. Only 4-5ft tall even now.
Rhododendron yakushimanum
Rhododendron yakushimanum

2021 – CHW
The G7 has brought lots of covid to Cornwall I am told. Two hundred police or security billeted on a specially chartered cruise ship in Falmouth harbour have got it so lots of Falmouth shops have to shut. Reportedly there were several thousand journalists camped out in the car park beside the Falmouth Maritime Museum. Once they spread back around the world the Indian variant of covid will indeed be everyone’s!Syringa yunnanensis flowering away at full strength for the first time.
Syringa yunnanensis
Syringa yunnanensis
Syringa yunnanensis
Syringa yunnanensis
Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ (Korean lilac) in flower. I do not think I have ever spotted this out before although seed has been collected and grown. White flowers contrast with the foliage. Few flowers for a huge bush and not very scented.
Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’
Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’
First flowers out this year on the old original Styrax pseudocamellia.
Styrax pseudocamellia
Styrax pseudocamellia
The first grass cut in Kennel Close has started in this welcome heatwave.
Kennel Close
Kennel Close
Startling pale green new growth on Podocarpus henkellii.
Podocarpus henkellii
Podocarpus henkellii
Podocarpus henkellii
Podocarpus henkellii
What have always been called the late flowering ‘American’ (deciduous) azaleas on the drive by the Trevanion holly.
‘American’ (deciduous) azaleas
‘American’ (deciduous) azaleas
Cornus kousa chinensis just about fully out on the drive above Four in Hand.
Cornus kousa chinensis
Cornus kousa chinensis

3 thoughts on “14th June

  1. Cornus Gloria Birkett is a kousa x nutalli hybrid that grows quite well in the UK, but isn’t very common. I saw one in RHS Wisley this week and was looking it up and came across your refernce.
    The other Cornus kousa no name above looks rather like Madam Butterfly, a kousa variety that isn’t illustrated in the Capiello / Shadow reference book, but if you look it up there are 2 different varieties that share the same name, one of which looks like yours and I have small specimen in my garden.

    1. Dear Tony

      Thank you for your comment on my diary. Cornus ‘Gloria Birkett’ is full out today here but I have not photographed it again this year as I gave it such full coverage last year. Our plant was a gift from Windsor Great Park in about 1991 and is one of the outstanding performers here. I did photograph Cornus kousa ‘Madame Butterfly’ on the 5th June (https://thediary.caerhays.co.uk/june/5th-june/) and it does seem true to name looking in the reference books. I agree that some of them are a bit lightweight and do not have enough pictures but the Italian one is clearly the best. This is the same plant that I photographed and you saw in the diary on 14th June 2015 (https://thediary.caerhays.co.uk/june/14th-june/). Clearly I found the right planting records this year.

      The trouble with cornus is that the bracts change so much during the flowering period that it is very difficult to identify some of them with any certainty. It is all quite fun researching them though.

      Best wishes

      Charles

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