The dark red form of Azalea indica by the front door.

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 last of our Rhododendron nuttallii to flower. Three others are already over.

Cornus capitata nearly full out.

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?

Several Hydrangeas starting to flower exceptionally early on the drive – here Hydrangea ‘Fireworks’.

Hydrangea serrata ‘Tiara’.

A pink form of 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.

Deutzia x elegantissima ‘Rosealind’ about to drop its flowers and the colour has faded.

Hydrangea ‘Hamburg’ just coming out.

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

Rabbits still a major problem.

Camellias eaten alive by rabbits.

The Salix and Poplars by the lake are doing well.

As is the Salix fargesii.

The magnolias are away too.

New outside catering at The Engine Yard.

The newly opened Belvoir Farm Shop.

2023 – CHW

An unexpected early drought casualty is Calycanthus ‘Athens’.

Rhododendron ‘Pink Polar Bear’ is struggling into flower and may well die before it does.

Philadelphus pekinensis just in flower in Tin Garden. Large shrubs in only 4 years.

Gardens closed now so the squirrel traps can come back into the open and an early catch here.

Philadelphus schrenkii var. jackii with few flowers as yet.

Deutzia monbeigii has many tiny flowers but, as usual, only on the older growth.

2022 – CHW

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

Aesculus californica now nearly out and smelling gorgeous.

Keteleeria davidiana, which looked so sick after planting, now with good new growth and potential for cuttings.

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.

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.

Attractive new growth on Lindera triloba.

Styrax japonicus from Taehuksando (BSWJ 14182) below Tin Garden. Superb large flowers but not that different to ‘Emerald Pagoda’.

Rhododendron ‘Tally Ho’ full out in the sun.

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.

Camellia ‘Grace Arbritton’ still with decent flowers below Rookery Path.

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.

Last flowers fading out on a 1980s planted Rhododendron yakushimanum in the Auklandii Garden. Only 4-5ft tall even now.

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 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.

First flowers out this year on the old original Styrax pseudocamellia.

The first grass cut in Kennel Close has started in this welcome heatwave.

Startling pale green new growth on Podocarpus henkellii.

What have always been called the late flowering ‘American’ (deciduous) azaleas on the drive by the Trevanion holly.

Cornus kousa chinensis just about fully out on the drive above Four in Hand.

2020 – CHW
A day which threatens more good rain.I have been meaning to photograph the leaves (and any seed heads) on our relatively young collection of Carpinus to make it easier to compare and recognise them. There are very few (if any) hornbeams in our native woodlands apart from those I have planted as along the road to Five Turnings and a good one below the fernery. Nor do I find any evidence of Carpinus species growing here when the first tree measuring of original wild collected Chinese species in 1964 took place. So this is a new genus for us to get to grips with and there are many new species which have been introduced in the last 30 to 40 years.Quite a long (and boring) list but perhaps a useful guide for the future as most of them are still too young to produce the fruiting catkins which are one of their best features.Carpinus laxiflora is well away on Sinogrande Walk but not yet seeding.

Carpinus henryana var. simplicidentata appears to have a vigorous shoot from below the graft and has small ovate leaves. Sinogrande Walk. Need to cut the rootstock shoot out.

Carpinus japonica is also well away with fruiting catkins. Sinogrande Walk. A much larger one in Kennel Close.

Carpinus nimpoli is struggling in a dry spot above the path. Also small leaved but with reddish new growth – possibly a dwarf habit – but not listed in New Trees? Sinogrande Walk.

Here is an interesting trick – Acer carpinifolium which has leaves exactly like a Carpinus and, with us, a very erect growth habit. Above the greenhouse.

Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’. Beside Orchid House Nursery.

Carpinus polyneura – 2018 planting within the relatively new Styrax/Stewartia collection on from Charlie Michael’s old nursery bed. Again reddish new growth.

Carpinus orientalis is going along well – 2018 planting located as above. A dense habit and fairly small leaves.

The dense growing and, with us, evergreen Carpinus kawakamii growing below Tin Garden.

The species listed below are all in Kennel Close.

A young and drought affected Carpinus omeiensis, the Mt Omei hornbeam.

A well-established Carpinus tschonoskii.

Another Carpinus orientalis.

Carpinus caroliniana ‘Red Hill’ also suffering from drought until last Wednesday and Friday’s torrential rain.

A more mature but not yet fruiting Carpinus rankanensis (there are actually two).

Another large Carpinus japonicus again with plenty of fruiting catkins but not as many as last year.

Carpinus fangiana has the largest leaves of all but, as yet, none of the famous long drooping fruiting catkins.

The Carpinus above Burns Bank is a second Carpinus laxiflora which is doing well at 12-15ft.There are two other young and weeping Carpinus in Kennel Close with no label which need identifying.

Carpinus betulus grows below the drive below the fernery. The roadside trees towards Five Turnings are mostly Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’.

I have yet to find Carpinus turczaninowii which I know we planted here quite a while ago. It may be what I thought were Zelkova by they borehole or below the tree fern on the main ride. I see we planted another in Area 6 in 2019 but have yet to find it so it may have died.

So we have around 16 to 18 different species and varieties currently.

Still to get (possibly from Roundabarrow) are Carpinus cordata, Carpinus coreana, Carpinus pubescens, Carpinus x schuschaensis and Carpinus viminea in Hillier’s and Carpinus londoniana, Carpinus monbeigiana which are also listed in New Trees.

We already have nearly all of the New Trees Carpinus listings.

Carpinus shensiensis found on the second trip today to Kennel Close.

Carpinus betulus ‘Purpurea’ with purple showing now only on the very new growth near the base of the trunk.

Carpinus orientalis ‘Perdica’ with very small leaves.

Carpinus rankanensis (the second younger one) still has good red new growth.

Carpinus henryana seems larger leaved than C. henryana var. simplicidentata.

The two unlabelled Carpinus with a weeping habit are, I think, C. shensiensis.

2019 – CHW
One of the rhododendrons grown from seed supplied by Major Howell decades ago. Late flowering and with an attractive green ‘eye’ but small trusses. I think the Major may once have run the Rhododendron Society seed distribution.

The original clump of Camellia reticulata ‘Captain Rawes’, which looked nearly dead last summer, has put on a good crop of new growth and may not yet be a basket case.

A tail end flower on Rhododendron crassum.

A huge inflorescence on Lithocarpus hancei. Far greater than I have ever seen before so perhaps even some acorns eventually?

Schefflera rhododendrifolia making a good set of new growth which has doubled the size of the plant. It went in in March.

Attractive new growth on Schima superba which I have never noticed before. For years, until it flowered, I thought this was Persea japonica and even labelled it as such.

Euonymus morrisonensis with loads of bud. Planted three to four years ago.

The newly planted Euonymus tonkinensis with no flower as yet.

2018 – CHW
Preparing for my styrax lecture tomorrow with a quick trip around. Most of the day at Burncoose.Rhododendron nuttallii now full out.

Stewartia monodelpha new growth is a good red at first.

The Stewartia pseudocamellia flowers are nearly over already in a week.

But its bark is only just starting to ‘fissure’ near the base. Further up the stem little has changed for a year.

Rhododendron griersonianum nearly over.

Photinia macrophylla with neither big leaves nor flowers but this plant suffered in The Beast.

2017 – CHW
A trip to the vacant Rosevallon Farmhouse to view the necessary repairs. In the garden we find two surprises:Salix babylonica ‘Tortuosa’ growing on quite happily in the undergrowth with little wind protection. The contorted stems have combined to form a small tree. Unexpected in the middle of nowhere.

The front of Rosevallon Farmhouse facing south.

Rosa ‘Wedding Day’ growing away happily on the garden wall. Creamy yellow flowers fading to white in large trusses which do not all come out at quite the same time. I wonder who this was planted for? The Bloomfield family lived here for generations but Joss only died about eight years ago.

Tropaeolum ciliatum full out already as it never died down in the mild winter. It is invading the nearby camellia just as Tropaeolum speciosum does nearby. Another tropaeolum whose roots need to be in the shade with the 6-10ft tendrils reaching up through something into the light.