2026 – CHW (images to follow)
Clearance of the Goretti damaged garden at Tregavarras Farmhouse.
Cornus kousa ‘Wolf Eyes’ now full out.
Aesculus californica.
New growth on Rhododendron pseudochrysanthum.
Magnolia sapaensis.
Calycanthus ‘Aphrodite’ and Deutzia monbeigii.
Deutzia monbeigii grows to around 5 feet with a similar spread.
First (?) flowering of Magnolia sieboldii x M. yunnanensis planted in 2020.
Lyonia ligustrina coming into flower. Very different from other species of Lyonia.
2025 – CHW
Roy Lancaster’s wild collected Chinese rose died a few years ago in a dry summer. Root suckers have appeared and this is the first flowering from them. It will not be long before it is up to the battlements again.
Philadelphus schrenkii var. jackii is not yet a very prolific flowerer.
Styrax species NJM – 11.013. Looks much like japonicus to me!
Lithocarpus quercifolius (TH 4595) from Hong Kong.
Carpinus turczaninowii var. turczaninowii (Farrer) is becoming a graceful drooping tree.
Photinia serratifolia var. ardisiifolia (NMWJ 14513) with its new growth.
Quercus hypoxantha recovering after deer nibbling.
Nothaphoebe cavaleriei with equally interesting new growth.
Rhododendron griersonianum.
2024 – CHW
Magnolia globosa now has plenty of flowers.
Viburnum parvifolium (BSWJ 7676) is growing away quickly and, despite its small flowers, it still makes quite an impact.
Carpinus fargesiana (KR8780) has its very first flower tassle – only the one!
Broussonetia papyrifera produces its odd hairy female fruits well before the leaves appear properly.
2023 – CHW
The drought starts to burn off the grass on the lawn. A hot day turns misty in the evening.
Another weekend and another tented wedding. Church service at St. Michaels.
Does this show male and female flowers on our oldest Monkey Puzzle?
Rhododendron nuttallii has few flowers after last year’s drought.
We agree with James MacEwan that these 3 young oaks above the greenhouse are indeed Lithocarpus hancei.
Quercus morii.
Lithocarpus corneus is finally getting going.
The first flower spikes on a young Lithocarpus hancei.
Rhododendron ‘Treberrick’.
Quercus libani.
Lithocarpus kiukiangensis with its first emerging seed cluster and flowers on the newer growth. We have seen flowers before (CM BS900).
Illicium merrillianum full out.
Seed clusters flowering on Lithocarpus variolosus.
New growth on Quercus fleuryi. Young leaves have indumentum but older leaves do not.
Magnolia insignis full out and rather early I think.
The young magnolia macrophylla with its first flower.
The first time we have seen this ‘prickly bastard’ in flower and what a sight it is! Caesalpinia decapetala – now Biancaea decapetala when we do the research later. A low growing and very dense shrub that would be better climbing an old tree.
Tilia japonica ‘Ernest Wilson’ in flower as a young plant. Few Tilia species seem to flower at a young age.
Quercus franchetii with flowers.
2022 – CHW
The first Royal Cornwall Show in three years. Plenty of people but fewer exhibitors and heavy rain from 12.00 although only drizzle forecast from 3pm.
A peculiar variegated deutzia growing outside the members pavilion.
Two huge flowering Cordyline australis beyond the flower tent.
Large Gold Medal for the large Burncoose stand which was the floral centrepiece of a very empty and third rate flower show. A cider competition and a bee area but only about five or six nursery exhibits. LGM apparently £650. At Chelsea a gold medal only £575!
Distylum myricoides ‘Blue Cascade’
Cyathia cooperi
Good use of Primula and Rodgersia.
Sambucus niger ‘Golden Tower’
Cordyline australis ‘Red Star’
Protea cynaroides ‘Little Prince’
Sambucus niger ‘Black Lace’
Picea pungens ‘Glauca Globosa’ and Sambucus niger ‘Black Lace’.
Arisaema consanguineum
Arisaema consanguineum and Calamagrotis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’.
Fatsia polycarpa ‘Greenfingers’
Cercis canadensis ‘Ruby Falls’ and Fatsia polycarpa ‘Greenfingers’.
Astrantia major ‘Ruby Wedding’ and Athyrium nipponicum var. pictum.
Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ and Acer palmatum ‘Scolopendrifolium’.
Deutzia scabra ‘Pride of Rochester’
Cornus kousa var. chinensis ‘Milky Way’
A silver gilt medal for a beached whale made from rubbish from the sea. Chelsea woke at Royal Cornwall in the flower tent but not exactly what a flower show normally is!
Dryopteris affinis ‘Cristata the King’ and Cercis canadensis ‘Ruby Falls’.
Pinus parviflora
Podophyllum versipile ‘Spotty Dotty’ and Hosta sieboldiana ‘Frances Williams’.
A mature plant of Ginkgo biloba ‘Menhir’ on the Burncoose stand.
Leucadendron ‘Safari Sunset’ and Zenobia pulverulenta ‘Blue Sky’.
Mid afternoon and Secretary of State Nadine Dorries appears unannounced at the CLA tent to tell Cornwall we have £36m for digital improvements. Certainly needed in the CLA tent which was cash only! Actually she was setting up her stall as a candidate to replace Boris in the grimly inevitable leadership contest to come.
2021 – CHW
Work nearly complete on the laurel hedge cutting below Donkey Shoe. A fire lit on the roots of self-layered laurel and a self-sown sycamore to kill them off before grubbing out later.Quercus crassifolia killed by deer.
Work nearly complete on the laurel hedge cutting below Donkey Shoe. A fire lit on the roots of self-layered laurel and a self-sown sycamore to kill them off before grubbing out later.Quercus crassifolia killed by deer.
Quercus insignis is growing on reasonably well after some dieback in the cold.
Aucuba aff. chlorascens now protected from deer who had eaten all the leaves. Despite this the new growth has come through.
Massive reshooting from the Magnolia ‘Cecil Nice’ which half blew over and was trimmed.
Deer damage on Acer sikkimense (WJC 13674) but it still looks fine.
A much older and more mature Acer sikkimense (BSWJ 11703) with even worse deer damage. These two Crûg collections of the same thing could scarcely be more different in leaf!
A Rhododendron excellens just out with creamy yellow flowers and its neighbour’s flowers have faded to white.
Merrilopanax alpinus doing well.
New growth on Schefflera delavayi.
Rhododendron nuttallii just out on the main ride.
