The grandchildren on the garden tour – Zara, Isla and Bea.

Jaimie’s Rhododendron ‘Maisie’ just out.

A young Magnolia ‘J. C. Williams’ at Tin Garden flowering decently for the first time.

Magnolia ‘Laura Saylor’.

Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ at its best in the sun.

Magnolia ‘Shirazz’ just starting in the Isla Rose.

Magnolia ‘Delia Williams’ on the lawn.

2024 – CHW
A garden tour here and then to Tregothnan.One of the original Magnolia campbellii ‘Alba’s’ in Old Park just coming to its best show.

Isla, Lamorna and Bea in Old Park.

Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ with Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ behind it.

Magnolia ‘Bishop Michael’ in Roger’s Quarry.

Tom Hudson inspects Juniperus recurva var. coxii.

Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta in the Ririei Opening.

Roy Lancaster beside the Michelia tree he fell out in the 1960’s.

The biggest Michelia doltsopa by Donkey Shoe.

Michael, Tom and Marie Louise Agius inspect our Aucuba omeiensis.

Then on to Tregothnan.

Rhododendron arboreum ‘Blood Red’ has always been one of the highlights of Tregothnan in March.

Jonathan Jones marshalling us on the Bowling Green.

Roy Lancaster thought this was Stachyurus nitida with its shiny leaves from Mt Omei and not Stachyurus
yunnanensis.

Michelia doltsopa at its splendid best.

The group in front of it.

Magnolia ‘Eileen Bailes’.

A good dark red form of the Rhododendron spinuliferum.

Camellia oleosa we were told but I cannot find this in the Chinese Camellia species reference book.

The view of the pagoda over the tea plantation.

Abies delavayi.

Picea morrisonicola is Taiwanese. Covered in cones here.

The first time I have met Camellia azalea in the flesh! Rather battered even in a mild winter.

Camellia reticulata ‘Mystique’ a new one for me and a bicolor.

2023 – CHW
Our 2022 Jubilee planting of Malus in the Old Kitchen Garden has been formally recorded as part of The Queen’s Canopy map and is there as historical record for all to see.

Camellia japonica ‘Midnight Variegated’ a good new addition to the collection.

Hydrangeas bursting into leaf.

On Bond Street a Magnolia ‘Lanarth’ seedling is a better colour than I have ever seen it before as it appears above some huge Camellia x williamsii ‘J.C. Williams’. The drought has indeed improved the magnolia colours this spring.

Rhododendron oreodoxa var fargesii is doing well above the drive in our thriving young rhododendron plantation on from the Symplocos paniculate.

2022 – CHW

Another one of those truly great magnolia days with sun, at last no wind, and a blue sky.

Jaimie discovers a grass snake emerging from hibernation rather earlier in the year than normal.

A huge limb collapsed, but still hanging onto the main trunk, on a Pinus insignis near the Engine House and a tree surgeon had to make it safe for the team to cut up on the ground. Storm Eunice but we had not noticed this until recently. It has hit a rather nicely shaped liquidambar which was a gift to my father from Lord Falmouth.

Magnolia ‘Mr Julian’ now full out beside a Michelia doltsopa. The adjacent M. campbellii is now over. Breathtaking!

Camellia ‘Mimosa Jury’ (C. saluenensis x C. japonica ‘K Sawada’)

The Magnolia campbellii seedling with the huge flowers on the Main Ride.

A view today of this from along the Main Ride with the tree fern to the right.

Jaimie’s homebred Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ at its splendid best.

Magnolia ‘Suzannah van Veen’ now fully out with M. ‘Caerhays Belle’ in the background.

Magnolia ‘Jersey Belle’ at its very best as well.

The emerging view of magnolias into the Ririei Opening with M. ‘Jersey Belle’ in the forefront.

2021 – CHW
Outside the back yard is nearing its best.

Setting out the 12 newly purchased species of bamboo below the Old Kennels.

Eight groups of deciduous azaleas go in on the path up from the Kennels to give more late spring colour to Old Park.

Bergenia ciliata (?) just coming into flower by the front door.

I did not stop today to photograph each new bamboo individually but Phyllostachys aurea ‘Koi’ already has interesting canes.

Borinda (Fargesia) frigida (syn. frigidorum) likewise.

Interesting seed cones from the very ends of twigs blown off Cunninghamia lanceolata. These were on the path 30 yards from the old tree.

Michelia ‘Fairy Cream’ nicely out in Old Park. Impressively quick growth into a sizeable small tree.

Tree surgeons felling some elderly sweet chestnuts in Old Park.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Yume’ is very late into flower for a sasanqua.

The Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ seedling outside the arch is at its best today despite the cold east wind and minimal sun.

The new laundry sorting and storage shed is moving on quickly in the farmyard.

Having just paid an enormous bill for the Hovel conversion into two dwellings this month I thought it sensible to have a look! The windows and two staircases are now in and it is really taking shape. Should finish on time in May.

Osmanthus americanus is a new species to us. Here its first flowers in the greenhouse. Nothing special really!

Sorbus zahlburckneri already in leaf with flower buds in the first week of March.

Our stock plant of Camellia transnokoensis now lives in the greenhouse after the best plant was killed in the 2018 Beast. It grows very happily outside at Trewithen, so I need to find a better location when we try it again in the garden.