2026 – CHW (images to follow)

The horrible aftermath of Storm Austen which passed through yesterday morning. A NW gale which again hit the drive. The keepers reports lots of trees down in Manassick and, again, in Parnall’s Hill. Still too windy to risk going into the garden and minor blockages on the drive. About 50-60mph winds it would seem and nothing like Hurricane Goretti. Plenty of branches and debris.

The first puddle like this by the lawn since the first week of June.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Narumigata’ has survived in full flower.

A good chestnut branch by the Trevanion holly.

Tide out but huge windblown waves.

A large puffball blown out of the ground by the wind.

The third ancient Camellia sasanqua to flower with flowers all now blown off.

The fourth ancient Camellia sasanqua to flower largely on the ground.

The first ancient Camellia sasanqua to flower which was out in early September is now over.

Styrax obassia has blown over.

My variegated holly above the Trevanion holly is half uprooted.

In the Goretti gap on the drive there is no wind protection now and Magnolia ‘Theodora’ and a large Rhododendron nobleanum have gone over.

Laurel by HQN.

Two more oak limbs below Donkey Shoe.

Not sure how this oak limb got here.

Magnolia ‘Atlas’ loses another limb.

A Cercis blown over in Kennel Close.

One of several split magnolias. Leaves and strong winds cause these sorts of splits.
A large chestnut limb on the Main Ride.

An even larger oak limb falls above Magnolia ‘Star Wars’.

2025 – CHW

Clearance of the laurel below Slip Rail now completed.

Golden Scalycap on an old beech stump.

Our favourite cock pheasant.

The variegated tulip tree turning yellow.

First flowers on Camellia sasanqua ‘Narumigata’.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Variegata’.

2024 – CHW

Diospyros kaki as good as I have seen it in Kennel Close.

Acer freemanii ‘Autumn Blaze’ below White Styles. Only planted in 2021 but already making an impact.

Magnolia ‘Leonora’ is extremely well budded for next spring.

22 plants placed out for planting in the new clearing above the Old Dog Kennels and beside the Kitchen Garden wall.

A rotten oak branch brought down by Storm Ashley.

Three separate fungi growing on an old beech stump:-
– After much research I am still not at all sure of the identity of this first one due to the colour change.
– Golden scalycap – Pholiota aurivella – perhaps?

– Turkey tail – Trametes versicolor – fairly confident.

2023 – CHW
Acer tsinglingense just starting to colour up.

A good newly planted clump of 4 Rhododendron crassum which we watered through the early summer drought.

Camellia japonica ‘Takanini’ out here in October! Several flowers at the very top of the plant.

Nice yellow colours just now appearing on Tilia kiusiana.

Berries and flowers on several of the Corokia.

First flower on Camellia x williamsii ‘St Ewe’. Is this an October record for this Camellia? I need to explore the diary from of old.

The fifth ancient Camellia sasanqua by the Stable Flat is now full out.

Out of season Magnolia flowers have been browned off and knocked to the ground in Storm Babet which more or less missed Cornwall.

2022 – CHW
Further perambulations with Susyn and Brian. The last few tail end flowers on an ancient Rhododendron decorum.

Clethra pringlei full out at its normal time. Much later than other species.

Melicytus crassifolius now covered with white berries on the lower part of the shrub.

Myrcia laurotteana var. paraguayensis with its last flush of flower weeks after it first showed. By now raining heavily!

Viburnum wilsonii with even better autumn colours than a week earlier.

A recently planted Mahonia sp. Ogisu 94056 now in full flower. Horrendous prickles!

Hemiptelea davidii with its leafy twigs which turn into long pointed spines. To be avoided.

Cotoneaster delavyanum with its last remaining berries.

Cotoneaster parneyi (a gift from Fromfield Nurseries and the true plant which is not to be confused with C. lacteus) also with its last berries.

This Tilia henryana tree in Penvergate snapped off low down but has started to regrow and flower in September. Seeds setting now.

2021 – CHW
A drab drizzly afternoon to start our programme of autumn planting.

Pomaderis elliptica in flower (from New Zealand) for the second year.

Microtropsis petelotii has seeds like a euonymus. Burncoose stocks this but our first attempt at growing this novel new genus from S. Yunnan and Vietnam.

Flowers out on Euonymus theafolia as it gets planted. Half a dozen euonymus species and the same number of viburnum species all together.

The white form of Rhododendron nobleanum is getting established.

The newly planted area above Higher Quarry Nursery (bed).

2020 – CHW
Still plenty of colour in the borders around the house.Pink nerine by the dining room. We saw whiter forms flowering here earlier.

Salvia x jamensis ‘Hot Lips’ as good as ever in October and, frost permitting, it will carry on to December.

Fuchsia and Echium seedlings outside the drawing room. The fuchsia looks as if it is in August.

The evergreen Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ is excellent as well.

Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ with tassel flowers which will be out before long.

Ripe seed heads for Asia on the Hedychium.

Medlar ‘Westerveldt’ is now four years on from planting and doing well. The medlars are enormous!

2019 – CHW
Repairs going ahead well on re-bedding in the slate slabs on the top wall and using lead capping to prevent water ingress between the buttresses and the wall. The buttresses were rebuilt last summer. About another 80 yards still to go but I doubt that the budget will stretch to completion of it all this year.

Malus hupehensis covered in fruits despite only being planted in 2017.

Violets in flower above the top wall.

A variegated Cornus with mole damage. The mole hill has covered the graft in soil and this would have been a casualty soon without remedial action

Another peculiar clump of fungi.

2018 – CHW
A warm day at Burncoose on Tuesday.The climbing Senecio confusus in flower for the first time in the nursery and quite startling.

Phymosia umbellata is now fully out in flower and impressive as well even if also a tender greenhouse plant.

Two different coloured forms of Rostrinucula dependens. The pink form is nicer. A dependable late autumn herbaceous plant growing up to 6ft in height.

Camellia ‘Takanini’ is always early into flower. Generally outside in the garden here by Christmas. In the nursery tunnel a few flowers in October!

Tetrapanax papyrifera ‘Rex’ with a flower developing. Growing on a hedge outside the old packing shed.

2017 – CHW
Ripe yellowish orange berries now on Pourthiaea beauverdiana var. notabilis.

Half rotten and slug eaten secondary flowers on Magnolia ‘Yakeo’.

Huge and very advanced buds on Rhododendron ‘Pink Polar Bear’ which flowers in July! Getting its seasons wrong I fear.

2016 – CHW
The formal registration certificate for Rhododendron ‘Red Centurion’ has just come through. One of my father’s hybrids which we have registered to commemorate the centenary of the RHS Rhododendron, Camellia & Magnolia Group.

2015 – CHW

Few people ever venture along Sinogrande Walk to the largest (of the two) tree fern quarries where some 25 mature Dicksonia antarctica nestle in the quarry well protected from most winds and happily self ‘seeding’ up the banks. One tree fern is simply attached to the damp rock face and its trunk or roots have no contact with the soil at all. It derives all its nutrients and moisture from the damp rock face itself. This would be almost impossible to believe if you did not have the actual evidence in front of you. Now a mature and well established plant.

2002 – FJW
Sasanqua just coming – first to flower Pink by side door then A G white.

1933 – JCW
Mag delavayi decorum is good and so is neriiflorum. Heavy rain.

1929 – JCW
Hoheria on the terrace is the best thing with the cyclamen. Fuchsias are good and worth more care. Lapagerias are fair. No planting yet the ground has been so dry.

1927 – JCW
Decorum, Royleii, Neriiflorum well out. Several bits of the Impeditum set. A good Maddeni hybrid in the New Planting. Hydrangeas very good indeed.

1925 – JCW
Some Decorums (Delavayi’s) open and Haematodes and bits of other things. Far the most brilliant plants are the Enkianthus japonicas. Some Sasanqua’s open.

1919 – JCW
The first Sasanqua is open. The hydrangeas are very nice. There are some fair roses, one heath is open but there is not much in flower otherwise.

1910 – JCW
Cyclamen and hydrangea are going over. Some Camellia sasanqua coming out, some roses opening. Solanum is good. Some daffs are up.

1902 – JCW
I saw the first C coum open.