We planted three different species of Strobilanthes beside the steps leading up to the green house in the spring. Two are currently in flower and thriving. The hairy leaved S. wallichii is just coming out.

While the rather taller growing and more vigorous Strobilanthes rankanensis is likely to outgrow its position rather quickly. Both great plants for an early autumn show.

A pile of Hydrangeas for planting on the drive just as soon as the ground is a bit wetter.

Other piles for different planting places which Hurricane Goretti created for us last January.

Around 35 different specimen Magnolias ready to plant out.

2025 – CHW
Viburnum hoanglienense with a huge crop of fruits.

Viburnum phlebotrichum with just the odd single berry.

Comptonia peregrina to be planted in place of a dead Photinia.

Viburnum taiwanianum has set very few visible seeds.

Viburnum coriaceum has plenty of black seed heads.

Mahonia x hillieri hybrid in flower.

2024 – CHW
40-50mph southerly gale with very heavy rain (½ an inch per hour) forecast from 4pm to 9pm. It just started raining as we got in with the dogs. Look at the undersides of the leaves on the Magnolia grandiflora on the top wall.

Ross spent yesterday evening tidying up and stacking his wood piles.

We have now decided to spare this clump of Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Squarrosa’ at least for the moment to give more wind protection.

Another casualty of the drought – a 5 year old big leafed rhododendron seedling.

Two 17 year old dead snakebark maples with the usual black fungal infections at the bases.

Secondary new growth on the tops of Lithocarpus lepidocarpus planted in 2008.

Euonymus hamiltonianus ‘Rising Sun’ covered in pink seed capsules.

Vaccinium corymbosum with early autumn colour.

Not a day to be out at sea.

Very late flowering on a trio of recently planted Hydrangea involucrata. The colour fades quickly and there are very few flower bracts.

On a hot dry bit of Burns Bank a nearly dead large camellia which has not survived the droughts. It might reshoot if cut down soon.

Cotoneaster franchetii hangs over Dicksonia antarctica in what was once the old wooden Playhouse.

2023 – CHW
An inspection of newer things in the Tin Garden area.A 2022 gift of an unnamed Prunus species from Burma (JP184) has interesting secondary new growth.

Cercis canadensis ‘Hearts of Gold’ is growing away well.

Quercus muehlenbergii is not!

One plant of Paulownia fortunei smashed up in the wind while the other one is so far intact. Lots of bud visible already for next spring.

Ilex aff. gagnepainiana (FMWJ 13468) has made huge growth.

Plenty of berry on Sorbus hupehensis with, currently, a mottled appearance.

A secondary flower on Magnolia ‘Pink Fruity’ – neither pink nor fruity!

Magnolia ‘Pickard’s Ruby’ x M. ‘J.C. Willaims’ with a number of poor secondary flowers.

Calocedrus macrolepis var. formosana planted very recently but doing well.

2022 – CHW
At Burncoose the other day there was an estate wide water crisis as the estate well had dried up. No water for anyone until it fortunately rained enough that night for the sunken pump to be under water again. I have never seen the Burncoose pond as low as this in 40 years although it is fair to say the nursery pumped out and pinched a lot of pond water when the borehole pump failed in late July. 6-8 feet of water gone and the Gunnera all dead on the island. A pity not to have cleared out the silt and rebuilt the odd cattle damaged wall edge while it was so drained. The well overflows into the pond so all will be restored to normal before long.

A fine show of cones on Abies procera at Rosemoor where Steve was visiting to add to our website photography database.

The RHS just sent the Plant Award certificates for awards won at springs shows this year and back to 2019. These will add to the large collection on the estate office walls.AM Rhododendron ‘Maisie’ (Jamie’s cross)
AM Magnolia ‘Mr Julian’ (Dad & Philip Tregunna’s cross of many years ago)
FCC Magnolia ‘Caerhays Splendour’ (Jaimie’s cross)
FCC Magnolia ‘Margaret Helen’ (New Zealand bred)
FCC Rhododendron ‘Michaels Pride’ (Charlie Michael retired as head gardener in 1955 and I suspect that this had never been exhibited for an award before)The recommendations from the RHS Rhododendron, Camelia and Magnolia Group have to be ratified by the RHS Woody Plant Committee and hence the delay. Few people know what an AM or FCC actually means. The judges take a view on a cut flower show bench exhibit as has always been the case back to the 1800’s (I assume). An Award of Garden Merit follows RHS field trials and means something very different and more important commercially. However, now that RHS shows have thankfully moved out of London for good, the award system is there to encourage plant breeders as it always did.

2021 – CHW

A visit from the Cornwall Fungus Recording Group. Due to petrol shortages only four surveyors made it to Caerhays. They resurveyed Forty Acres Wood where a lot of work was undertaken in 1982.

At that time DISCHLORIDIUM LAEENSE was discovered growing on a Dicksonia antarctica. Hopefully they will re-find this very rare (in the UK) Australasian fungus on our tree ferns. A description of this inconspicuous fungus is attached together with a drawing (2205). Visually not exciting but, in terms of mycology, rather more so.

You seldom see ripe seed heads on Zantedeschia aethiopica as here.

A nice lot of hydrangeas hung up to dry in the boiler room. Hopefully the colours will, in part, be retained when dried out. Great for Christmas flower arrangements.

Calicarpa psilocalyx with a full crop of flowers.