A capping stone on the battlements above the public loos was knocked down in the gale but did not do any damage.

To Burncoose.

47 large camellias destined for a client near Hungerford.

Thirteen different species and varieties of Osmanthus looking great in one tunnel.

Osmanthus armatus, with its huge leaves, also has a few flowers.

Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Prettycoat’ with fantastic autumn colour.

Hesperantha coccinea ‘Snow Maiden’ has a delicate touch of pink at least in bud and on first opening.

Skimmia japonica ‘Veitchii’ and Euonymus fortunei ‘Harlequin’.

Skimmia japonica ‘Veitchii’ and Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald n’ Gold’.

The Chelsea show stopper Hydrangea ‘Yulika’ still flowering away well.

2023 – CHW
A little sun for early October and no need to wear a jumper as the temperature remains at 18-20°c.Malus ‘Jelly King’ with secondary flowers and ripening fruit. The 5th or 6th variety of Malus with secondary autumn flowers here after this peculiar summer.

Sorbus commixta var. sachalinensis heavily laden with fruit. The largest crop so far on this 13 year old tree.

Mespilus germanica with a large crop as well. Quite a weight on the branches.

Sorbus hedlundii (KR1810A) with large faintly spotted fruits which are now ripe.

Betula utilis ‘Forest Blush’ peeling from pink to white.

Ripening seed on Tilia japonica ‘Ernest Wilson’ which I have not seen before here.

Crataegus calpodendron with orange-red pear shaped fruits appearing for the first time here. A US and Canadian native with few thorns which is well worth its place even it no autumn colour or so say the reference books.

2022 – CHW
A dozen or so Malus species and varieties now down form the greenhouses and at the assembly point for scores more to come up from Burncoose from 5 other nurseries for planting out in the Kitchen Garden shortly.

Vitex agnus castus – the Chaste Tree now full out in early October and quite splendid when little else is out.

Rhododendron pachysanthum dying after the drought.

Sinowilsonia henryi with early autumn colour in the late afternoon sun. This multi-stemmed? shrub has done very little in shade in 30 years.

Amaryllis belladonna (white form) nearly over with Nerine bowdenii nearly out just behind it in front of the Dining Room window.

The wild Iris foetidissima that has naturalised in a border with a good show of seed pods.

Helianthus salicifolius about half the height it usually is after the drought. Scorched leaves and few flowers.

First Nerine bowdenii nearly out.

A fine clump of Sedum spectabile just going over.

2021 – CHW
Cornus alba ‘Siberian Pearls’ developing its clusters of berries.

A multitude of camellias suddenly out in a nursery tunnel.
Camellia sinensis assamica

Camellia ‘Winter’s Interlude’

Camellia ‘Winter’s Charm’

Camellia ‘Snow Flurry’

Camellia ‘Shinonome’ is the first japonica out.

Camellia sasanqua (cuttings from the 100 year old plants here) are surprisingly still in bud.Camellia sasanqua ‘Rosea Plena’

Camellia sasanqua ‘Paradise Vanessa’

Camellia sasanqua ‘Rainbow’

Camellia sasanqua ‘Narumigata’

Even a single flower on Camellia x williamsii ‘JC Williams’.

2020 – CHW
More hollies and cotoneasters on the list for today’s foray:The clearance by the camellia piece is now complete barring digging out the stumps.

The prostrate growing Camellia sasanqua (name unknown) can now be seen properly.

Ilex spinigera from Windsor in 1991 with a Windsor label. We have inadvertently used our own label and incorrectly called it Ilex dipyrena. A few green berries here and there as we have seen before. A spreading shrub 20ft tall with a similar spread now.

Ilex yunnanensis with no flowers or berries. I first saw this at Rosemoor gardens and it hardly looks like a holly.

Cladastris kentuckea turning yellow quickly as it always does. Compare now to a week and a fortnight ago.

Cotoneaster ‘Exburyensis’ with its yellow berries just turning.

Ilex cornuta (BJWS 8756) has an upright tree like habit but no flower or berries unlike our other older shrubby plant seen recently which had secondary flowers.

Ilex kingiana with berries just about to turn colour. Laden as usual.

A 1991 Ilex lalifolia (I think) ex Windsor with plenty of green berries below Slip Rail. The large serrated leaves are similar, as are the berries, to the plant above the greenhouse which we agreed was correctly named earlier. Both our trees appear to be females. The berries will be orange-red and I will need to check this later.

Cotoneaster frigidus ‘Inchmery’ with more berries than ever this year. The berries are yellow but will eventually turn salmon-pink. After 30 years this is now quite a tree with a dense branch structure.

Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ has turned even more orange/yellow now.

A young Cotoneaster fangianus without any berries as yet. This was originally known as Wilson 331 according to the cotoneaster book.

2019 – CHW
Strangely the largest Schima khasiana seems to be taking a year off from flowering. I can locate no buds at all although Schima superba is now just showing colour at the top of the tree.

Aesculus parviflora is showing early autumn colour and the conkers which we saw earlier have either dropped or been collected already by Asia.

Quercus greggii was planted two years ago and is doing well with a little late secondary new growth. This was an Allan Coombes introduction and, I believe, a present to us. It is multi stemmed which I assume is normal? This species is not listed in ‘New Trees’.

Yet another Disanthus cercidifolius dead two years on from planting. Why do we have such a struggle to get this plant established? Another nearby is rather more lively. This must be the fourth or fifth failure over 10 years in deliberately different locations. What does it need? I asked several of those we visited in Sussex gardens in April but got no clear answer and saw it doing well in several different locations.

Plenty of seed heads on Magnolia rostrata but, as usual, no sign yet that they have swollen enough to actually contain any seed. I doubt they will.

‘They’ always say you should plant Embothrium lanceolatum in the worst possible poor and stony ground. Here, one year on from planting, on the stony rim of Rogers Quarry, is a fine example. 12-18in of new growth on two stems despite the dry summer and a hot location.

2018 – CHW
Autumn colour in the nursery.Fothergilla ‘Blue Shadow’ is even better with autumn tints now than in the spring.

Hesperantha ‘Oregon Sunset’ cheers one up as do all the kaffir lilies which we all used to call Schizostylis. Name changes of this magnitude are daft and confusing for customers.

Camellia ‘Dazzler’ now full out. Other Camellia sasanquas out today included ‘Hugh Evans’.

Cercis canadensis ‘Ruby Falls’ with its attractively mottled autumn leaves.

2017 – CHW
The very rare and equally tender Quercus fleuryii looked nearly dead since it was planted in 2011 but has suddenly produced a set of very late new growth. It is spectacular in colour but rather flaccid and limp. I do not think it will survive even the mildest frost this winter. Otherwise ‘curtains’ I expect which was what the donor told me originally.

Another (German) williamsianum hybrid up Hovel Cart Road has a few secondary flowers. The blue tits have stripped the flowers which we saw on another similar plant last week to get whatever nectar there was – not much I guess.

I missed photographing a single secondary flower on Rhododendron ‘Michaels Pride’ which I have never seen do this before and, worse still, the huge pink Camellia sasanqua just down from the castle side door. No flower at all three days ago when I looked. Today, in the sun, it is suddenly out all over. Earlier than last year I think but need to check. The Camellia oleifera is near but not yet showing colour. A week away perhaps.