For the first time fully ripe fruit on Diospyros lotus.

Euonymus carnosus (NMWJ 14515).

Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’ out in early October.

As now is Rhododendron nobleanum.

Viburnum plicatum ‘Opening Day’ superb colour in the sun.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Early Pearly’ in Donkey Shoe.

Replanting the Hurricane Goretti damage on the drive.

2025 – CHW

Autumn planting all completed last week.Populus wilsonii (Gaoligongshan) has settled in well. Leaves not unlike P. lasiocarpa.

Ilex laevigata (male) is clearly deciduous.

Corylus colurna developing interesting bark. Very distinct leaf shape.

Crataegus mexicana var. stipulacea with its first fruits.

The base of the swimming pool takes shape as the blockwork rises out of the ground.

2024 – CHW
Rupert & Sarah Ely for a proper garden tour. Few flowers but Rupert did not agree with the identification of our Rhus species.A primrose in flower in October!

Ripe seed for Asia to collect on Styrax shiraianus.

Roe deer nibbling on a pendulous Styrax – hugely annoying!

Just a few flowers high up on Schima wallichii.

The 1913 planted Acer palmatum ‘Senkaki’ starting to show good colour.

Good colour too on Aesculus glabra despite the gales last Sunday.

Rhus chinensis (if that is what it is) with interesting bark and unwelcome squirrel damage.

Quercus palustris colouring up.

2023 – CHW
Crataegus combyi with a superb show as usual.

Crataegus pontica also with fruits for the first time here.

Sorbus wardii with small clusters of 2-5 yellow/ orange fruits.

The first ever flower here on Schefflera rhododendrifolia. The small tree is now almost about 15 feet tall and the flower is within the new growth at the tip of the highest shoot.

Nothaphoebe cavaleriei with good secondary new growth.

Seed heads forming on Microtropis petelotii but still green.

2022 – CHW
Heptacodium miconioides has been rather battered by the recent heavy rain. More to come tomorrow.

The saga of the Planning Permission for the graveyard extension at St Michaels and all Angels Church at Caerhays has taken another nasty twist. The planners demanded on expensive geophysical survey. This showed nothing in the proposed new graveyard area. The planners then consulted their own archaeologists who disagreed with the initial report and demanded further trench digging. This started on the first whole day of real rain after the drought. The trench reveals what the archaeologists says is a culvert and, separately, what is claimed to be two sides of a 15-17th century building. It looks more like the base of an old hedge to me situated as it is. Neither feature is very deep into the ground and the culvert is only 9-12 inches below ground level as you can see. How did the archaeology team with their geographical kit miss these features? One can only speculate but the digging/ excavations will now take 5 days (not 1-2) and more people. Our tiny church cannot afford all this on top of all the legal costs (from the church lawyers) in transferring the land to the church for £1.00. Meanwhile the planners also object to our post and wire fence and demand a much more expensive Cornish stone faced earth bank. Fortunately we have found three other fairly recent churchyard extensions which have approved with identical fencing. The nearest is at Ladock church. The planners, whose torpor and delay in determining most covid planning applications is a well-known joke, are insisting here that they will bin the application and make us start again unless we get all the skittles in a row by January. In view of the latest ‘finds’ it looks as though the parish has wasted thousands of pounds for a bureaucratic “nothing”. I suppose I can be buried on the castle lawn if the graveyard is full. Another clever way of closing churches against parishioners express wishes.

Our excellent semi-retired vicar has been allowed to stay on until May rather than being terminated in November. Thereafter one vicar for four parishes rather than just us and St Gorran. Mevagissey and St Ewe parishes to join the new parish ‘cluster’ to save the deanery money to spend on new more ‘socially inclusive’ projects.

The first flowers on Camellia sasanqua to flower this year (out in September) have been destroyed by wind and heavy rain but a nice clutch of the next flowers show colour today.

2021 – CHW
A colchicum in flower outside the anteroom. A brief moment before it gets eaten by the pheasant poults.

The fence has been moved at the bottom of White Stiles field to give us room for the planting of a cherry avenue.

Just look at the size of this leaf on Paulownia kawakamii.

A flowering pot-full of Liriope muscari.