Seed heads on Clethra mexicana.

Mahonia sheridaniana (M. fargesii ‘Ogisu’) in flower.

Halleria lucida suddenly covered in flower.

Planting and wiring complete on the drive.

Planting completed at Donkey Show corner.

Magnolia virginiana ‘Northern Belle’ growing vigorously now that it has more space.

Magnolia fulva var. calcicola – Raf 25-01.

Neolitsea levinei from Tom Hudson.

A large Daphniphyllum macropodum to replace our two recent casualties.

Another, I fear forlorn, attempt to grow Franklinia alatamaha.

Stewartia malacodendron – a seedling grown by Jim Gardiner.

The oddly hairy bark on young twigs of Styrax matsumurii.

Styrax perkinsiae – another new species.

Another Styrax matsumurii – BSWJ 14538 with a rather different habit.

2025 – CHW

Leslie Baker tells me that he has flowers on his Camellia x williamsii ‘November Pink’ already. I visit our original plant and find only a hint of colour on a few buds which will not be open for a bit yet.

Osmanthus x fortunei (O. fragrans x O. heterophyllus). In a group of four only one plant is covered in flower in the Isla Rose.

Cotoneaster rhytidophyllus ‘Ogisu’ was planted in 2017. A sizeable spreading bush today.

Berberis japonica with fruits which I have not noticed before.

Euonymus hamiltonianus ‘Rising Sun’ with good colours and plenty of pink seed heads.

2024 – CHW
Another deluge and a good half inch of rain in a couple of hours.

The second ancient Camellia sasanqua has a single white flower (just on from the first).

The first Camellia sasanqua also has a single flower at ground level. (This is the one to the left of the ladies loos).

Ross has tidied up and his swing shovel has now departed as has all the timber. A good neat job which was thankfully executed before the latest rainstorm.

2023 – CHW
A visit to our developing collection of specie Cotoneasters. About a third have still to produce any fruit. A couple are already over and their berries have fallen and one or two are the worse for wear after the June drought.Cotoneaster wilsonii had largely shed its berries.

Cotoneaster thimphuensis not quite fully coloured up but far better than ever before.

Cotoneaster rubens is improving and well worth growing.

Cotoneaster rhytidophyllus in varying stages of ripeness.

Cotoneaster tengyuehensis may well be dying.

Cotoneaster ‘Saint Andrews Blaze’ was a welcome gift from Fromefield. Not fully ripe and coloured yet.

Cotoneaster teijiashanensis with not many berries as yet.

Cotoneaster erratus becoming very decent indeed and well worth growing.

Cotoneaster rokujodaisanensis also has few berries and not yet fully coloured.

Cotoneaster schubertii is well covered in berry and a good orange which will probably get redder yet.

Cotoneaster parneyi was also a gift from Fromefield. Oddly coloured berries in a rather different sort of display.

2022 – CHW
A look around to see how the early autumn colour is progressing.Cladrastis kentukea at its finest but the yellow leaves which we looked at 10 days ago have already blown off.

Cotoneaster ‘Exburyensis’ just turning yellow. Very similar to C. ‘Rothschildianus’

Acer pseudosieboldianum with good red tints.

Cornus florida ‘Cherokee Chief’ turning nicely.

Acer takesimense with the seed heads turning as well.

Calycanthus ‘Aphrodite’ with a late show in Tin Garden and the slugs are too late!

The newly planted Callicarpa membranacea putting on a good show.

Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Profusion’ simply splendid. Everyone should grow this even if the leaves are still present today.

2021 – CHW
A huge seed head developing on Rhododendron suoilenhense which will not be ripe enough to pick for at least two months.

Yesterday at Tregrehan we were looking at Tom’s Gevuina avellana which was looking as bad as ours after summer droughts and spring east winds going back to the 2018 ‘Beast from the East’. Strangely Jaimie chose yesterday to prune out the debilitated and dying main stems of ours to encourage the basal suckers to regenerate as we hope they will. Tom needs to be as ruthless as this too but we have all been dithering and hoping (in vain) for a recovery. I suggested to Tom that he ‘bite the bullet’ but had (then) no idea that we already had.

A few small Gevuina avellana flowers.

Our mature Schefflera macrophylla (not nearly as good a form/specimen as the one which died here this year or Tom’s plant seen yesterday) covered in ripening seeds. They were black and ripe rather earlier last year.

A large dead sycamore felled which was threatening the two new barn conversions at what we now call White Stiles Cottages. A neat and tidy job by Treleaven tree services.

The berries are now ripe on Cotoneaster ‘Rothschildianus’. I am not at all sure Cotoneaster ‘Exburiensis’ is much different (photographed 10 days or so ago).

More fungi to try to identify but I now have experts to consult after the Cornwall Fungus Group visit here in the last few days.

2020 – CHW
The same bit of the huge Rhododendron ‘Cornish Red’ outside the front arch which always has secondary autumn flowers which are a bit out of shape is just showing colour.

Work at The Hovel is moving on apace. The new roof beams and hips are nearly complete and the foul drainage is going into the floors before the floor concrete is laid which looks to be imminent. We will have some problems on the drive with the three huge cement lorries which will pump this down the hill.

Now resuming the search for hollies.
I was given Ilex perado (pure) by Peter Cox having seen it growing well at Glendoick Gardens. I cannot find it or remember where I put it. This is Ilex perado subsp. perado (now called perado subsp. azorica) which remained unidentified as a huge clump before the visit of Philippe de Spoelberch in 2002. This was subsequently verified by Susyn Andrews. You can see berries forming but they will still be ripe and red in the spring as new flowers emerge. Widely distributed by birds in the periphery of the garden here. The leaves are largely spineless but with a point at the tip.

Berries on Photinia davidiana.

I fail to find Ilex saponaria supposedly planted in the Rookery.No sign of any berries on the windbreak grove of Ilex perado subsp. platyphylla.

A newly planted Ilex aff. gagnepainicina (FMWJ 13168) just below the main ride.

I fail to find our Ilex mutchagara above Crinodendron Hedge.Ilex aquifolium ‘Aurea Marginata’ has some berries but has a shoot or two with a reversion to green leaves that need to be removed.

Ilex x altaclarensis ‘Camelliifolia’ with berries turning colour. Attractive and mainly spineless leaves. Pyramidical habit.

The ancient clump of Cotoneaster conspicuus has more berries than usual above The Hovel.

I then hunt the American Ilex opaca between the ferneries. Despite its holly like trunk I suspect this is not the American species but an Osmanthus. More research needed.

2016 – CHW
Eleven different new named Matsumae cherries have arrived and I have today sorted with Michael where they are to go. These are almost brand new to the UK nursery trade and first seen by us properly until last spring at Windsor and Wisley. They come from northern Japan and have been bred by one family over two or three generations. They are hardier and less prone to cankers than our (relatively few) popular street grown flowering cherries. The University of Keele has a collection as does Chris Lane in Kent. These Matsumae are going to become enormously popular before long.  If you want to see just how floriferous and delicate they are have a look at these pictures taken on the rhododendron society tour.

Eleven varieties will be on sale from Burncoose from January after searching for many years.

2015 – CHWThe eucryphias are all very late this year and Eucryphia lucida ‘Pink Cloud’ still looks good. A very upright and erect habit. The old plant of Eucryphia moorii is also full out like the small plant photographed last week.

The colour of Acer palmatum ‘Ozahazuki’ on the drive is approaching its best and Liquidamber styrachiflua by Georges Hut is beginning to turn nicely.

For the first time ever a secondary flowering on the young plant of Magnolia ‘Caerhays Belle’ beside the ‘St Ewe’ hedge. Small flowers which will never open properly and are near white. Disgusting.

Nearby is Magnolia ‘Yakeo’ with a rather decent second flowering which is arguably better than the spring effort. Quite a surprise on such a small plant.

The Rhododendron cinnarbarinum clump at Donkey Shoe is having a decent second flowering as is often the case and the unknown cotoneaster species above the Hovel is covered in berries. Surely someone can recognise this?