…an apple tree flowering in Jaimie’s garden. A very fine flower for October! apple tree Going back to Ilex mutchagara Bean says it is a close ally of Ilex crenata…

…‘Princess Margaret’ Prunus ‘Matsumae-beni-yukata’ full out and splendid. The National Trust want us to use social media to promote the cherry blossom which everyone is missing. These new Matsumae cherries…

…Camellia ‘Candy Apple’ Camellia ‘Annie Waylam’ is a good paeony form and better than many. No idea who she was. Camellia ‘Annie Waylam’ Camellia ‘Annie Waylam’ Camellia ‘Midnight Magic’ is…

…‘Elk River’ Malus coronaria ‘Elk River’ Malus coronaria ‘Elk River’ Malus ‘Admiration’ Malus ‘Admiration’ Malus toringo – a semi weeping Japanese crab apple growing only to 8-10ft. Malus toringo Malus…

…this species anyway) which is a darker colour elsewhere in the garden. Rhododendron (Azalea) prunifolium A view up across Giddle Orchard above Kitchen Garden which was cleared of dead apple…

…new magnolias, new cherries and malus for impact from a distance are one theme. Another is for the fruiting blueberries, raspberries, currants and crab apples to provide scope for Isla…

…Celastrus orbiculatus Malus ‘Golden Hornet’ with larger yellow crab apples than seen elsewhere in this diary recently. Malus ‘Golden Hornet’ Another new entry for the 2021 catalogue is Lonicera periclymenum…

…unigemmata Woodwardia unigemmata Sorbus zahlbruckneri with small crab apple like fruits. Sorbus zahlbruckneri Ilex fargesii subsp. fargesii var. fargesii (what a mouthful!) acquired from Pan-Global Plants. Ilex fargesii (wild collected)…

…in for the Isla Rose Plantation. This is an introduction from New Zealand and is the ideal crab apple for making jelly. Malus ‘Jelly King’ Malus ‘Jelly King’ 2018 –…

…The odd white flowered weed with very prickly seed heads last autumn outside the Schoolroom window was Datura stamonium (thorn-apple). It is a very rare agricultural weed introduced from America…