…the Staphylea collection and well worth propagating by the look of it. Staphylea colchica ‘Black Jack’ Staphylea colchica ‘Black Jack’ Quercus yunnanensis with a new set of leaves. Quercus yunnanensis…

…Cutting back laurel and rhododendron above Hovel Cart Road. laurel and rhododendron A clump of six Enkianthus chinensis on Hovel Cart Road. Enkianthus chinensis Enkianthus chinensis Staphylea colchica ‘Black Beauty’…

…‘Black Swan’ leaves a week on. Fagus sylvatica ‘Black Swan’ Fagus sylvatica ‘Black Swan’ Magnolia ‘Summer Solstice’ just out. Magnolia ‘Summer Solstice’ Magnolia ‘Summer Solstice’ A young Magnolia nitida getting…

…morii New growth on Pseudotaxus chienii. Pseudotaxus chienii Wisteria ‘Black Dragon’ is never a very spectacular show here. Few flowers and rather hidden by the new growth. Wisteria ‘Black Dragon’…

…or three weeks AZALEA ‘Greenway’ – nearly over AZALEA ledifolium AZALEA ledifolium – full out and just going over AZALEA Black Hawk’ AZALEA Black Hawk’– too far out to cut…

…too. I remember them flowering much earlier in the year. Rhododendron neeriflorum Rhododendron neeriflorum In the rockery Azalea ‘Black Hawk’ was sadly too far out to cut. Azalea ‘Black Hawk’…

…– I think based on the black spotting on the leaves. Orchis mascula Magnolia ‘Sunsation’ about a week later into flower than here. Magnolia ‘Sunsation’ Paulownia tomentosa at its very…

…sterculiaceum not that exciting! Acer sterculiaceum subsp. sterculiaceum More leylandii have been burnt. leylandii But plenty more still to go. still to go Cornus iberica with good reddish-black autumn colour….

…rays but in the covering of the eventual seed cluster below the flower itself. Centaurea nigra has dark black/brown scales with some green showing between them. Centaurea debeauxii has longer…

…although with some juicy black seeds. Four or five years on from planting this is now 5ft tall with a 7ft spread. A worthy shrub for a border or woodland…

…black shed. This will over-winter another 10 fat cattle. The work was talked about some 10 years ago! New cladding on the end of the old black shed Liquidambar styraciflua…

…one or two clumps of seed which were juicy and had turned black. Asia is standing alongside the tree. Once black the seeds were dropping and I guess that we…

…and opening to reveal black seeds as you can see here. My hands smelt strongly of pepper after the seed gathering for Asia. Zanthoxylum piperitum Zanthoxylum piperitum Zanthoxylum piperitum One…

…Carpinus tschonoskii. Carpinus tschonoskii Stewartia monodelpha even better than a week ago. Stewartia monodelpha Stewartia rostrata just starting to turn purple-black but not yet allover. Stewartia rostrata Another Stewartia pseudocamellia…

…decaying woodland trees and shrubs but not always as fine a show as this. Hypholoma fasciculare Hypholoma fasciculare The head keeper photographed a blackthorn in full flower above Portholland this…

…has already finished. Too much wind to get a decent picture. Clethra pringleyi Clethra pringleyi Styrax japonicus ‘Evening Light’ living up to its name. Wonderful near black foliage. Styrax japonicus…

…blue-black berries on Cornus controversa. Cornus controversa A rather better flower now on Hedychium spicatum ‘Liberty’ (BWJ 8116). Last week’s picture did not do it justice. A very intricate flower….

…than last year but they are not yet juicy, black and ripe. Symplocos aff. sumuntia The last (poor) flower on Clethra kaipoensis. Clethra kaipoensis 2020 – CHW Frankie and his…

…few seed ripening on the elderly Enkianthus cernuus rubens. Enkianthus cernuus rubens More flowers on another Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’. A little paler than the proper ones in spring? Magnolia ‘Black…

…kiusiana just gets better! Tilia kiusiana Liriodendron chinense is approaching its best. Liriodendron chinense Liriodendron chinense Magnolia obovata ‘Pink Flush’ develops black leaves as they prepare to drop. Magnolia obovata…