29th January

…‘African Queen’ as good purples and by ‘Blue Horizon’ as a darker blue. B. ‘Orchid Beauty’ has spectacular balls of flowers up the flower spike. B. ‘Santana’ is better than…

22nd March

…this year. Magnolia ‘J. C. Williams’ Magnolia ‘Philip’s Surprise’ with a blue sky. Magnolia ‘Philip’s Surprise’ 2024 – CHW The Garden Society Dinner in London and 4 species of Lindera…

A trip to Tregrehan to study Hydrangeas

…come out. Small tree. Clethra cavalieri Clethra cavalieri Dichroa ‘Cambridge Blue’ – excellent and a plant to get. Dichroa ‘Cambridge Blue’ Dichroa ‘Cambridge Blue’ Styrax japonica ‘Evening Light’ Styrax japonica…

19th July

…an interesting dwarf holly. Ilex x meserveae ‘Little Rascal’ Skimmia japonica subsp. reevesiana with berries already. Skimmia japonica subsp. reevesiana Lobelia ‘Starship Rose’ and ‘Strawberry Blue’ – nice enough but…

4th March 1897 – 2020

…as it gets as I well remember from 3 years ago. Paul Young-Jamieson 2017 – CHW Glorious sun and a blue sky for the magnolias. I will let the pictures…

28th July

…The Olive grove has been tidied up We are trying to grow Brahea armata – Mexican Blue Palm – in Kennel Close and above the greenhouse. So far they are…

26th October

…it is in August. Fuchsia and Echium seedlings The evergreen Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ is excellent as well. Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ Garrya…

29th June

…Sheep A pen of Batch Blue Texels. Texels And a Jacob sheep. Jacob sheep Calf judging. Calf Miniature goats. goats And miniature donkeys! donkeys Pigs in repose. Pigs Rows of…

30th April

…against a blue sky. Embothrium ‘Lanceolatum Group’ Embothrium ‘Lanceolatum Group’ Embothrium ‘Lanceolatum Group’ We used to call this Michelia crassipes – now also (supposedly) Magnolia laevigata. Only in flower very…

23rd June

…factory in Lowestoft and to discuss their show garden. Blueberry fruit changing colour already in the Harrod Horticultural vegetable garden. Blueberry fruit Wisteria venusta starting to grow up the new…

9th March

…laundry building laundry building laundry building These blue barrels will be used as supplementary pheasant feeders for all the birds which survived the last, much-shortened, shooting season. blue barrels Prunus…

28th March

blue carpet. bluebells The Asiatic magnolia season reached its zenith this week and will now fade out with a few New Zealanders still to go. Despite the early start in…

10th April

…down by the pond. Rhododendron augustinii ‘Penheale Blue’ Rhododendron augustinii ‘Penheale Blue’ First flower out on the pure white form of Staphylea holocarpa. We do not have the white form…

14th April

…‘Yakeo’. Rhododendron ‘Martha Wright’ Magnolia ‘Yakeo’ and Rhododendron veitchianum ‘Cubittii Group’. Magnolia ‘Yakeo’ Rhododendron ‘Blue Tit’ and Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth’. Rhododendron ‘Blue Tit’ A single tiny flower on the aptly named…

31st March

…now too against a cold blue sky. Magnolia ‘Petit Chicon’ Magnolia ‘Cleopatra’ has been out for weeks. Still holding up well despite all the east wind and some frost. Magnolia…

8th May

blue as the other in bud. Magnolia ‘Woodsman’ x ‘Patriot’ Magnolia ‘Woodsman’ x ‘Patriot’ Araucaria angustifolia was planted out in early March but the recent frost has done for it…

10th May

…it has few flowers this year after the cold winter. Despite there being few flowers out the ground is carpeted with buds pecked in half by blue tits seeking the…

18th May

…Nurseries) with a strange blue hue to its large leaves. Eucalyptus delegatensis Eucalyptus delegatensis Eucalyptus gregsoniana (also Roundabarrow) with a fine set of new growth. Eucalyptus gregsoniana Quercus trojana just…

26th May

…Magnolia ‘Southern Belle’ Magnolia acuminata ‘Blue Opal’ flowering for the first time. Two previous plants died. Magnolia acuminata ‘Blue Opal’ 2020 – CHW Over the bank holiday weekend many emails…

28th May

…grow here. This one in full sun and fully exposed to the wind. Pittosporum dallii Podocarpus elongatus ‘Blue Chip’ growing (unlike ours) in a windy position. Podocarpus elongatus ‘Blue Chip’…