…utilis ‘Chris Lane’: Black – big white calcocils Betula utilis dark form: Black – small white calcocils Betula utilis ‘Melony Sanders’: Very red peeling stem Camellia bailinshanica: Red new growth…

…very fine in the sun but I think the flowers are (so far) smaller than usual this year. Magnolia ‘Lois’ Rhododendron desquamatum and Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Black Beauty’ cut for…

…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…

…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’…

…The wild black bees whose home got felled are still very much in evidence in the sun today in their fallen trunk. wild black bees I have missed most of…

…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…

…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….

…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…

…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…

…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…

…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…

…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…

…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…

…‘Inchmery’ which we forgot to gather on Wednesday. Cotoneaster ‘Inchmery’ Shrivelled blue/black seedpods on Decaisnea fargesii. Decaisnea fargesii The leaf on Magnolia obovata ‘Pink Flush’ is just turning. Magnolia obovata…

…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…

…Magnolia kobus var. borealis towers over Rhododendron macabeanum. Magnolia kobus var. borealis towers over Rhododendron macabeanum Euonymus wilsonii with flower buds not yet open. A quick growing species. Euonymus wilsonii…

…flower at Burncoose Nurseries. Ardisia japonica ‘Ito Fukurin’ Three fungi found recently in Burncoose garden: Bulgaria inquinans – ‘Black Bulgar’ Bulgaria inquinans – ‘Black Bulgar’ Gymnopilus Junonius – ‘Laughing Jim’…

…and this looks correct. Some are now black and rotten on the tree but one had blown down and appears seedless and un-swollen. Squirrels I fear but they would have…