18th April

…CHW Fairly decent bank holiday weather after a little rain yesterday evening. Good news that the registrar of the International Camellia Society has very quickly confirmed the reregistration of Camellia…

3rd May

…recession.So the ‘mistakes’ are not really about the lack of PPE, the lack of instant tests (which prove little on an ongoing basis) or not enforcing a lockdown more quickly….

11th May

…Abies spectabilis Rhododendron ‘Beauty of Littleworth’ full out by George’s Hut. This is a Rhododendron griffithianum hybrid. Rhododendron ‘Beauty of Littleworth’ Over the bank holiday weekend a large oak tree…

4th April

…easter egg hunts.Viburnum calvum with huge leaves and reddish petioles and new growth. Viburnum calvum Myrsine divaricata – another genus of little merit except to the collector. Goes in with…

17th May

…outside the back yard nearly over before Chelsea. Rhododendron ‘Sappho’ Rhododendron ‘Veryan Bay’ Rhododendron ‘Veryan Bay’ Rhododendron zaleucum still flowering a little after its haircut last winter. Rhododendron zaleucum Then…

14th July

…here. Hypericum canariense Hypericum canariense Poterium spinosum – Prickly burnet from Crete looks a peculiar and nasty little plant. Seeds forming but missed the flowers. Poterium spinosum Poterium spinosum Acanthus…

4th August

…from Sichuan by E.H. Wilson in 1908 but little known in cultivation today. Can reach 6-10 feet eventually. Viburnum wilsonae Viburnum wilsonae Viburnum rhytidophyllum with, as usual, seed heads and…

22nd May

…on Friday or Saturday. Then the laying hens will be sold elsewhere as we never want to see this stock again in our future breeding programme. A fledgling blackbird makes…

28th July

…it is now rather more of a shrub than a tree. Planted in 2000 and the spelling in the planting records for that year needs a little correction (Maackia chinensis…

24th July

…paniculata ‘Vanille Fraise’ the rain has allowed it to produce a set of flowers. They are still small but already a little over. Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanille Fraise’ We have all…

16th July

…seen. Viburnum rhytidophyllum A good clump of Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’? Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’ Hydrangea serrata ‘Bluebird’ A large Nyssa sylvatica. Nyssa sylvatica Quercus suber planted by The Princess Alice in…

15th July

…On the top wall Dierama pulcherrimum in full flower. Some flowers are very dark and some have unusual and different striping. The dark flowers are Dierama pulcherrimum ‘Blackbird’ but I…

22nd June

…out. Rhododendron keysii Rhododendron keysii 2020 – CHW A little bit of history to add to the absurdities and real problems of lockdown. My daughter has been trying to get…

21st June

…am startled at how shell shocked we were as a country by lockdown in late March and how little thought was given then to the economic consequences of preserving our…

14th June

…a week. Stewartia pseudocamellia Stewartia pseudocamellia But its bark is only just starting to ‘fissure’ near the base. Further up the stem little has changed for a year. bark bark…

11th June

…japonicum on Burns Bank is nearly dead from the 2 droughts. Cercidiphyllum were very badly affected by this all over the country. A very dry spot with little shade. Cercidiphyllum…

31st May

…different. Those species which seeded profusely last year are having a year off and have little, if any, flowers – Styrax serrulatus, Styrax hemsleyanus, Styrax hookeri. The hot weather seems…

16th December

…japonica ‘Takanini’ nicely fronts the orange-red branches of Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ in Kennel Close. An excellent colour combination! Camellia japonica ‘Takanini’ Camellia japonica ‘Takanini’ Little leaf drop yet on…

5th December

…these last year but perhaps a little earlier. Need to check. The frosts (minor) over the last few days may have had an impact. first daffodil shoots Hydrangea ‘Madame Mouilliere’…

9th December

…cut back new growth with blue tit damage obvious on some. A little browning from frost. Other plants elsewhere in the garden still to show. Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’ Camellia ‘Cornish…