Lizzie and Palmers/Broad.

Lizzie with the flowers.

The trophy winners with 37 clays out of 40.

More trophies – Sheila and Annie.

Junior winner.

Simon Trudgeon, Lizzie and John Kneller.

2025 – CHW

Deciduous azaleas cut back in May by 4-in-Hand are reshooting well despite the dry summer.

Another dead big leaf Rhododendron above Bond Street.

Pam Kitts, who worked in the house and her (and her daughters) memorial seat on the lawn. Flowers beside it as usual.

The swimming pool now dug out to the correct depth at the deep end.

Campsis grandiflora in the back yard.

Cotoneaster confusus well berried this year.

More dying big leaf Rhododendrons with shriveled new growth. Spring planted unfortunately.

Seed forming on Magnolia laevifolia and plenty of it.

Magnolia globosa had plenty of flowers but no seeds have set in the heat.

Celtis sinensis split in half in the wind.

2024 – CHW
Self-sown seeds in a rotting Pinus insignis stump. This is fairly unusual in our high rainfall climate and the seedling sycamores and seedling alders are no surprise. Rather more interesting are the seedling ilex and rhododendron. The Ilex might be a mixture of I. opaca, I. kingiana, I. koehneana or I. latifolia since all 4 grow nearby. Since the holly berry germinated in behind the thick pine bark it was probably hidden there by a mouse, jay or squirrel. The rhododendron looks interesting. The bud shape suggests Rh. fortunei as do the leaves. What to do now? Leave the rhododendron hybrid to grow away where it is on the rotting stump and gently dig out the holly hybrid later in the autumn. Then grow it on in a pot for a bit before planting out.

Remarkably quick and good new growth on the Rhododendron davidsonianum cut down only 11-12 weeks ago. We need to do the same to the other clump now alongside the Main Quarry.

Magnolia ‘Sunray’ with a solitary secondary flower.

Rhododendron ‘Polar Bear’ below the Hovel Cart Road.

The start of cutting up the huge beech tree which blew down last November as fire wood for the castle. It has dried out nicely and should split fairly easily.

Hedychium x moorei ‘Tara’ planted in 2020 below the Rabbit Warren.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Little Lime’ has turned a nice pinkish-red.

Hedychium tengchongense (WWJ 11964) just out.

Hedychium densiflorum ‘Assam Orange’ just outside my office window. Plenty of buds yet to show and only one flower spike is out today on my birthday!

2023 – CHW
Hoheria populnea ‘Variegata’ still not quite out.

Hoheria populnea ‘Alba Variegata’ in the same state.

Seed well formed on Styrax obassia.

Lindera angustifolia (FMWJ 13156) is very prone to losing side branches in gales. Storm Betty in August damaged this very quick growing tree which, although only planted in 2020, is now 15 feet tall. An older plant lost half its side branches and this one 3 or 4.

Just look at the speed of growth here, the interesting bark and bark colours on the side branches.

First autumn flowers out on Rhododendron ‘Yellow Hammer’.

Schefflera delavayi with huge flower stalks.

Rhododendron concatenans with its usual secondary autumn flowering.

The tassels on Carpinus fangiana are starting to ripen and turn brown.

2022 – CHW
White Styles drive with kerbs and all, now ready for pouring the concrete. Hope the new drains really do take the water away from the huge puddle which used to form outside the converted barns.

Contoneaster flinckii nearly ripe.

Contoneaster rubens just turning.

Contoneaster rhytidophyllus in a similar state.

Cotoneaster thimphuensis still completely green.

Cotoneaster hillieri was rated second best in berry last year but only now just turning. We have two plants and the pheasants can reach the berries on one of them.

The very end of the first grass cut at the top of the old park. Little need for any second cut anywhere this year apart from the drive which was cut first. Just a light strim of the edges really.

2021 – CHW
The conversion of the Hovel is now very nearly complete, as far as the builders are concerned, but Western Power have still to make the full new electric connections, so occupancy will only be possible in one of them for the moment. This is despite Western Power having been paid in full last November. Covid again, of course, but administrative incompetence on a grand scale.