As I write, the unusually mild, but exceedingly wet weather that has characterised the first part of November has finally broken to more typically cold temperatures, and a brief of period clear skies. The benign conditions mean we have a strange combination of summer blooms such as Salvias and Arctotis flowering as well as they did back in June, alongside expected late Autumn favourites like Camellia sasanqua. However, these naturally early blooming Camellias are being joined by an increasing range of confused Camellia japonica, which I wouldn’t usually expect to see much from until well into the new year. This profusion of seasonal and unseasonal colour is certainly adding an extra level to what has been an exceptional Autumn for leaf colour, but of course leaves me worrying whether or not my Camellias will be at their best when next year’s CGS show arrives towards the end of March!

The CPGG has had a busy few months, and I was lucky enough to host a group of our members at Roseland Parc in late September, with a talk on my work here over the last 8 years, and the perils of gardening with development work! Pasties as ever were funded by the CGS, and gratefully received by all on what turned out to be a wonderful, sunny day. Our final event of the year was our annual Christmas ‘plant person’ lecture…in late October! Busy schedules meant an early festive treat for us as Ned Lomax, head gardener at Bodnant in Wales, gave a fascinating talk on his recent travels across China in the footsteps of plant hunter Frank Kingdom Ward. We already have several events pencilled in for 2026 and of course many of our members, and the CPGG itself, are already thinking ahead to what we plan to show at Wadebridge. The 2025 show was packed with horticultural highlights and I’m sure 2026 will continue to build on the long legacy of the Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show.