My wife and I started gardening in Fukuoka (Japan) in 2003. There was nothing but muddy clayey sloping land. At the beginning we made several structure such as steps and paths, and planted turf, fruit trees, roses, herbs etc.
In 2010, we visited several famous English gardens, including Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Mottisfont Abbey Garden and Hidcote Manor Garden. We were shocked by the glory of those gardens. Since then, we have been trying to make small but glorious gardens by ourselves.
The Hardenbergia flowered about a month later than usual. We had different coloured varieties growing on either side of the arbour seat, but the pink variety on the right died last summer.
For the past few years, pansies have been growing in large terracotta pots in front of the brick wall during this season. The brightly coloured flowers brighten up the garden and will be in full bloom until the open garden in May.
The cold winter, rare in recent years, is finally coming to an end. In the gardens, deciduous trees are beginning to bud. In the main garden, blueberry flower buds are swelling and some branches of the climbing roses are starting to bud.
In the bluebell garden, the bluebells are starting to bud all at once. The flowering date of mid-April is about a month away, but may be delayed a little.
Annual flowers and vegetables are growing in the potager.
At the Annual General Meeting of the Reiwa Open Garden, a member gave us a pamphlet about the Kanoko-yuri (Lilium speciosum) and its seeds.
The Kanoko-yuri grows wild in a very limited area in Kyushu and Shikoku and is listed as an endangered species. Munakata City in Fukuoka Prefecture, where the lily is native, designated it as the city flower in 1981. Changes in the natural environment due to the development of human settlements and mechanisation of agriculture have made it difficult to maintain a suitable environment for the lily, and it is feared that it may become extinct.
The seeds have already been treated for sprouting and were immediately planted in planters for seedling cultivation.
If all goes well, they will flower in their third season.
In the bluebell garden, a little later than last month's white Japanese apricot (Kizanhaku), the pale pink Japanese apricot (Bungo Ume) came into blossom and is now in full bloom at once.
This Japanese apricot is also characterised by its good fragrance, so I cut two branches and arranged them as ikebana. The room is slightly fragrant.