It looks as though the Japanese boxwood hedge in front of the brick wall is covered in a profusion of pink and white flowers. In fact, these are the numerous new shoots of the Hatuyukikazura, Asiatic jasmine. They add a splash of vibrant colour to the otherwise monotonous green.
レンガ塀の前にあるマメツゲの生垣に、ピンクや白の花がたくさん咲いているように見えます。これはハツユキカズラの新芽がたくさん伸びてきているのです。単調な緑に、鮮やかな色どりを添えています。
今日の動画：バルコニーから見る庭
From the balcony jutting out over the potager, which lies one level below the main garden, you can see not only the potager below but also the bluebell garden and the brick wall of the main garden. Whilst some plants are withering in the garden due to the persistent heatwave and drought, there are also plenty that are thriving.
メインガーデンから一段下にあるポタジェへ張り出すバルコニーからは下のポタジェだけでなく、ブルーベルの庭やメインガーデンのレンガ塀も見えます。猛暑と干ばつが続く庭では枯れる植物もありますが、元気で育っている植物もたくさんあります。
The blueberry harvest, which began in late June, is now drawing to a close. This time, I picked just over 200 grams. The yield is lower this year than last. One of the reasons is that one of the bushes has died. As it’s currently the height of the summer heat, the lower yield has actually been a relief in some respects. Because of the heat, I’ve decided to wait until it cools down a bit before making jam, so I’ve actually been freezing the berries for now.
６月下旬から始まったブルーベリーの収穫はそろそろ終わりです。今回は２００グラム余でした。今年は昨年より収量が減りました。一本木が枯れたのも原因です。ちょうど暑さが厳しい時期なので、収量は減ってくれて助かったところもあります。暑いのでジャムづくりは涼しくなってからと思い、実は冷凍しています。
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| Blueberry bushes seen from above 上から見たブルーベリーの木たち |
The dwarf crape myrtle in a pot by the entrance at the bottom of the garden has started to flower. It grows to a height of several dozen centimetres and produces beautiful purple flowers in summer. It also re-blooms. The flowers are lovely, with frilled petals and yellow stamens at their centre.
庭の下の入口の所にある鉢植えの矮性サルスベリの花が咲き始めました。数十センチの樹高で夏に紫色の美しい花をつけます。返り咲きもします。フリルのような花びらと、その中にある黄色いしべが美しい花です。
The purple chaste tree is a beautiful shrub with purple undersides to its leaves. It produces small blue flowers in summer. As the flowers are not as showy as those of the common chaste tree, they do not stand out. This shrub really comes into its own as the temperature begins to drop. In summer, the undersides of the leaves have a faint purple tinge, but the colour is so pale that it often goes unnoticed. However, as the weather turns colder, the undersides of the leaves turn a distinct purple. In the depths of winter, it should be heavily pruned to a height of several tens of centimetres above the ground.
セイヨウニンジンボク・プルプレアは葉の裏が紫色の美しい低木です。夏に小さな青い花をつけます。普通のセイヨウニンジンボクのように立派な花ではないので、花が目立ちません。この木が目立ってくるのは気温が下がってくる季節です。夏は葉の裏はほんのりと紫がかっていますが、色が薄いのであまり気づかれません。しかし寒くなってくると葉の裏がはっきりと紫色になっていきます。真冬には地面から数十センチの高さで強剪定します。
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| In February ２月 |
In the potager, the dwarf cherry tomatoes—which I sowed a little late—are now bearing plenty of fruit in the square raised beds. Rudbeckia and marigolds are also in bloom in the same raised beds. Some plants withered due to the intense heat or were damaged by pests, so only two plants are currently bearing fruit. As they are a dwarf variety, they produce fruit without growing very tall. I’d been growing small watermelons in two triangular raised beds and had harvested about ten of them. Just when I thought the season was over, they set fruit again, and I was able to harvest one more. It doesn’t seem they’re growing as large as they did at the start of the season.
ポタジェでは少し遅く種をまいて育てた矮性のミニトマトが四角いレイズドベッドでたくさん実をつけるようになりました。同じレイズドベッドではルドベキアやマリゴールドの花も咲いています。猛暑で枯れたり、害虫で枯れたものもあり、実をつけているのは２株だけです。矮性品種なので草丈は大きくならずに実をつけます。２つの三角形のレイズドベッドに育てて、１０個ほど収穫できた小玉スイカは、もう終わりかと思っていたらまた実をつけていて、一個収穫できました。最初の頃のように大きくは育たないようです。
‘Angela’ is a climbing rose that produces clusters of tiny flowers in May. In summer, it sends out new shoots, which also bear flowers at their tips. The shorter shoots should be pruned, whilst the longer ones should be left in place to serve as flowering branches the following May; at the same time, older branches should be cut back to make way for the new growth. This rejuvenates the plant and improves its flowering. The new shoots should be trained to lie flat for the time being, with final training carried out in the depths of winter.
アンジェラはつるバラで、五月にはたくさんの小さな花を房状に咲かせます。そして夏にはシュートを伸ばして、その先にまた花をつけます。短いシュートは剪定しますが、長いシュートは次の年の五月に花をつける枝として残し、古くなった枝を切って交代させます。こうすると枝の若返りができ、花つきが良くなるのです。新しいシュートは仮に寝かせるような誘引をしておき、真冬に最終的に誘引をします。
Flowers are blooming on the seedless kumquat tree to the right of the chaste tree. Although the flowers are small and white, it is curious to see tiny fruits growing alongside them. This is because kumquat trees flower repeatedly; the fruits that formed from the flowers that bloomed around June are now growing slightly larger. The fruits will continue to grow gradually and will ripen to a yellow colour between January and March, at which point they will be ready to eat. As they are seedless, they can be eaten whole and have a wonderful flavour.
セイヨウニンジンボクの右側の種なしキンカンに花が咲いています。小さな白い花ですが、花の横に小さな実がついているのが不思議です。これはキンカンが何度も花を繰り返し咲かせるためで、６月頃に咲いた花についた実が少し大きくなっているのです。実は少しずつ大きくなって、１月から３月頃に黄色く熟して食べられるようになります。種がなくてまるごと食べられ、とても良い風味です。
