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 potager garden has seen vegetable and flower seedlings grow with the arrival of March. I expect onions and cabbages will be ready for harvesting in less than two months. Flax and chamomile are also growing well and should bloom beautifully in April. As it will soon be time to plant potatoes, I plan to harvest the Swiss chard and beetroot.
Hellebores have been blooming here and there in the garden since last month. In the spot deep within the shade garden that catches the morning sun well, many pink flowers are in bloom. And beside the steps leading up to the garden from below, numerous white flowers (cream-coloured with a yellowish tinge upon closer inspection) are blooming. They appear to glow in the morning sunlight.
The seedless kumquats have ripened to a lovely orange colour and are now ready to eat, so we picked them. We used a stepladder for the higher ones. As they're seedless, you can eat them whole. They have a wonderful flavour and should keep us enjoying them for a while.
The tête-à-tête mini daffodil, which blooms with vivid yellow flowers in early spring, has flowered again this year. Though a small flower, reaching only 10 to 15 centimetres in height, it brightens the garden instantly. It is the first flower to herald the arrival of spring.
The warm spell has continued, and the Hardenbergia has burst into full bloom in no time. During the day, it's bustling with many bees visiting. March is finally upon us, starting tomorrow.
Every year around this time, we inspect and paint the bench in front of the brick wall. This bench was installed in 2011 and has now been in place for 15 years. In May, when the roses on the brick wall are in full bloom, this bench becomes a popular spot for photographs. Over time, we have observed wood rot in parts of the bench and carried out repairs. We turn the bench over for a thorough inspection. This time, no new rot was found; after washing it down, we applied a preservative. We will continue to maintain it carefully so that it remains a bench that can be sat upon safely for many years to come.
Due to the record low rainfall this autumn and winter, water supply restrictions have begun in our region, affecting vegetable growth. Amidst this, we finally had our first substantial rainfall of the winter. The small conical rain gauge filled to capacity, and the large cylindrical gauge showed over 60 millimetres of rain. The garden is refreshed, and the spring onions and cabbages in the potager seem to be growing a little better. At the top of the herb terraces, I planted Japanese spiraea seedlings. It's a variety with golden foliage. I hear it blooms with red flowers in early summer. I'm looking forward to it.
