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.
We harvested the edamame once in August, but we’d sown the few remaining seeds again. Just as the plants were coming into flower, the leaves were being eaten by caterpillars, but somehow the pods formed and the beans began to grow, so I harvested them. It’s only a small amount, but we’ve managed to get our second harvest of the year. They’ll make a nice snack to go with a beer at the pub in the garden room.
The small lantana on the retaining wall in my neighbourhood is currently in full bloom, turning the whole area a shade of pink.
近所にある擁壁に今コバノランタナが満開で、一面ピンク色に染まっています。
To its right, the wild grapevine (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. heterophylla) is in flower and bearing plenty of green berries.
その右横にはノブドウが花を咲かせてたくさんの緑の実をつけています。
Further to the right, the wild grapes are already beginning to change colour. The blue and purple berries are truly beautiful—they look just like jewels. As autumn deepens, even the berries that are still green will change colour, promising a magnificent sight.
The olive tree I’ve been growing in a pot in the main garden since the start of this year has borne fruit, and as they’ve started to turn colour, I’ve harvested them. There are just over ten of them, but as it’s my first time, I’m delighted.
I’d heard that they’re too astringent to eat as they are, so I looked into various methods for removing the astringency, but decided to try the one that seemed simplest: drying them. First, I pricked small holes in the olives with a fork, then left them by the window to catch the sun; once the sunlight had faded, I dried them in a food dryer. After repeating this process for two days, they became shrivelled and were quite dry. When I took a small bite, the astringency had almost completely disappeared.
I heard from my neighbour that a monkey had turned up, so I went to have a look. It came down from the persimmon tree onto the roof of the shed with a thud, then walked off, munching on something. I wondered if it might have eaten a persimmon, but they’re probably still too astringent. However, as I didn’t want it to come round too often once they’d ripened, I went ahead and picked all the persimmons—even the green ones. I decided to soak the ones that had started to turn colour in alcohol to remove the astringency.
I’ve been growing ground cherries for several years now. They’re perennials; new shoots emerge in spring and the fruit sets in early summer. In the height of summer, the flowers stop blooming and the branches wither, but in autumn new shoots emerge again and they start to flower once more. And now, the fruit is just beginning to set. It takes a little while for the fruit to ripen, but I’ll be harvesting them little by little from autumn through to winter. They have a tartness and sweetness, with a slightly tropical flavour, and are absolutely delicious.
Leaves that sprout in spring become withered or turn red and yellow by autumn, losing their beautiful fresh green colour. However, leaves that sprout from summer through to autumn are a very beautiful shade of green. In our garden, several plants captivate us with their beautiful green foliage.
At the entrance to the main garden, behind a small fountain, a thicket of Hagoromo jasmine thrives. Beautiful, bright green new shoots are sprouting. These shoots will bear flowers in spring.
Beside the steps made of railway sleepers, a variegated Abelia is thriving. The newly grown branches and leaves have yellow edging, which gradually turns to white. Small white flowers are blooming here and there.
In the blue border, the chaste tree has been blooming with blue flowers continuously since July. The jacaranda to its left was pruned in July after flowering and has since grown new branches and leaves, becoming lush and full. The leaves are bipinnate and have a very delicate, beautiful shape.
To the left of the shed, the autumn-flowering acacia (which continues to flower from late October through the winter) was heavily pruned in April; since then, it has gradually put out new shoots and is now lush and full, bearing numerous flower buds. Its slender branches are densely covered with small, slender, short leaves, making it a very pretty sight.
