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.
A hybrid double hellebore in a pot is blooming beautifully. It is the same hellebore that we were surprised to see blooming in June this year. The breed has been improved so much that it blooms much longer.
Acanthus mollis is a cold-hardy perennial with beautiful foliage that blooms in May. In mid-summer, it goes dormant with the ground dying off, and in autumn, the leaves grow back. During the winter, its lush foliage becomes an important green color in the garden.
Alocasia odora is a perennial plant native to East Asia with beautiful large leaves, also known as elephant ear. It is sensitive to frost, so the above-ground parts of the plant die back in winter, but if the weather is not extremely cold, it will survive the winter and sprout again in spring. It is best to cut off the leaves in early winter, as the cold-damaged leaves become difficult to treat.
Let the cut leaves dry a bit, then cut them into small pieces and put them in the compost bin.
切った葉は少し乾かしてから、細かく切ってコンポストビンに入れます.
There were also many red fruits. If you want to increase the number of seedlings, collect the seeds, but if you don't want to increase the number of seedlings, don't leave them unattended.
Mexican marigolds have spread out to form a little meadow. And now they are in full bloom. The yellow colour is noticeable even on a cloudy day, but on a sunny day it becomes even more vivid. The sweet smell of the flowers fills your body as you walk through the meadow.
Camellia japonica Wabisuke is a flower often used in the tokonoma (alcove) of tea rooms. It is a small, white flower with petals that do not open wide and fall apart. Perhaps this is in keeping with the spirit of the tea ceremony.
I planted it in the back of my garden many years ago to use as a flower arrangement, and every year it starts to bloom around this time.
It's early winter and most of the roses are gone, but the Mary Rose is in its last glory. The Mary Rose is a wonderful rose created by David Austin. It is a rosette pink rose that opens to a gorgeous peony-like form. It is one of our favourite roses.