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.
I visited the British Fair 2025 held at Hakata Hankyu Department Store. It was quite busy again this year, with queues forming. As the items on sale change slightly each year, I look forward to browsing around.
Thirty-seven years ago, we travelled to New York's Broadway to see a musical. Driving from Philadelphia, we passed through the Holland Tunnel into Manhattan. We saw A CHORUS LINE at the Schubert Theatre on Broadway.
Thirty-seven years later, I happened to learn that this musical was being performed in the UK with a new production, and that there would be a Japanese tour. I immediately looked into it and decided to see it in Osaka, the closest venue. The venue was the Umeda Arts Theatre, right next to Umeda Station. It was absolutely splendid and thoroughly enjoyable. Japanese subtitles were displayed on either side of the stage, making it very easy to follow.
The ginger lilies had grown so thickly that they were blocking the sunlight, so I cut back a great deal. I plan to plant perennial seedlings in the areas that now receive more sunlight. I chopped the cut ginger lilies finely to use as compost. Pruning all those thick stems with secateurs proved rather laborious, so I used a push cutter – an old agricultural tool traditionally used for cutting straw and suchlike. Using this made chopping them up much easier. The finely chopped stems and leaves went into the central section of the compost bin I emptied recently. The compost in the right-hand section is maturing nicely. I expect it will be ready for use next spring.
The season of beautiful dawn skies is upon us. Autumn brings clear air, and clouds often take forms that are beautifully tinged by the morning sun. No two skies are ever the same; it's a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. Here is a video showcasing some of the dawn skies I have witnessed thus far.
Even in October, the days remain summer-like in their heat, and I still wear air-conditioned workwear for gardening. In the main garden, a few roses are reblooming. The chaste tree continues to send out side shoots and produce flowers. Mornings and evenings have grown a little cooler.
We have Hagoromo jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum) growing in two spots in the garden. One is trained along the fence separating the main garden from the side yard garden, with a small fountain as the focal point beside it.
The other was formed into an arch at the base of the steps leading up to the main garden from the lower entrance. The arch was created using two native Elaeagnus pungens trees that had grown naturally on either side of the steps; these were bent to form the arch.
Year by year, the jasmine grew larger, making the passage increasingly difficult. Pruning was also challenging on the slope, so we decided to remove the arch.
First, we heavily pruned the jasmine while untangling its branches, then cut the arch trees back short. Next, we laid weed barrier fabric (Zabarn) on the ground and installed welded wire mesh (1 metre high, 2 metres wide) parallel to the path. We secured it using the shortened trees and reinforcing bars as supports. Finally, we trained the slightly longer remaining jasmine branches to complete the work.
There are hardly any leaves now, but it might bloom a little next spring. It will likely grow splendidly and produce abundant flowers by spring 2027.
