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 borage, which germinates from spilt seeds every fall, has gradually grown over the winter and is now beginning to flower en masse. If they grow this fast, they will grow too big in the spring and the hollow trunk may break. I hope they stay about the same size as they are now.
Oxalis bloom in the peony flower bed during the winter months. It is a pink “pink splendour (Momo-no-kagayaki)” variety of bulb plant. On cloudy days, the flower buds are closed and the petals open when the sun shines. Each flower has a very long life span.
When the sun shines, the pink flowers brighten up the flower bed.
The yellow button flower that bloomed the other day is still blooming beautifully.
My yellow-flowered peony named “High Noon” has begun to bloom. It has been many years since I started growing it, but this is the first time it has bloomed this season.
Around November, a bud on one of the three branches began to grow, and in December the flower bud on the tip of the bud swelled. I kept a plastic bag over it to keep it warm, and a few days ago, a yellow color began to appear on the tip of the bud that had swelled to a large size.
And finally, it bloomed. The bright yellow petals and yellowish-orange stamens are very beautiful. Since it is midwinter, we will be able to enjoy the flowers longer than in May
The white wooden fence has been in place for 14 years and the boards have decayed considerably. We considered major repairs but decided against it due to the size of the workload and decided to tear it down. This is another example of sustainability for us.
The roses in the garden will be pruned sequentially in the winter, and the clibing roses by the fence were the first to be pruned in preparation for the fence's removal.
The pruned branches of Mary Delaney had flowers and buds on them, and the buds bloomed beautifully when I put them in a vase and placed them in a warm room. The cloudy winter weather in northern Kyushu is depressing, but the beautiful pink roses brightened up the room.
I didn't prune kumquat for two years and it got too tall. So I pruned the branches that were growing too far up. Fruit was also found on high branches that could not be picked. The unripe fruits of the pruned branches are boiled in sugar.
The strongest cold spell of the winter arrived and for the first time it snowed occasionally during the day and some snow piled up at night. The water in the small fountain froze for the first time this year. In times like this, we have to stay indoors where it's warm, instead of working in the garden.
Lemmon's marigolds begin blooming in mid-November and bloom throughout January. The very brightly colored flowers brighten up the garden. It has a strong fragrance when you walk by it. It is a perennial that is disease and pest resistant.
The year 2025 has started with sunny skies and a few cold days with slightly cooler temperatures, but the garden work has also begun. This is an important time of year to tidy up the garden that was disturbed in the previous season and prepare it for the next beautiful season.
To start things off, Ms Marple pruned the Japanese chaste tree. Pruning back the branches that grew last season will allow new branches and leaves to grow again this spring and early summer, producing flowers throughout the summer to late autumn. The height of the tree and the thickness of the branches can be controlled and