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.
Snowflake is a bulbous plant that blooms in early spring with bell-shaped flowers. It is grown in pots in our garden and has just come into full bloom.
When they sway in the wind, you can hear the sound of bells:)
The red colour of dogwood branches is fading and new shoots are emerging. It is time to prune the branches. Prune at a height of about 30 cm from the ground, as the branches that have grown during the year turn brightly coloured in autumn. The pruned branches are used to make cuttings, which are inserted directly into the ground to increase the number of these plants.
Red barked dogwood is a shrub whose branches turn bright red from the time the leaves change colour in autumn. It has been growing on the right side of the brick wall for about 10 years. Planted with it is golden barked dogwood, whose branches turn yellow. This year it has turned beautifully again, adding colour to a winter garden that lacks bright colours.
It is a pity that some of the branches died during the summer due to an infestation by pests and that there are a bit fewer branches this year.
Bright colourful stems of dogwood are really glorious. The stems are cut to the ground in spring. Precious winter colouring of the garden will soon come to an end.
December has brought us alternating sunny, warm days and dark, cold days. In the garden, the deciduous trees are turning red and yellow, the citrus fruits are changing colors, and the early winter flowers are in bloom.
The weather had been warm until last week, but this week, after the rain on Monday, a cold air mass came down from the north and it suddenly became as cold as winter.
Even during the daytime, the temperature was only just over 10 degrees Celsius, and with no sunshine and strong wind, it felt really cold.
Our town, located on the northern coast of Kyushu Island, has a lot of cloudy weather in winter, which is a little depressing.
A couple who lives nearby goes to the Kanto region (near Tokyo) only during the winter. I would like to do so if I could. I wish I could do that, but I can't, because I have many gardening jobs in winter.
There is a utility pole that I can see from my window where birds often perch.
Large birds such as Tonbi (black kite) often come to this pole, but crows also often perch there. Crows also often perch on the TV antenna of our neighbor's house.
The crows often perch on the TV antenna of the neighbor's house, and the kites and crows are enemies, with the kites chasing the crows away and the crows attacking the kites together. They may look like they are taking it easy, but they are in trouble.
From the window of my house, I can see the garden transitioning from autumn to winter: changing colours of cherry, maple and wisteria leaves, and dogwood whose stems turn bright red in winter.