PRUNING & TRAINING KUMQUAT (金柑の剪定と誘引)

It was cold but fine today, and I pruned and trained a kumquat (Kinkan)
as a kind of fan to the wooden fence.  

I cut branches that were growing directly towards or away from the fence, 

and trained side-branches horizontally and tied them to the welded wire mesh.

This is, I think, a attractive way to grow tree fruit,
and takes up next to no room in the border.

今日は寒いけど良い天気で、
金柑を剪定して板塀へ一種の扇仕立てに誘引しました.
手前と塀に向かう枝を切り、
横の枝を水平に誘引して溶接金網に結んで固定しました.

これは果樹を育てる魅力的な方法だと思いますし、
ボーダーでほとんどスペースを要しません.  

I harvested and ate a few fruits.  

They are seedless and, therefore, quite easy to eat whole. 

(need not to expel seeds)

何個か実をとって食べました. 

種無しなので、丸ごと簡単に食べられます. 

（種を出す必要がありません）

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RENEWAL OF THE BORDER (ボーダー花壇のリニューアル)

The border on the east side of our garden was narrow in depth
because many trees had grown on the boundary to the neighbour (a ruined house).
Last week we felled tall trees.
It has made more space and improved sunshine on the border.
So, we have got down to renewing the border.

隣家との境界にあった木々のために庭の東側のボーダーは奥行きは狭かったのですが
先週木を伐採し、スペースが広くなって日当たりも良くなりました.
そこでボーダーのリニューアルに取り掛かりました.

This is a photo before cutting down the trees.  The border was only four feet depth.

この写真は木を伐採する前で、ボーダーは奥行きが1メートルほどでした

After felling the trees, the border became six feet depth, 

and much more sunlight shines on the border. 

伐採後はボーダーは奥行き２メートルほどになり、

日当たりもよくなりました.

We set up metal pipe posts with concrete blocks for fixing wooden panels.  

The posts were fixed using concrete.  

鉄管とコンクリートブロックを使って、木製のパネル固定用の支柱を立てました.
支柱はコンクリートで固定しています.

The concrete blocks were painted black, 

and the wooden panels were fixed to the posts.  

コンクリートブロックは黒く塗って、木製のパネルを支柱に固定しました. 

And finally, welded wire mesh was fit in front of the wooden panels, 

which we'll use to train climbing roses, clematis etc.  

最後に、溶接金網をパネルの前に取り付けました.
つるバラやクレマチスなどの誘引に使う予定です.

Marple is planning the planting scheme of the border now.
It will change according to circumstances, or we'll plant in a haphazard way:-)


マープルさんのボーダーの植栽計画立案が現在進行中です.
臨機応変に、つまりは行き当たりばったりで植えていくことになるでしょう（笑）

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SNOW DROPS AND HELLEBORUS IN FRONT OF THE WHITE FENCE (白い柵の前のスノードロップとクリスマスローズ）

Snow drops in front of the white fence are now in full bloom.
The temperature difference of this winter is quite extreme, however,
snow drops flower well as usual,
and hellebore has started to bloom.
Sunset time is getting late day by day, though sunrise time is still late. 

白いフェンスの前にあるスノードロップがいま満開です.
この冬は寒暖の差が極端ですが、
スノードロップはいつもの年と同じように咲いて、
クリスマスローズも咲き始めました.
日の出はまだ遅いけど、日の入りは日に日に遅くなってきています.

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REPAINTING THE WHITE FENCE (白いフェンスの塗りなおし)

We made the white wooden fence in April 2011.  

Since that I repainted only parts where paint came off.

Because the fence have been stained with green algae,
I washed the fence
by using a high pressure water washing machine last week. 

As a result of vigorous washing, white paint was peeled off here and there.
Therefore, I decided to repaint whole of the fence.  

白いフェンスは2011年の四月に作りましたが、
それ以来ペンキが剥げたところだけ塗りなおしていました。

その後フェンスが青ゴケで汚れてきたため
先週、高圧洗浄機で洗いました。

強力な洗浄であちこちペンキが剥げたので
全部塗りなおすことにしました。

I started to repaint it last Saturday, 

and finished today.  

先週土曜日に塗りなおしを始めて、

今日終わりました。

A mantis clinging tight to the slat
垂木にしっかりしがみついているカマキ

The fence looks beautiful again,
and we can start to plant some kind of seedlings under the fence for the next spring.  

フェンスは綺麗になりましたから
来春のための苗など植え付けができるようになりました

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ABOUT THE WHITE WOOD FENCE (白い木製フェンスの話)

There is the white wood fence at the upper entrance of our garden beside the house.  Climbing roses were trained to it, a fig tree was planted inside it, and hydrangea was planted outside the entrance.  It prevents entrance of unwelcome visitors such as wild boars.

In May, the fence was decorated by rose flowers, and in June by blue hydrangea flowers.

Rosa 'Shropshire Lad' (May 2014)

Blue hydrangea (June 2014)

I designed this fence several years ago.  In January, I started to make it.
I used waste scaffolding iron pipes fixed to concrete blocks as fence posts.  At first, I set those pipes vertically, and then the pipes were covered with wood boards.

After setting upper and lower rail, pickets were fixed to the rails. They were all treated with antiseptic paint.

Decorative rafters were fixed on the top of double rails, which made it look like a pergola.

The fence was then painted white, and finished in April.

Last spring, I repainted the fence, and it looked new again.

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UNSEASONABLE WEATHER

It has been rainy since 31 July because of two typhoon.  In the western part of Japan, maximum rainfall has risen to more than 1,000 mm.

The garden is thoroughly wet, and gardening is not possible for several days.  So many blueberries are falling.

Every thing in the garden is washed in the rain, and green leaves are so beautiful.

Rain ripples on a little fountain.  

The thoroughly wet main garden

A yellow rose flower of the white wood fence.  

Green leaves look vivid except for tree peony

A Japanese wisteria flowers again now. 

Raised beds for herbs.  

Everything is so wet.  

Marple at the entrance of our garden.