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.
At the entrance to the potager garden, the new shoots of the golden holly are a beautiful golden colour. The foxgloves are still blooming beautifully, their flower spikes stretching upwards. We have finished harvesting the cabbages from the pentagonal raised bed, and the potatoes will soon be ready for harvesting. The California poppies continue to bloom with their vibrant yellow flowers. The asparagus has grown tall and leafy, and the harvest is now largely complete. The chamomile has finished flowering; we have cut it down, dried it, and are using it as mulch for the mini watermelons. The flax is bearing plenty of seed. We will soon be entering the rainy season, followed by the intense heat of midsummer.
The potager garden is looking increasingly vibrant as the foxgloves come into full bloom. The ‘Cocktail’ red roses have also begun to bloom in abundance. The season when the garden is at its most beautiful has arrived.
In the potager garden, the onion harvest is complete, the apple blossoms have almost finished, and the roses are beginning to bloom, marking the transition from spring to early summer.
We are continuing to harvest spring cabbages and asparagus little by little; the chamomile and flax are in full bloom, and the potato leaves have grown quite lush. Meanwhile, in the border beds, the foxgloves are beginning to bloom in abundance.
With just over ten days to go until the Open Garden, preparations are well underway to welcome our visitors.
The Potager Garden is at its most glorious at the beginning of May. Surrounded by espalier apple trees, digitalis, poppies, flax, cornflower and roses bloom, vegetables grow and the garden becomes an ornamental kitchen garden.
