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.
Seed potatoes are planted in March and September, with harvests occurring in June and December. While the December yield is smaller compared to June, cultivation continues to secure seed potatoes for the following spring.
This year, seed potatoes were planted on the 31st of August. They sprouted in September, grew substantially by October, and even flowered. Come December, as the weather turned cold and the leaves began to wither, they were harvested.
The duck ornaments in the garden were found gathering dust on a shelf at a local garden centre some twelve years ago, looking rather faded. I bought them for a bargain price. Since then, they've been the main garden's mascots.
For the past few years, it had been spreading its charm in front of the arbour seat in the blue border flowerbed. However, after being constantly exposed to direct sunlight, wind and rain, the fibreglass had gradually deteriorated. Numerous small holes had appeared in their backs, and the paint on them beak and feet was peeling off. I decided it was time for it to retire.
Though it might not be perfect, I patched the holes and repainted them, and they turned out rather nicely. So I decided to assign them the next task: keeping watch over the potager.
I chose two small sheep as the new garden ornaments for the main garden. They are two different types of little sheep. They are just the right size for the small garden. They are taking in the sights of the garden they've just arrived at.
About ten years ago, I erected a fence along the eastern boundary of our garden, separating it from the neighbouring property. I used louvre fence panels to block sightlines while allowing air to pass through. This year, those panels began rotting and breaking, so I replaced them with new ones. This time, I opted for durable artificial wood. I expect this will last for quite some time. For details, please see the YouTube video.
The shade garden is situated where the morning sun shines, but during the day it lies in the shadow of the garden room and receives almost no sunlight. At the back of the shade garden, on the slope, Alocasia odora is growing. Over several years, its stems have grown thick and tall, and its leaves have become large, to the point where they now obstruct the morning sun reaching the front part of the shade garden. The lycoris at the edge of the shade garden extend their leaves after flowering in autumn, but the large leaves of the Alocasia completely cover them, blocking all sunlight. Therefore, this time, I carried out a severe pruning of the Alocasia.
I cut several of the thick stems at the base and removed almost all the leaves extending towards the front. As severe winter frosts will freeze the leaves, pruning them now is good management practice. We chopped the cut leaf stalks into small pieces and placed them in the compost bin.
As we enter the early winter season, I sowed flax seeds in the square raised bed and planted onion seedlings in the triangular raised beds, preparing for next spring. The flax will produce abundant blue flowers around April. It reminds me of the vast fields covered in bloom I saw during my trip to England. The onions are scheduled for harvest in May. I'll be delighted if the seedlings thrive.
The mini tomatoes in the pentagonal raised bed are ripening red one after another, and I picked a large quantity. Afterwards, I plan to plant spring cabbage seedlings there.
