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The roses in my garden are blooming and I am thankful. I love roses but, goodness, they are hard to grow in this part of the world. While they are fussy to begin with, they really dislike the heat and humidity. It's been a battle to keep them alive and healthy, much less get them to bloom. However, I am stubborn and this year it has paid off. So, welcome to the roses that are blooming in my garden today. You'll note that there are no captions. That's because they would read something like "This one always gets infested with bugs!" Or, "This one was a gift from a friend many years ago and would probably be much happier in a cooler climate." (^.~)     
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There is a special place in my heart for shaga irises. They are just so beautiful with their fringed petals and exquisite colouring. My first encounter was in rural Kyoto many years ago. While walking with a friend, we stumbled across a shaded area alongside a creek full of shaga irises in full bloom. I was entranced! I did not know such flowers existed! And in the wild, no less! Later, I mentioned this at my workplace,and a short time later, to my delight, one of my colleagues brought me some shaga irises from her garden. It took some time for them to settle in, but now, every April, sections of my garden are filled with blooming shaga irises. It always brings me joy. (Thank you, M.N.!) For more about shaga irises, visit iNaturlist's website: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/322012-Iris-japonica  Shaga Iris in my garden, Osaka, Japan Did I plant this last year? Yes, I did. Did I save the information about this plant? Yes, I did. Do I remember where I put it? No, I don't. Do I have a cellphone so I can just take a picture and have it identified in a flash? No, I don't. Do I want to spend time doing a search on my computer? No, I don't. So, I'll just enjoy them as they grow and prosper in my garden. Nothing wrong with that! (^.~)  Spring flowers growing in my garden. Unfortunately, I have no idea what they are... I have already posted two blogs about my toad lilies and have many more photos of additional varieties growing in my garden. However, I will end with these. All three are quite unusual due to their subdued colours and minimal speckling. Ah, I love them all! (If you want to see more, visit the Photo Gallery page.)  Long stems with small blooms growing directly from the stem. White with no speckles. Fussy.  Long stems with branches of medium-sized blooms. White with small speckles. Hardy.  Long stems with multiple branches of medium-sized blooms. Pastel purple with light speckling. Hardy. In my previous post, I mentioned that there are many varieties of toad lilies in my garden. The most numerous is the "futsu" (common or ordinary) variety, which has lovely speckled purple blooms. The other varieties are all in containers, with some requiring a lot of attention and others none at all. They don’t all bloom at the same time, but this fall I've made an effort to photograph the blooms of each variety. Enjoy! (Of these four, the most unusual toad lily is the yellow one in the third photo.)  Long stems with large blooms growing directly from the stem. White with purple mostly towards the center with yellow details. Hardy.  Long stems with multiple branches of blooms. White with large purple speckles. Hardy.  Low growing. Large yellow blooms with speckles. Fussy.  Long stems with multiple branches of blooms. Vivid purple on the ends of alternative petals. Hardy. |
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I'm a photographer based in Osaka, Japan. I like to share.
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