I think this is the year when my garden and I are finally in sync. I've been working on it for over 10 years, and the challenges have been many. First of all, we are renting, and the soil is non-existent. As a result, almost all of my plants are in containers. Since I have over 150 of them, watering is a challenge, as is keeping their roots from cooking in their pots in the extreme heat of summer. And then, of course, I was working full tilt for many years with little time to spare. Thankfully, that has changed and being able to spend time in the garden every day has made a big difference. I've been tending my plants more carefully this year, and the effort has paid off. My garden exploded with an abundance of healthy growth and fragrant blooms. (To my astonishment, even my roses are thriving!) Ah, I am so grateful for this hobby. Although my younger self would have rolled her eyes at the very idea of gardening, it has made a huge difference to my mental health and has saved me many times over. These photos were taken in my garden over the past few days.
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As a result of all the heat and rain of the past few weeks, my garden has exploded! Once the rain stops, I'll need to rearrange all the pots so they have a bit more breathing room. It’s one thing to be close together in winter when most of the plants don’t have any leaves. But now? It's a bit too squishy!! Remember, though, that I have about 150 pots. I'm going to be busy!
This is from my garden yesterday. Lately, I haven't had many chances to take photos though. Life's been just too busy! February has been unusually cold with strong, gusty winds. As a result, signs of spring have been showing up later than usual, and I have been getting rather impatient. Here and there, plum blossoms have finally started blooming, and I have been checking my plum trees daily. Not yet... Not yet... YES! I have plum blossoms at last! Spring is really here! \(^.^)/
The photo below is the first bloom on a small tree we bought last spring while visiting Awaji Shima. Plum trees can be a little fussy, so I'm pleased that mine survived the winter and seems healthy and happy. Several weeks ago I posted a photo on Facebook of a Dunce Cap succulent in my garden that was producing a death bloom. (See the top photo) This is a tower of buds that indicates the main plant is going to die, but not before producing a lot of seeds. I had never seen this before and so was curious about what would happen next.
Well, it has been so interesting to watch! First, the blooms extended up to the top of the tower and then, over time, proceeded to turn pink and then reddish. (See the last 2 photos.) Currently, all that is left are dried, brown stalks but, of course, all the pups that had been sent out from the old plant are doing well. So, now I know! It's such an interesting plant! We've been enjoying temperatures that hovered around 20C• but the winter winds have finally arrived! Today the high is 13°C and it looks like more of the same ahead. Oh, that wind is strong and cold!
And yet, I still have flowers blooming in my garden! YES! There are just a few purple toadlilies in bloom at the moment. Their season is coming to an end. However, a white and yellow one I bought this year is still blooming away. They are quite small compared to the others and, at first, I wasn't sure if I was going to have any luck. Looks like they really are "late bloomers"! (^.~) |
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I'm a photographer based in Osaka, Japan. I love to take photographs. I like to share.
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