Today we drove by a rose garden not far from our home. Whenever I pass it, whether I'm on the car or on the train, I always make a point of checking to see if there are any roses blooming. The rose season usually finishes towards the end of November but although today is December 12, there were still roses blooming! Not a lot, of course, but still... I'm originally from Canada where this time of year brings snow and cold and so, even after all these years in Japan, the fall blooming season continues to delight me. It always seems miraculous!
This rose was blooming in the Nakanoshima Rose Garden in central Osaka, in mid-November.
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Every year the local ward office gives away 1,000 rose bushes. People who live in the ward can apply and the winners are chosen in a lottery. We applied 2 years in a row and had luck both times! This is the one my husband won. It's called "Blue Moon".
I've had a lot of trouble with my roses this year and, at one point, I wasn't sure our "Blue Moon" was going to survive. Thinking the end was near, I put it in a corner of the garden and left it alone. (At that point I had done everything I could.) To my relief, it continued to grow, then produced buds, and finally bloomed just a few days ago. I'm so pleased! (There are 2 rose season here in Japan: late spring and fall.) Oh, my goodness! It's been 6 months since my last update and blog post! My apologies. That was not the plan. Like most of you, my life was turned upside down with the arrival of the corona virus. Thankfully, my husband and I have remained safe and healthy, and we were both fortunate enough to be able to work from home. However, sitting at a computer all day meant that once my work was finished I had no interest in spending any more time at my computer editing photographs or writing blog posts. I also didn't leave my house for weeks on end so photo opportunities were few and far between. In fact, I don't think I even picked up my camera for several months. Thankfully, although life is not yet back to "normal", we can now be out and about (with masks and social distancing, of course) and I'm starting to use my camera again. I'm hoping to start posting more regularly. Wish me luck! (^.~)/
(This rose is from the rose garden in Nakanoshima in central Osaka. Many of the roses were blooming in the end of October.) I don't think I will ever quite get over the fact that Japan has two rose seasons - one in the spring and one in the fall. Of course, not all roses will bloom in both seasons, but the fact that there are any roses blooming at all in the fall always seems miraculous to me. Of course, it could also have something to do with the fact that the place I'm originally from has already had serious snow! (^.~)
The rose garden I visited today was not at it's best. The sky was grey and overcast, and many of the roses were overblown and brown around the edges. However, with a little perseverance I found some lovely ones tucked away here and there. Here's one of them... |
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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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