Flowers in the rainy season...

We are in the midst of the rainy season...
Incidentally, Typhoon Number 4 is currently scraping over the Japanese archipelago as I blog, bringing with it much rain and strong winds...
Luckily, our place is not along its path...



And yes, rainy season in Japan is the season to enjoy the blooms of Ajisai (hydrangea)...
The first specimen was given to us by a neighbor the other day...

I actually prefer the other type of ajisai that the Japanese folks call gaku-ajisai (gaku = frame, as in picture frame)...

Apparently, the real flowers are those dotty little things in the middle area...

Rather intriguing, don't you think?

My sweeto haato takes care of mainly herbs and flowers (while I do vegetables and fruits)...

Here, I was privileged to capture one of her creations (of roses and English lavender)...

Some years ago, I tried sowing some edible chrysanthemum seeds...
Thereafter, they self-seed and I really do not have to do much except harvesting them...

They are an excellent vegetable to eat...

And after the eating is done, they provide plentiful flowers that are so pretty...

And once again, I was delighted to be able to capture yet another arrangement made by my missus...

Potager Y on a hot, humid summer's day...

Been really busy with work lately....

It is during times like this when I ask myself, 'now why didn't I choose to become a full time farmer?'...

I have full freedom to decide how I want to work, when I wish to work, and nobody (except my sweeto haaato of course) tells me what to do...

Hee hee hee, now wouldn't that be nice...

If only I have the courage to decide so... :)

Ok folks, you will all have to forgive me while I put up some 'not-so-nice' pictures...

I worked last Sunday, and I am taking today (Wednesday) off...

Had planned to shoot some pictures with the 'real' camera but unfortunately I left it at my office...

So, I am making do with a point and shoot camera for these pics...  

Well, my cute little plants are growing...

Cucumbers (the Japanese and the US types), jalapeno chillies, nasturtiums red and yellow, few types of tomatoes, zucchinis, pumpkins yellow and green, sweet corn, basil of the sweet and Thai types, dill, marigolds and zinnias aplenty, rows of coriander, Malabar spinach red and green, kangkong, long beans, wing beans, fuji beans, loofa Egyptian and angled, the long-slender-green-real bitter gourd, butter scotch pumpkin, green beans, sweet potatoes, the normal potatoes just about ready for harvesting, peanuts that are starting to flower, bell peppers, amaranth red and green, Korean shiso or Perilla aka Beefsteak plant, Japanese yams of the round and long type, mini watermelons, okra, chard... did I miss anything?

We obtained some Black-eyed Susan seeds from an elderly lady on one of our walks in the neighborhood...

Took us more than two years to get them to flower in our potager...

Harvested some onions some time ago...

Had been hanging them out in the shade to dry them for use during the rainy day...

The Japanese folks call these hydrangea beauties, 'Ajisai'...

Of the several types in our property, this is my favorite...

And the tiger lily....

When we are done with enjoying the flowers, it is time to harvest the edible root-bulbs...

That is, if the wild boars do not get to harvest them first...