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...

Roots and flowers for the festive season...

Today is the Lunar New Year...
For the Japanese, it is 'setsubun no hi', translated as 'Bean Throwing Festival'...
On this day, the Japanese people eat 'norimaki' (vinegared rice rolled in seaweed), sardines, and throw beans to ward off the devil...
In more down to earth terms, it merely refers to the 'day before the beginning of spring'...
Still, on a personal level, we are very excited to see our Dovre Woodstove (partially) installed on this auspices day...
More on this later on in my other blog...

Ok, now on to the main topic...

Red turnips given to my missus by a neighbor...
They are about the size of ping-pongs, but absolutely crunchy...

We love rosemaries...
There are almost ten species in our potager...
The cutie above is Tuscan Blue...

Think this one is Mrs. Jessops... or is it Miss?
I can't take tea or coffee from the late afternoons...
Their caffeine makes me go sleepless when I should be snoring...
So, I cherish sipping a hot cup of rosemary tea in the evenings...
It soothes the mind and the soul...

Could this be 'fringed' lavendar?
They are flowering so nicely even in the deep of winter...

Japanese 'daikons' (radish) from the potager...
This is the most successful season for me with regards to this root...

My wifey Y requested me to pull them all out...
And had them washed...
After which she cut them up, length-wise...
And had them hung on a string...
We are going to make kimchi pickles out of them after they dry out...

And to close the post, a quick shot at the (common?) geranium...
We thrash them, we pull them out, we leave them on the ground, without giving any care...
Still, there are tons of them in our potager...

Spring gardening...

Once again this year, the Somei-Yoshino sakura tree in our garden did not disappoint.
I have to thank again the previous house owner for planting this ornament almost three decades ago for our enjoyment.

Been spending almost all my 'free' time on gardening... as usual...
Am growing quite a range of vegetables in my patch... sweet potatoes, corn, carrot, onions, okra, buckwheat, various types of leafy greens, potatoes, peanuts (all but one seed was eaten by birds), pumpkin, cucumber, eggplant, bitter gourd, peppers, many strains of chilies (jalapeno, habanero, etc...), tomatoes, various types of beans...

Am immersing myself deeper into 'companion' planting... hence, calendula, dill, coriander, marigold, sunflower, nasturtium, lemon balm, different types of mint, borage, several types of basil, bachelor button, rue, sage, thyme, and some others that are skipping my mind at the moment...

Also in the process of making an 'inventory' of the plants and trees in our garden...
The list is still unfinished but wooh, think it is going to be quite a long list...

Meantime, am enjoying the lavender flowers in the herb patch manned by my missus... the bees seem to love the flowers too...