Sakuras 2013 in full bloom...

The 'amateur-farmer' in me had been rather (foolishly, I'd add) unconcerned with the significance of the frost dates in the region...

So it was quite a wake-up call for me as I finally come to my senses, taking note of the frost warning on 19th April... 

Yes, frost on 19th April for a location that falls under USDA Zone 9...

Now, I have to keep this date in mind for my future seed germination plans and planting schedules...

Anyway this year, we are blessed once again, with the sakura blooms in our garden...

The above shot is that of the 'shidare' sakura, my favorite...

Another shot of the 'shidare'....

Ok, I placed the photos in reverse order... this shot shows the 'shidare' as they began to bloom.... their colors are deeper at this beginning stage...

This specimen is the 'somei yoshino', which is used as the 'standard bearer' to denote the blooming dates throughout Japan...

The 'somei yoshino' tree, in portrait style... 

Another angle of the 'somei yoshino'...

The 'somei yoshino' and our house, shot from a distance... 

For more pictures of the sakuras in the neighborhood and the hills, please see here....

Mimosa acacia in full bloom...

The mimosa acacia is native to Australia, especially New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania...

Years ago, when we moved here, I found some seedlings growing in our property...

I picked them up, transplanted them, and wooh, what a surprise...

They bloom in spring over here, and we really like the fluffy, puffy, and fragrant flowers...

I find them to be difficult photo subjects, especially the close-ups, but these few picks are quite decent shots... no?

(P.S. Notice the wild sakuras blooming in the hills at the background.)

Manuka flowers...

Posted once before on this plant (see here)...

We have two such plants and they come under of the care of my suweeto haato...

Native to New Zealand and southeast Australia... 

Scientific name is 'Leptospermum scoparium' and the common name ranges from manuka, manuka myrtle, New Zealand tea-tree, to broom tea-tree...

The Japanese name is 'Gyo-ru bai' and although pronounced similarly, the characters takes four different forms  (1)ギョリュウバイ（2)檉柳梅 (3)魚柳梅 (4)御柳梅... 

A bit confusing isn't it?

The famous manuka honey gets its name from this plant/flower...

Now, if only I can get into bee-keeping...

The leaves can also be used as tea although our plants are still a bit too small for leaf-harvesting...

Carrots, radish, broccoli...

Today is vernal or spring equinox and Japan celebrates it as a national holiday... 

Which means I get to dirty my hands in the potager... 

and also that the weather is warming up for good.... yahoooo....

But hmmm, my carrots this season... rather pathetic...

They are smallish, under-nourished, and somewhat 'un-luscious' looking...no?

Anyway, harvested a bunch of them today...

And into the pot of beef curry for dinner this evening...

Luckily, the taste was quite good...

The other harvest is the radish or daikon as the Japanese folks call it...

Had it with miso soup before the beef curry main course... nice...

I always grow my broccolli and cauliflower in the autumn for harvesting the following spring...

Almost always, the broccoli wins hands down...

The cauliflower is normally measly and ooh... I should be putting in fertilizer for the poor plant....

Anyway, my suweeto haato just boiled the broccoli lightly... tasted extremely fresh and crunchy...

Loquat leaf tea...

We have three loquat trees in our property...

All thanks to the previous owners...

They give very good fruits... sweet, plump, and juicy...

All these, with minimum care...

(See here for photos of loquat fruits from our garden)

Last autumn, decided to trim the plants...

And why not put the leaves into good use, I asked myself...

Such as a herbal tea...

So I had some of them hanging out to dry...

And yes, this is the tea from loquat leaves... 

My missus just put a few of the leaves into a clay pot and let the pot sit for several hours on top of our wood stove each evening...

The taste resembles that of Rooibos tea, I'd say... refreshing and nice...

Apparently, the leaves are a good source of calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium and vitamins A and C.

Loquat tea is supposed to be good for gastrointestinal issues like indigestion and diarrhea.
 

There are claims that loquat tea fights against type 2 diabetes as the leaves contain a compound called tormentic acid, which increases insulin production. 

Furthermore, there are also claims that loquat tea has anti-cancer properties...

Throughout the winter, we have been boiling a pot of loquat tea each evening... 

We use about three quarters of it for our hot bath, and I drink the remaining one quarter the next day...

I like the taste of it and best of all, I like the tea that I can source from my own garden...