Plants
Osmanthus fragrans – キンモクセイ – 金木犀
Plant Profile: Osmanthus fragrans Ancient Greek: osmḗ = fragrance, ánthos = flower Latin: fragrans = fragrance English: Sweet olive, tea olive, fragrant olive Flower period in Japan: middle of September – end of October Color of flowers: Orange Soil: rich fertile soil, well drained garden soil Exposition: from sun to shade. Harsh afternoon sun in […]
Plant profile: Lotus
Nelumbo nucifera Hasu – ハス – 蓮 Indian Lotus Originally from India. Height: ~2m Bloom: July Normally, Lotus is frost-resistant as long as the rhizome has 30cm water above it. It likes sandy-clay-soil and needs several days above 20°C to start building flowers. If you want to plant Lotus, do […]
Wisteria in the Ashikaga Flower Park
The Ashikaga Flower Park is one of the top locations to enjoy the flowers of Wisteria floribunda or “Fuji” in Japanese. This park wasn’t famous for Wisteria until Tsukamoto Konami was engaged to think about how to drive more visitors to it. She had the idea to plant many many Wisteria trees to make it […]
Auspicious plants in Japanese garden design
A lot of gardening companies have their signature style, may it be the use of a special plant combination or the use of special materials. My company is using a lot of different materials and plants, and while Mr. Hayano has his very own style, he often becomes a design-chamaeleon to fit the customer’s preferences. […]
The Edible Japanese Garden
On my way to work, I found this tiny little garden. Some usual green in front of an apartment house was what I thought. But then I came closer and realized something… The border was planted with Satsuki azaleas but inside were almost only edible plants! I want to believe that the family which moved […]
Plant portrait: Vitex negundo
Vitex negundo Taiwan ninjin boku – タイワンニンジンボク – 台湾人参木 Five-leaved chaste tree Native to parts of Africa and Asia, including Japan. Height: ~8m Bloom: July – August Sun: Full sun Water: Medium Soil: Medium moisture, well-drained, alkaline Hardiness: Hardy in warm winter climates USDA Hardiness Zone: 6-9 The fabulous tree I found this tree in […]
Japanese lawn – in comparison with western lawns
This topic was requested by one of our readers and I apologize that it took this long until I was able to write about Japanese grass. The one or other, who loves to look at pictures of various japanese gardens, might have seen photos taken in winter, where the grass seemed yellow and dead. Expats, […]
“Weed” is subjective – “Dokudami” in Japan
The first time I came in contact with Houttuynia cordata was during my work in the Botanical Garden in Hamburg / Germany. However, it was not the common one, but the variety “Chameleon”, which is not as vigorous as the normal Houttuynia. Nonetheless, I hated to work inside them because I couldn’t stand the […]
Autumn Flowers in Japan: Higanbana, Hagi, and Kinmokusei
Today I’d like to write about some flowers that mark the arrival of autumn in Japan. As the last blossoms of Sarusuberi (Lagerstroemia indica) fade, new flowers start to appear, signalling the seasonal shift from summer to autumn. Lycoris radiata One of the first is the delicate Higanbana (Lycoris radiata), also known as the red […]