May in Tokyo is usually my favorite time of year because it is customarily warm, dry and sunny, perhaps coming closest to what I imagine were the seemingly endless summer days of my childhood in Australia. But this year, the weather has been a bit bleak with more overcast days and cooler, cloudier days than I’d usually associate with the normally idyllic lead-up to the rainy season. Fortunately, the flowers have come to the fore to provide some brightness.
Our grevillea has flourished and keeps spurting forth flower after flower, bringing immense delight as it has done since we planted the garden.
Another superstar this year, albeit a bit less subtle, has been the white paperbark teatree, which has also produced a series of delightful white and yellow-tinged blossoms.
The callistemon has done less well, at least compared with previous years, blooming strongly but briefly. The neighborhood has some magnificent specimens that I love to see, but I think I harmed out plant by pruning too heavily in a fit of over-enthusiasm this time last year.
We’re finally seeing some signs of blooming with our kangaroo paw, but they have been very slow to emerge. Bugs destroyed last year’s stars and it looks like I will need to replace the dirt they had been planted in.
Friends who received plants from us have done much better! It warms my heart to see them blooming and bringing joy to others, and no amount of gloomy weather can put a dampener on that.
