bottle brush

  • Suburban Tokyo’s Little Slice Of The Godzone

    Aussies like to call our country the Godzone, a corruption of the phrase “God’s Own Country,” and we’ve been lucky enough to replicate a little bit of that zone in the suburbs of Tokyo. Thanks to the talents of the amazing Alex Endo, Japan’s premier author on Australian plants and designer of gardens using Aussie natives, we have an incredible Aussie garden. Late spring in the lead-up to the rainy season is when the garden puts on its finest show. Nearly everywhere is lush and green. But there is also an explosion of color and beauty as the flowers spring forth. We have the scarlet of the callistemon. The burning…

  • Brushing Up All Right

    Our bottle brush has finally burst into bloom, and what a glorious show she is putting on for us! Mrs. Kangaeroo has let loose with her amazing talents again and made plenty of bouquets using the delightfully scarlet flowers, and now I’ll deliver some to Mother-in-Law Kangaeroo to mark Mother’s Day, as it is here in Japan and in many other parts of the world today. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums around the world, and heartfelt thanks to my mum, who’s still kicking on (and probably will be for eternity the way she’s going).

  • Summertime Blues….er, Browns?

    Summer in Tokyo this year was just how I like it: boiling hot and dry, probably the driest I have experienced in 35 years of living in the Japanese capital. But while I loved the heat, my garden in Kangaeroo Corner had mixed feelings, especially the lawn that went from vibrant green to burned brown. Trees thrived! Most delightedly, the jacaranda we had written off as dead in the spring powered back into life and is now one of the tallest growths on the block. The “branch” silver wattle goes from strength to strength and the golden wattle beside it is flourishing. All the grevilleas, bottle brush and myrtles grew…