It looks like the rainy season might have finally hit Tokyo (though only today within this week is currently forecast to rain all day) and the down side of being unable to do anything outdoors is being able to get the chance to delight in garden and the flocks of birds in Kangaeroo Corner. Although we legitimately get a lot of birds visit the garden over the winter, where the Fountain of Strewth provides a much-needed source of drinking water for our avian mates, it’s rarer to have birds in the garden other than the permanent flock on decoration. And…
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It’s a sodden day with rain punctuated by drizzle, but the flowers in Kangaeroo Corner are brightening an otherwise bleak day. The grevillea are simply gorgeous and our star tree is filling with flowers that I have to learn to deadhead so that we get even more. Snow in the summer made its first appearance for the year. More white came from the willow bottlebrush. And the linear-leaf grevillea, which has now been blooming for months. Perhaps an unsung star of Kangaeroo Corner is the coastal rosemary, which has also been consistently in bloom since pretty much the start of…
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One of my great delights over the past few years has become gardening, and unaccustomedly I’ve taken on numerous challenges, including growing plants from seeds, and the kangaroo paws I wanted to bloom and flourish more than any other plant have started to flower. I picked up dozens of different types of seeds when I last visited Australia in September-October 2022. I started growing them in February 2023. I’ve now got about half-a-dozen blooming in the garden, either in pots or planted in the ground. All but one is orange. Many of the seeds germinated and propagated, but of the…
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Blessed with great company, brilliant sunshine and time, Kangaeroo got to enjoy the unexpected pleasure of HANA BIYORI. HANA BIYORI is a new type of botanical garden that forms part of the sprawling entertainment complex centered around Yomiuriland in the Tokyo suburb of Inagi. HANA BIYORI was a delight simply to see all the vibrant spring flowers in bloom in a pretty park with lots of greenery, water and the occasional spectacular view. The site also has a magnificent projection mapping show on the half-hour every hour during operation. Also on site are stores with some interesting house plants on…