Tokyo’s mild winter is amazing. All these photos of winter flowers are from yesterday, January 20, 2010. Ranging from natural to forced, outdoors to indoors, the flowers include early plum blossom along an urban path to a red tulip in a sidewalk garden, to a mini daffodil at home.
Starting a week ago, this plum tree along a walking path to Nakano JR station began opening its petals. The tree extends from a private garden into a public path. After November and December’s camellias (and my balcony pink camellia is still blooming), the winter plums suggest that there is no month in Tokyo without flowers blooming naturally. My husband saw bright green mejiro birds in the tree later that day.
I also noticed these bright red tulips in a Nakano sidewalk garden that I often pass. It’s the garden that was growing rice in styrofoam containers last year. The gardener has planted some bulbs, but she’s also added some hothouse-forced bulbs to her charming public garden. Because frost is so rare, the tulips can thrive even in mid-winter.
I also saw another neighbor cutting roses from her sidewalk garden. Pansies are also common in winter.
Lastly, inspired by all this winter color, I bought some mini-daffodils for my home. Indoors, they go from bud to bloom incredibly fast. The bright yellow cheers up the apartment and fools me into thinking that spring is not so far away.
What flowers do you enjoy in winter?
Posted by Plum blossoms « Tokyo Green Space on February 22, 2010 at 12:08 am
[...] the pedestrian path leading to the JR station, this plum tree began blooming last month and is still gorgeous. The tree is planted in someone’s back yard, but the canopy hangs [...]
Posted by Summer raspberries in Tokyo « Tokyo Green Space on June 27, 2010 at 2:02 am
[...] gardens. In the past, she has grown rice in a bucket, gorgeous peonies, cymbidium orchids, tulips, roses, hydrangea, and [...]