Happy New Year 2011!

Hi everyone,

I hope that everyone will have a good 2011!

I just finished sowing my rose seeds at the end of December. Usually I wait until around the end of January and sow the seeds directly outside, but this time I had to sow them earlier than normal. It's my fault; I didn't harvest the hips before the first hard frost came, and I was afraid that if I just took the hips and put them in the refrigerator for two months, they might rot.

I hope that they will be ok...

The picture above is one of the seedlings that I have high hopes for (I mark those seedlings with pink tags. :) ).

My Parents' Garden was Featured in a Japanese Garden Magazine!

It's been a while since I last posted - it's amazing how fast time goes by! I actually wrote this post at the end of August, so I guess it's about time I put it up. :)

***

I just got a package from my parents in Japan full of my favorite snacks! It also contained a copy of a well-known Japanese gardening magazine (published by NHK, the Japanese national public TV station). I was very impressed to see that my parents' garden in Japan was featured in the magazine!

To be honest, I was amazed to see how their garden looks when it's in full bloom. I have never seen it myself in person, since they built their current house well after I got married and came to the US.

This is the cover of the magazine. ("Shumi no Engei" [Hobbyist's Garden], August 2010)

The pink rose in the lower right of the picture below was bred by my brother (Spanish Beauty x Shocking Blue). He originally named it after my mother, but when my Dad complained, he changed it to be named after both of them. :)

I'm a bit jealous that his rose was featured in a national magazine before mine!

My parents garden in June 2010. The pink climbing rose is 'Spanish Beauty.'

Here are some other roses that they grow. Left to right, top to bottom: Blue Moon, Julia's Rose, Misty Purple (a Japanese rose), Hot Cocoa, Lavender Pinocchio.

And here are some rose growing tips from my Dad. (You'll have to translate these yourself. :) )

I have never been in their garden when the roses are in full bloom, but from this picture, it looks pretty impressive!