Easter Sunday

We don't celebrate Easter in Japan.

All I know about Easter is bunny, egg, and chocolate.
Oh, I forgot about Easter egg artist, that I filmed about.
How awful am I not remembering anything else about Easter?
I even interviewed him.... Memory loss again.

Anyway, weather is extremely changeable these days.
Sun, cloud, thunder, rain, thunder, sun, cloud, rain....
It's spring, man.

Wow, Sakura fruits are forming! didn't see it for a longest time! 

Dunno what kind of fruit it is...

After Sakura season, Fuji - Wisteria, brings news of summer

Azaleas

Found it

Yes, it was trimmed.

I was walking back home through a park near by.
All the Sakura petals fell. So did their stems, which make grounds red.
It's the condition of Sakura I don't like most.
The red colour looks rusted. Gross.
But new born leaves are so green and look vibrant.

Then I found some trees were already trimmed.
Yes, they were trimmed!

Somebody trimmed new branches growing from trunk and exposed roots.

I wasn't sure when they cut it but it's worth try.

 Ta dah! New branches are already big!

My new pot ; Styrofoam box of sea weed

Take leaves out, cut, and soak them in water for 3 hours or so.

Ta dah! ... Maybe I did too much?

I took cuttings' leaves away, following instructions. 
They all look the same and boring really.

Well, they would grow roots if it thrives....
I was already impatient pulling them out to check if they thrived. Oh, no! 
But my friend told me not to... 
But then, how will you know they grow roots?

Patience

Finally I pulled them out to check the roots.

Ughhh, I knew I shouldn't have done it but I did!
But they haven't thrived yet!!
Yeah, I knew it...

According to instruction, they thrive after 2 or 3 months.
I can't wait that long!

Two different colours, pink and white, from one trunk.

April 12th

Sakura

You are supposed to cut leaves of the cuttings... it makes you think it's better to leave them like that because those leaves look vibrant. Also, I felt bad for cutting them.

I noticed that leaves of the one on left weren't good. Hmmm... Finally I cut the leaves. But only of left one. Should I cat all the leaves?? Not sure about that.

Unknown tree, Ume, Japanese Maple (from left)

They all look vibrant.

Hmmm, I want to look at the roots.... Hmmmmm.....

Patience, patiene....

April 11th

Sunny, warm like 18 degrees.
They say I have to water them well so I water them everyday. It's amazing that I'm taking care of something everyday. It's a miracle.

Sakura; 3 pots from left. Ume; 2nd from right. Japanese maple from right. The mysterious one; 3rd from right looks growing faster.
But it doesn't mean they are growing roots, I guess??

Sakura and cats

There is Heiwa (peace) Park in my neighbourhood.

It's about 147 hectare and there are eucalyptus greenhouse for Koalas, 2300 Sakura trees and cemeteries for people.

Nagoya city humane center is located in north of Heiwa Park. They protect and train abandoned pets, and make opportunities for visitors to play with dogs and cats. I have visited them time to time since my childhood. For the pet person who can't have pets at home like me, this center is like a dreamland. Yet, they carry too many cats so they are always hoping more people, responsible people to adopt cats.

Last Saturday, I was walking to Heiwa park passing humane center by, and I saw a girl sitting and watching several stray cats, near pond after the humane center. It was the first time to see stray cats there and immediately I thought that somebody is feeding them there. Same old story. Some of them were very skinny and their coat of fur looked...bad. One black skinny cat had a flat sagging tummy.

Here she came, mommy with food on bicycle, saying

"Oh, did you all wait? Do these girls not feed you and just watch?"

One older guy came and started talking to the woman. They seemed to know each other through cats.

"Oh, this one(cat) gave birth the other day. I couldn't have her fixed. How can I? I don't have...blah blah blah..."

OK, bitch. What did you do with those kittens? To humane center right behind? That's so convenient!

I hate irresponsible people who just feed stray animals and keep multiplying misery. Then, what, she excused her stupidity and blamed us for not giving them food!? Give me a break!

I was fuming with anger but didn't want to give lesson to stupid person like her because I know these people who feed stray animals will never change their opinion.

So I left for Sakura blossoms.

 The sign says "Don't leave any food for hygienic reason"

Sakura calmed me down

Blossom and flower

Blossom is a term given to the flowers of stone fruit trees and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. (from Wikipedia)

Higashiyama Zoo 東山公園

Recently, I discovered a strong preference of my interests.

I love blossoms of trees but am not interested in flowers that grow on the ground... much.

It also means that I like trees. Yes, I do. I like Japanese maples in fall.

That's a great discovery.

April 6th

I love bonsai.

Especially, the one twisted with died trunk. Looks so cool.
It has own small universe in it.

Well, why don't I make one or two or more with my cuttings?
Yeah, that will be cool.

By funny chance, I watched about bonsai on TV.
They were so beautiful and damn expensive!
4 million yen!? That'll be like CDN$48000!
and they said it's 400 years old... Huh, I'll be deader than dead by then.

I decided to plant them outside if they grow.

 It looks fine

I separated them in two

 What kind of tree would this be??

 Ume looks fine too!

Japanese maple looks fine but maybe they are too thin?

April 5th

I love Japanese maple. Yeah, I do.

If you are not into trees, it's almost impossible to find Japanese maple in early spring. Because they don't have leaves.

Miracle exists. City put the label on it.
Then, I "trimmed" it. It seems like cuttings of Ume and maple don't need any chemical to protect their cuttings unlike Sakura. Also, their middle part will grow roots. I don't know why but that's what I read.

Japanese maple

April 2nd

I'm not a gardener.
I was never a gardener. Not even interested.
I thought if you cut branches with a sharp knife and put them in a vase, of course with water in it, some cuttings will grow their roots... Ah...mm, guess not?

I went to a book store just to check if my project is on the right track.
Gardening book denied my common sense.

I ran to the home center. What I need is,
1. some chemical stuff to protect cuttings from rotting(don't have English word),
2. planters,
3. soil.
and I had none of them.

I couldn't find that chemical stuff, instead, I got a powder that grows roots faster. I got a pack of black  cups for plants (don't even know name in Japanese) that usually plants are sold in at home center, and soil for seeds and cuttings of plants.

In total, it was $8. Yeah, I'm cheap.
I don't want to spend money on things that may not grow, man!!

cutting from unknown tree...

 cuttings from Ume tree that I got on the way home....

Mom got inspired to get Sakura... mom, THAT's a crime!! You, bastard!! 

April 1st

Spring brings a good news and a bad news. Topics are always hay fever and Sakura. Everybody hates cedar and loves Sakura. We check "pollen warning" and "Sakura front" in weather news and prepare for next day.

Sakura, cherry blossom is a symbol of spring, beginning of life, and my country, Japan. It's traditional and cultural no matter what. I mean, who on earth dislikes Sakura in Japan? I haven't heard of anyone dislike Sakura in my entire life.

As I was walking in my neighbourhood, I saw lots of leaf buds sticking out from thick Sakura's trunk. Always leaf buds grow on its trunk and blossoms bloom faster than others on its branches.  Suddenly, one idea struck on me.

"The new branches will be trimmed in summer anyway. Why don't I "trim" and thrive them now!?"

Cutting Sakura trees is a crime. Yes, it's a crime and a BIG one.

Sakura is our heart. Nobody are allowed to cut them...but to trim after blossoms are gone.

I looked around, checked nobody watching me, crouched down, grabbed a small branch and "trimmed" it.

I "trimmed" 3 brand-new Sakura branches and 1 branch from "unknown tree".

Nobody noticed. Yeah, of course. Who would think that somebody cut Sakura without standing and stretching arms??

Can you see how new branches grow from trunk and the part near roots?