Kamakura is currently awash with suisen – narcissus of many varieties – but the air is filled with the scent of newly flowered ume. The gardener at Hokaiji temple told me just now that the plum blossom is a little earlier than usual this year and few trees are fully out yet but it is amazing how pungent the plum is; acidulous, slightly savoury; poetically severe.. I find that the suisen sometimes take a while to properly fume the atmosphere; startled to be awake, they then, eventually, realize it is time.
I was a little disappointed in Hokaiji, one of the less well known temples just down from the Hachimangu lotus pond. I have always loved it for its rambling, ramshackle, overgrown and even disorderly entanglements – thickets of narcissi, which I was hoping to see today, but it has been overly tidied – made too kempt —a shame ( I used to refer to that particular spot as my own personal garden of eden ). The tranquil, secluded place does still have some lovely corners though
( a highly scented plum blossom tree )
( scentless camellia )
Daigyoji, nestled between municipal buildings, is a very pleasant short cut right in the middle of the city that the local residents seem to love to stroll through ; taking their time and admiring whatever flowers are in season ; here the scent of ume was particularly potent, but also chastened by the narcissus, gently floating about the perimeter
Oh, I know the feeling. My park around the corner went totally Switzerland. That is to say I think they always hoover their mountains extraclean. And the magic just went. Now I imagine it as it was. Just like in an old nursery rhyme by Milne ‘ dreaming of geraniums (?) Red and delphiniums Blue’!
…. how lovely.
Yes. You know exactly what I mean. In place of what I loved before was bare soil and a horrible grey mausoleumish ash receptacle – ‘neat’ – but totally beautyless
As the photos hopefully show though, all was not entirely lost ..
love delphiniums by the way – very enchanting (and slightly mysterious ?) plants in our garden on Dovehouse Lane
Beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing! Right now I wish I lived in Japan.
Yes I was thinking it might give a moment or two of respite ..
Isn‘t it a bit too early for all those flowers blooming?
I mean it is quite wonderful but what will happen if there is lasting snow and ice again?
Yes I was surprised at the bonanza – narcissus and plum will weather a bit of snow if it comes – cherry blossom is the fragile weakling that gets blown away in a jiffy if there is a rainstorm. Osmanthus too