咲いています

Perennial Okinawa flowers are brilliant against the grey sky

morning_glory_okinawa_purple

毎朝、灰色の空を背景に、この琉球アサガオが明るく咲いています。5年間くらい、この紫色の花がグリーンカーテンをきれいにしてくれています。

I love this Okinawa morning glory that I’ve been growing on my balcony for years. Even after a hard trim last fall, it’s back and blooming every morning. The flowers are brilliant against the grey sky.

Common hedge gets bigger and even flowers on Tokyo balcony

kananemochi_flowers_balcony_nakano

今年はベランダのカナメモチが咲いています。育てやすい植物で、どんな形にも剪定できます。東京の路地のどこにでもあります。ベランダにもいいと思います。 

Everywhere in Tokyo you see this evergreen hedge plant called kanamemochi (カナメモチ, or Photinia glabra). In spring, the new leaves are red. This year our balcony bush flowered for the first time. I highly recommend growing this bush anywhere in Tokyo. It requires very little care and can be shaped easily.