Double planting for winter and spring Tokyo balcony

一つのプランターに冬と春用の植物を植えました。今は、ファーマーズマーケットからの赤色のレタス、水菜、そして春菊があって、その下でチューリップの球根が眠っています。冬でも、ベランダで野菜ができれば素晴らしいと思います。

This double planting features winter leaf vegetables and spring tulips. There’s red leaf lettuce, mizuna, and shungiku, an edible chrysanthemum. My mother-in-law reports that the balcony shungiku tastes “better than Rainbow Grocery vegetables in San Francisco.” I found the leaf vegetables at the Aoyama UN Farmers market stall that sells heirloom starter plants for 100 yen.

Marigolds provide spots of color in hand-made ceramics

スーパで１００円で買ったマリーゴールドはきれいな色です。５年前に、手仕事屋久家で、このしっかりとした陶芸の植木鉢を作りました。

These were some of the first ceramic flowerpots I made at my in-laws studio, Kuge Crafts. Here I’ve added some bright yellow and orange marigolds that I picked up at the nearby supermarket for 100 yen each. The ceramic are thick and heavy, which makes them ideal for a sometimes windy location. And the white glaze makes them easy to match with different flowers and herbs.