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May Trees

Redbud 'Flame Thrower' (Cercis canadensis) As May comes to an end, I thought I would share some trees that look good now.  First, the insanely beautiful 'Flame Thrower' redbud. I always hesitate to praise this tree because of their finicky nature. So far, so good on this one which is near our front door.  Snowbell and 'Wolf's Eyes' Dogwood in the background The Snowbell tree ( Styrax japonica ) has been spectacular for many weeks. I was up on the roof of the garden shed this morning and got an aerial view of it. It looks so much larger from above. The blooms are so heavy that the branches are bending down. A few years ago, I recall standing underneath it and the roar from bees buzzing around it was deafening. Last week, I was saddened to hear no bees at all. Fortunately, there are some a week later but not nearly as many as in the past. On the opposite side is 'Wolf's Eye' Dogwood ( Cornus kousa ) which always delivers. This is a small dogwood c...
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Garden at the Grand Prince Takanawa Hotel


The Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa was our arrival hotel in Tokyo. Everyone was arriving at different times, some two days before, others one day before the official start of the tour. I was two days early so I spent two nights here before everyone left for Kyoto. Not much fanfare was given about the hotel garden in our itinerary, except to note that "there is a garden adjacent to the hotel". And what a lovely garden it was!

Very well-tended (it was rare to see a garden there that was not), it was larger than expected.

It was quite spectacular at night when it was lit up - a great introductory garden for our tour.














There was a massive arrangement in the hotel lobby. On the second day, an employee was trimming back some of the limbs.



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonNovember 30, 2024 at 9:23 AM

    It's an impressive garden for a hotel - and that's probably the best koi pond I've ever seen.

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  2. tz_gardenDecember 1, 2024 at 8:04 AM

    Gorgeous! How lovely to have a garden right there at the hotel to walk around. It looks like the weather was nice, too.

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    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverDecember 1, 2024 at 8:07 AM

      Yes, we were lucky with the weather. It rained the night I arrived and the day I left. In between, 60s and 70s.

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    2. HummingbirdDecember 2, 2024 at 9:31 PM

      What a lovely garden, and truly beautiful at night, Phillip!

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