美容柳(ビヨウヤナギ) Chinese hypericum

　セイヨウキンシバイのタイトルで記事を書き始めましたが、この花はビヨウヤナギであることに気が付きました。

　ビヨウヤナギとセイヨウキンシバイの花はよく似ています。この花は、カールして上に伸びた雄しべの先の葯が黄色なので、ビヨウヤナギです。一方、セイヨウキンシバイの葯は赤色で、雄しべは直線的に伸びます。

　I started to write this article under the title of "rose of Sharon," but then I realized that this flower is a Chinese hypericum.

　The flowers of the Chinese hypericum and the rose of Sharon are very similar. This flower is a Chinese hypericum because the anthers at the tip of the curled, upturned stamens are yellow. On the other hand, the anthers of the rose of Sharon are red and the stamens are straight.

Chinese hypericum

rose of Sharon
(C) Copyright 山川草木図譜

風鈴草(フウリンソウ) Canterbury bell

　フウリンソウは上を向いて咲くので、雨が降れば花の中に水が貯まると思います。鹿威しのように時折、お辞儀をして排水しているのでしょうか。

　The flowers bloom facing upwards, so when it rains, water will accumulate inside the flowers. I wonder if they will probably bow at intervals, like a "Shishi-odoshi", to drain the water.

　Shishi-odoshi :

　Originally, it was a device to scare away deer, wild boars, birds, etc. that destroy crops. When water accumulates in the bamboo tube, it tilts due to its weight, and when the water spills, it bounces back and hits the stone, making a sound. 

　It has elegant appearance and the beauty of its sound, so it has come to be incorporated into Japanese gardens, apart from its original purpose.

　 A detailed explanation can be read at the following URL:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shishi-odoshi

金蓮花(キンレンカ) nasturtium

　それほど馴染みのある植物ではないと思います。花と葉、果実、種子は食用になります。

　写真には、いく種類かの葉が写っていますが、左下の蓮の葉のようなのが、金蓮花の葉です。

　I don't think it's a well-known plant in Japan. Blossoms, leaves, fruits and seeds are edible.

　You can see several types of leaves on the picture, the leaves at the bottom left like the lotus leaves is the nasturtium leaves.

吸葛(スイカズラ) honeysuckle

　和名も英名も、密を吸う動作にちなんだ名前です。長いしべが花の形を特徴づけています。

　日本原産の植物で、香りが良いので人気が高く、海外にも広がりましたが、繁殖力が強いので、庭を占領し環境にダメージを与える可能性がある有害雑草に、指定している国もあると聞きました。

　Both the Japanese name and the English name are derived from the action of sucking nectar. Long pistils and stamens characterize the form of the flower.

　This is a plant native to Japan, and it is very popular due to its fragrance and has spread overseas. But I have heard that some countries consider it as an injurious weed because of its strong reproductive power can take over gardens and damage the environment.

オダマキ columbine

　花びらが2段になっているように見えますが、外側のは萼片で、内側の筒状の部分が花弁です。

　The petals appear to be in two stages, but the outer part is the sepal and the inner tubular part is the petal.

タラの芽 sprouts of cod

　毎年、庭で収穫したタラの芽を美味しく食べています。詳しい人から、この木は接ぎ木ですといわれましたが、スパーで売られているタラの芽より、風味と歯ごたえがよく美味しいです。

　Every year, I enjoy eating the sprouts of cod harvested in my garden. A person with much knowledge about the tree said that this tree is a grafted cod tree. However, I feel that it has a better flavor and texture than the stuff sold in a supermarket.

波打つ草 waving grass

　天気の日には、二種類の草はどちらも直立しています。雨が降ると、一方は頑張ることもなく倒れ込み、晴れて暫くすれば元通りに戻ります。他方はいつも直立のままです。

　前者は、刈払機の歯を、しなってよけるので、草刈りに苦労します。

　On sunny days, both grasses are upright. When it rains, one of them falls down without resistance, and it rises up again after a while when it clears up. The other always remains upright.

　The former could elude the teeth of a grass trimmer by bowing, so it's troublesome to mow.