椿(ツバキ) camellia

　ツバキは、冬の花という印象ですが、春まで咲いています。木へんに春と書くので当然といえば当然です。

　Camellias may seem like flowers that bloom in winter, but they actually bloom until spring. The Chinese character (椿) for a camellia is a combination of tree (木) and spring (春), so it is not surprising.

花まつり hana-matsuri (anniversary of the birth of Buddha)

　4月8日は、お釈迦さまの誕生日と言われています。

　同じ日は、忠犬ハチ公の日でもあります。生まれた日でも、亡くなった日でもなく、銅像が建てられた日なのです。

　According to tradition, Buddha was born on April 8th.

　The same day is also the day of the faithful dog Hachiko. Since it is neither the day of his birth nor the day of his death, but the day when his statue was erected, April 8th has been designated as the day of the faithful dog Hachiko. There is a statue of the faithful dog Hachiko, which almost all Japanese people know, in front of Shibuya Station in Tokyo.

陽光(ヨウコウ) yoko

　濃いピンク色が、ひときわ人目を引く桜です。桜では初めて、種苗登録された品種でもあります。

　種苗登録とは、種苗法に基づく制度であり、花や農作物などの新品種の開発者に独占的な権利を与え、品種と開発者を守る制度です。乱暴に言ってしまえば、特許のような制度です。従って有効期間があります。

　The deep pink color of the cherry blossoms is very eye-catching. This variety of cherry blossom has been registered as seed and seedling for the first time in Japan.

　Seed and seedling registration is a system based on the Seeds and Seedlings Act, which gives exclusive rights to those who develop new varieties of flowers, agricultural crops, etc., and protects the varieties and their developers. To be straightforward, it's a system similar to patent rights. Therefore, it has a validity period.

registration certificate

早咲きの桜 early blooming cherry tree

　カワヅザクラは、早咲きの桜です。もう、実がなり始めています。

　Kawazu-zakura is an early-blooming cherry tree. It has already begun to bear fruits.

越の彼岸桜 (コシノヒガンザクラ) koshino-higan-zakura

　コシノヒガンザクラは、エドヒガンザクラの交配種といわれていますが、両者にはそれぞれに個体差があるので、私には違いを見分けるのは難しいです。分類は忘れて、ただ花を愛でるのが吉です。

　Koshino-Higanzakura and Edo-Higanzakura are both types of cherry trees.

　Koshino-Higanzakura is said to be a hybrid of Edo-Higanzakura

It's not easy for me to tell the difference between the two, since there are individual differences both of the two. I'm happy to forget about classification and just admire flowers.

木瓜 (ボケ) flowering quince

　花びらの色が、赤、白、ピンクと単色のものがあり、さらに赤白の２色が入り混じったのも加わり、華やかに咲いています。

　In addition to single-colored petals of red, white, and pink, there are also petals with a mixture of red and white. They are creating a gorgeous bloom.

山桜(ヤマザクラ) yamazakura (Cerasus jamasakura, or wild cherry tree)

　花が葉より先に咲くソメイヨシノとは異なり、ヤマザクラは、花と葉が同時に成長する特徴があります。遠くから見た目の美しさは、ヤマザクラに比べ花だけ咲くソメイヨシノに軍配があがります。ソメイヨシノが広まる江戸中期以前は、花見と言えば、ヤマザクラを愛でることでした。

　Unlike Yoshino cherry, whose flowers bloom before the leaves,Yamazakura , grows flowers and leaves at the same time. The beauty of appearance from a distance, Yoshino cherry with only flowers in bloom is superior to Yamazakura. Before the mid-Edo period, when Yoshino cherry became pervasive, cherry blossom viewing meant admiring wild cherry blossoms.