The Iris garden is in full bloom now but it won’t last much longer – maybe until June 1st. Even though the flowers don’t last too long they are some of the most beautiful and fragrant flowers in the garden. These Iris are commonly called “Flags” or German Iris. Even though they are evergreen they…

Dogwoods are understory trees native to many places in the world. Dawn Gardens has 10 different varieties mostly planted on the south side of the house in the Heather garden on the slope. The following is a video of the Dogwood garden at Dawn Gardens: Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) is native to the Sierras and…

These 2 plants have always confused me because they both have flowers made up of stamens. The main difference is one blooms early in the winter and the other blooms in mid spring. This is Hamamelis intermedia ‘Jelena’ commonly called Witch Hazel. It is a large shrub that can reach 15’. This plant is about…

Camellias are easy to grow large flowering shrubs for part shade. They can reach over 20’ high so give them plenty of room. Camellia japonica ‘Debutante’ is one of the first Camellias to bloom in the winter. It will continue to bloom into mid March. Camellia ‘Enchantress ‘? Camellia japonica ‘Silver Waves’ Camellia japonica ‘Nuccio’s…

Besides Daffodils there are many more spring bulbs that bloom in the garden from February to May. Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) is usually the first bulb to bloom in the season with the possible exception of Paperwhite Narcissus. Iris reticulata Dutch Crocus (Crocus vernus) Common Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) Anemone blandaPurple, white and pink varieties are available….

Our trip today was to Miyajima Island which is one of the most photographed locations in Japan. We took a ferry to the island traveling through Hiroshima Bay. Our first view of the Tori gate was from the water. Itsukushima Shrine The largest structure on the island is the Itsukushima Shrine; it was originally built…

The children of Japan gathered together to make a peace memorial for Hiroshima. They made thousands of paper cranes and delivered them to Hiroshima. They are on display now at the Peace Memorial Park along with a sculpture and a bell. We visited Peace Memorial Park where many memorials are placed in memory of the…

The castle was completed in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu who was the first Shogun. Many important events took place in this palace including, in 1867, the power was handed over to the emperor from the Shogun. That ended 200 years of Japanese isolation from the outside world. This was the beginning of the modernization of…

There’s a 2-3 mile walk from the Silver Pavilion towards Kyōto. What a pleasant walk that was! There is a canal lined with Cherry trees and the breeze is blowing the petals into the water which carries them away. There are many interesting cafes, galleries and shops along the way to make the walk even…

We have arrived in Kyōto and are visiting 3 world known gardens. Ryoanji Temple The pond garden has many beautiful views through the trees. Because of the Cherry trees blooming now this is the best time too see the garden. Ryoanji is most noted for its rock garden which is totally enclosed by a wall….