Japanese Plants in our Garden

Our blog-friend Hero, who lives in Japan, inspired me to find out what plants in our garden are from Japan.

Acer Palmatum, Japanese Maple.



I have fond childhood memories of a Japanese maple. These trees have such lovely color!

I would like to trim the branches so that the tree looks more like a bonsai. Also so that I can get to the spigot without hitting my head.


Pachysandra terminalis, Pachysandra



This ground-cover grows where little else will: under our deck!


Hosta





Deer love to eat hosta, but so far they have only nibbled at our hostas a little.


Cornus Kousa, Kousa Dogwood







The flowers were lovely earlier in the year. Now the strange red fruits are even lovelier. They look like katamari. And they are edible! But alas, they have an uninteresting flavor, somewhat bitter, and the texture is unpleasant – rubbery on the outside, and like a gritty orange custard inside. Perhaps the flavor can be improved by cooking.

But I am happy to have yet another edible plant in the yard, even though I don’t like the taste. Perhaps the birds will enjoy the fruit.