Plants for the Japanese garden do not necessarily have to be of Japanese origin, especially since the vast majority of these island sissies simply will not survive in our climate.
But many of our plants are perfect for the Japanese garden, and the style of the latter will not cause any doubt.
Its skeleton, like many other gardens, is made up of trees and shrubs. Among them, maples, small-leaved rhododendrons and numerous forms of conifers are undoubtedly in the forefront.
The main mass will be herbaceous perennials, many of which are so strongly associated with the Japanese garden that it is inconceivable to imagine that there would not be room for at least some of them in the newly created Japanese garden.
Iris
First of all, this is, of course, irises.
All types of irises are suitable for the Japanese garden, but first of all we are usually talking about large-flowered species of irises, for example, iris xiphoid, its other name is Kaempfer's iris (Iris ensata, Iris kaempferi).
They prefer moist, slightly acidic soil and thrive well along the banks of natural and artificial reservoirs, and they can be safely planted so that the rhizome is located below the water level.
Astilbe
Astilbe- a favorite color accent in the Japanese garden.
For a Japanese garden, Thunberg astilbe (Astilbe thunbergii), Arends astilbe (Astilbe X arendsii), Japanese astilbe (Astilbe X japonica), hybrid astilbe (Astilbe X hybrida) and others are suitable.
It develops well and blooms in partial shade and does not require special care.
Currently, there are countless varieties that differ in flower color (from white to dark purple), in the height of leaves and inflorescences, in relation to light, timing and duration of flowering. Choose according to your taste.
Snooze
Everyone knows common snot- a plant from the umbrella family, the most common phenomenon under the canopy of our broad-leaved forests. Those whose gardens are located on rich neutral loamy soils know well what a malicious weed this is.
The gooseberry tolerates fairly dense shade. But we mentioned it in connection with its cultivated form with white-edged leaves - Aegopodium podagraria "Variegata".
It occupies the same ecological niche: it prefers light partial shade, does not like acidic soils, and spreads just as quickly, but, fortunately, not as aggressively as its wild relative.
In its appearance, it is very suitable for a Japanese corner and, indeed, is quite often used in real Japanese gardens.
Hellebore
Hellebore(for example, black hellebore - Helleborus niger) is an amazing early flowering plant, undeservedly rarely found in our gardens.
Its white, greenish or reddish “petals” sometimes last for several months. In some species, the leaves go green under the snow and remain until spring; they are equally beautiful in spring dew and autumn frost.
Day-lily
Everyone knows (at least externally) daylilies Hemerocallis (Hemerocallis) can quickly fill troubled corners with its long, cheerful green lanceolate leaves.
Thanks to their fine openwork structure, these East Asian newcomers look harmonious in Japanese gardens even in small quantities, but are especially good in masses.
Among the numerous hybrids (Hemerocallis X hybrida), the variety of shades of their ephemeral flowers is enormous, from pale yellow to wine red, but we recommend using specific daylilies, first of all, the rather large brown-yellow daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) and the graceful small daylily ( Hemerocallis minor) with fragrant flowers.
Can't help but mention to the host, or function (Hosta). When used skillfully, hostas, like no other plants, can add an oriental flavor to your garden. It is not for nothing that many types of hosta come from Japan and China.
They are unpretentious, surprisingly varied in size and color of leaves and retain their decorative effect for a long time. Perhaps their only drawback is the long time it takes to become “decorative” in the spring: the leaves unfold as if reluctantly, and the plant takes on a finished appearance only by mid-June. One feels that they come from a milder climate.
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Peony
The herbaceous peonies that we are used to (with huge double flowers) look too “flashy” in the Japanese garden. It is better to select wild-growing species of peonies, for example, thin-leaved peony (Paeonia tenuifolia), Delaway peony (Paeonia delavayi), Veitch peony (Paeonia veitchii), and other peonies with simple flowers belonging to the group of so-called imperial, or Japanese, peonies with flowers exquisite in their simplicity.
(Paeonia suffruticosa) deserve special attention, especially since they come from Japan.
We have mentioned only a few bright plants with which you can easily and quickly achieve the desired effect. But it is not at all necessary to follow our recommendations exactly.
Imbued with the idea of a Japanese garden, you will certainly feel which plants will be most suitable in the conditions of your “miniature Japan”.
Of course, only your own taste and artistic flair (and some perseverance) will lead to a result that you can be proud of.
After all, we should never forget our common goal - to make life more beautiful - and the pleasure we get from playing with our gardens.
You can arrange a garden in a suburban area for different purposes. Some people create it for contemplation, while others think of a place to relax with a perfectly smooth lawn and fruit-bearing trees. Today, the traditions of other countries, in particular the cultural characteristics of Japan, are very popular.
When creating a Japanese garden, one must not forget that this style involves the use of the maximum amount of materials of natural origin. In addition to Japanese cuisine, entertainment and cinema, Japan is famous for its incredible gardens, the consistency and harmony of which never ceases to amaze.
If you are crazy about Japanese landscape design and want to enjoy contemplating a Japanese garden in your countryside, you need to learn about the features of the creation of Japanese art, as well as about the plants that will fit perfectly into it.
The layout of a Japanese garden and its design are not too different from the European traditions of arranging a suburban area. However, it is worth studying the stages of its creation in more detail. This will allow you to correctly place emphasis on each stage of site development.
When creating a Japanese-style park, you first need to decide on the design, purpose, content and place where it will be located.
Japanese garden and its types
In ancient Japan, gardens served exclusively a landscape function. Over time, they became a place where one could immerse oneself in philosophical and religious reflections. This is what a Jodo style garden is considered to be, the design of which suggests the presence of a lake with a broken shore line, an island and a temple.
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Then came the design of Zen gardens, which were considered monasteries and temples. In such parks, as a rule, there were no plants, and they were replaced by stones, sand, and pebbles. These gardens were not very large. They included a bench, a path, a tsukubai vessel (a vessel for washing hands), and a stone lantern.
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Rock garden
The arrangement of the garden in the “dry landscape” style was carried out according to the following principle: on fine gravel or sand, which was considered a symbol of water, parallel grooves were furrowed using rakes, which personified the running of waves on the water.
Already in the 19th century, Japanese landscape art was complemented by miniature gardens, which were called “Tsuboniwa”. Such mini-parks were created directly near residential buildings.
In these gardens, tsukubai, oribe, paths, and stone steps are required. As for plants, it is important not to overdo it with them - there should be a minimum of them. This miniature park symbolizes the fusion of man with nature and shows the immensity of the universe in a modest area.
How to choose the right plants to create a Japanese garden?
The choice of plants for a Japanese garden requires a special approach. In this case, flowering, deciduous bushes and trees will be a symbol of the variability of the universe, and evergreens will be a symbol of constancy.
The filling of a Japanese garden should be plants of the same color with green leaves. The texture and shape of the latter play a big role. The park, designed in Japanese style, does not include bright colors. The most original in the garden are topiary figures, molded plants, and bonsai. Umbrella and weeping forms of plants look quite impressive. It is worth noting that you should not get carried away with combining different forms, since Japanese gardens are characterized by harmonious compositions.
Selection of woody plants
The choice of shrub and tree forms of plants is quite large. Junipers, pines, spruces, evergreen azaleas, and oriental maple varieties are ideal for a Japanese garden. With the onset of spring, the Japanese-style park will be filled with the aroma of blooming fruit trees (cherry, apple, apricot). In addition to all these listed trees, small-fruited apple trees with an umbrella-shaped or weeping crown shape, trees with crimson and pink flowers are also planted in the garden. In Japanese gardens, it is not customary for trees to grow freely, without timely care. It is important that they are trimmed periodically and given a beautiful shape.
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Japanese landscape design
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The Japanese method of pruning trees and shrubs has significant differences from the European one. In gardens in European countries, cubic, pyramidal, spherical and other intricate shapes are used. In Japanese-type gardens, plants are formed according to different principles, which are as close as possible to the natural landscape.
In Japanese landscape design, a tree is considered an ordinary plant that will grow in a different ecological environment. It is unacceptable for mini-gardens to contain trees of impressive size. The same rule should be followed when choosing plants. Proportions must be observed according to the following principle: the larger the area the garden occupies, the more modest the size of the plants growing in it should be.
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Russia cannot boast of a huge number of plants that can be molded. Small-leaved shrubs lend themselves well to pruning. When setting the shape of the bushes and tree crowns of a Japanese park, you should adhere to one method, which involves induced curvature of the trunks and the elimination of small and weak branches. The crown must be formed in such a way that the tree looks visually balanced. The methods and methods of shaping are exactly the same as when shaping bonsai. The period of tree crown formation is 15-20 years.
How to choose the right plants for flower decoration?
As for the design of the flower area in the Japanese mini-garden, unlike European traditions, floral decor acts as an independent element of the design of the territory. In the classic Japanese garden, flowers are considered to complement something. Gardens in the style of a natural landscape are related to the historically ancient type. As a rule, they have a large area on which mostly shrubs and trees are planted. It is in such a garden that you can observe Japanese perennials with large flowers.
Mini-gardens can accommodate various types of plants. In abstract gardens, stones take on the role of a background, which is especially harmonious with ground cover plants.
In tea ceremony gardens, it is important to highlight natural beauty. The coloristic effect is due to plants that change leaf color throughout the season.
Japan is a country of mysteries, an amazing culture, closed to the West for a long time. The development of Japan proceeded completely independently and parallel to the development of European civilization. And only in the 19th century did the Meiji era begin, which marked the abandonment of self-isolation and the openness of the Land of the Rising Sun to the outside world. It was then that mass interest arose, even a fashion among Europeans for everything Japanese. Japanese painting gave impetus and determined a special direction in the development of Western art. The paintings of many impressionists and post-impressionists were created under the influence of famous Japanese prints. The Art Nouveau style, which spread in Europe, also borrowed many details from the unique Japanese culture.
For people who want to bring beauty into their existence, the Japanese view of the world should be relatable and interesting. For the Japanese, in principle, an aesthetic approach to the surrounding reality plays a huge role in life. They know how to admire the rising sun, fallen snow, and cherry blossoms. Unhurried contemplation of the fleeting beauty of the transitory world is one of the favorite pastimes of the inhabitants of the Japanese islands, which is reflected in their amazing poetry - haiku. However, the style of Japanese interiors remained incomprehensible to Europeans for a very long time; its elements were not very widely used in design. Only since minimalist design became widespread and recognized have many decorators adopted the techniques used in Japanese interiors.
The fact is that the main thing in arranging a home for a Japanese is amazing brevity. Those. There is practically no furniture in the room, wardrobes, carpets, sofas - all this is unacceptable for a Japanese-style interior. A single-standing bed is a tatami, like all furniture, it must be low. The materials used for decoration are exclusively natural: wood, stone, cotton and hemp. Bright colors are also unacceptable, clean lines, natural colors - this is what the interior in this style is based on. Screens illustrated with Japanese-style engravings are widely used. Japanese interior design is characterized by symmetry, the use of calligraphy, simple, elegant shapes and soothing tones of the color palette.
Reasoning soberly, obviously, not every European will like empty rooms and bare walls. Of course, there are lovers of minimalism who readily reproduce the features of a Japanese home in their apartment. But for most of us, the oddities of Japanese interiors will remain incomprehensible, because we expect, first of all, comfort from our home. And to find it in a huge, unstructured space, you have to be Japanese. After all, even various accessories, little things and trinkets that bring individuality and warmth to a European home are unacceptable for a Japanese interior. However, a huge number of lovers of Japanese culture are very happy to use individual elements of a Japanese home in their design. After all, you can create an interior stylized as Japanese, which will be cozy in a European way, but with all its details reminiscent of the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Such interior elements will be Japanese prints - either reproductions of works by great masters (for example, Katsushika Hokusai, etc.), or simply pictures drawn in the Japanese style. A branch of cherry blossoms, like nothing else, will remind you of distant Japan in the harsh Moscow winter. You can place an image of sakura on the wall or use flowering plants that resemble cherry blossoms in flowerpots. To give your interior a Japanese spirit, you can use colors characteristic of Japanese design: dark but not massive furniture, doors reminiscent of the doors of a Japanese home. However, one of the most important details with which you can bring the spirit of Japan into your apartment, of course, will be indoor plants.
In fact, Japanese-style indoor plants are not widely used. But if we create a stylization for a Japanese interior, it is home flowers that will most remind us of the nature of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Naturally, the most logical way to decorate a Japanese interior would be to use plants grown using the technique of magnificent Japanese art - bonsai. They can be placed on separate Japanese-style stands on a table in the center of the room. The easiest option would be to purchase ready-made plants grown in flower farms. But if you have time, and, most importantly, enthusiasm, it is quite possible to grow your own tree.
To decorate a Japanese-style interior, it is best to use those plants that grow in Japan.
Of course, those plants that grow in Southeast Asia are very appropriate in a Japanese interior. And the most beautiful and fashionable among them, undoubtedly, can be called everyone’s favorite phalaenopsis. Caring for this plant is easy; it can be placed even in the back of a bright room. No less suitable, but more difficult to care for, are other orchids, for example, Vanda, Cambria, etc.
A very suitable indoor reed for a Japanese-style interior is the plant Pogonatherium, which will allow you to reproduce in reality the bamboo branches often found in Japanese prints. Even more reminiscent of bamboo is the now very common Dracaena Sander, which is sometimes called the bamboo of luck. Perhaps you will purchase it in the form of spirally curved stems with leaves at the top or in the form of intricate pyramids. Either way, this plant is extremely hardy and will bring the most Japanese atmosphere into your home.
Fatsia will fit perfectly into Japanese design; its specific name clearly speaks of its Japanese origin. In addition, the carved leaves of Fatsia are very reminiscent of the leaves of the Japanese maple, often found in the engravings of Japanese masters. In this sense, indoor ficus microcarpa would be quite suitable. It can be grown in the style of a bonsai plant. But even if you bought it from a store with funny thickened roots at the base, it will still fit perfectly into your Japanese-inspired interior.
In conclusion, I would like to add that an abundance of plants, as well as an excessive amount of furniture and accessories, is still inappropriate for a room in which we want to see the trend of Japanese style. Simplicity and laconicism are an invariable attribute of the room, the design of which is inspired by the culture of Japan.
Japanese name Ajisai. Most types of hydrangea are shrubs 1-3 m high. The flowers are collected at the end of the stem in spherical inflorescences. The most popular large-leaf hydrangea (more than 600 varieties) has flowers that can be white, blue, lilac, pink, red (depending on the acidity of the soil). In Japan, the peak flowering time for hydrangeas is the rainy season (mid-June). Around many temples and shrines there are many hydrangea bushes (sometimes up to 150 thousand): Meigetsu-in in Kamakura, Fujimori Jinja, Tofukuji in. During the flowering season, Japanese shrines and parks host Hydrangea Festivals (Ajisai Matsuri).
Licorice / Higanbana
Licorice is blooming - and it is impossible to die at such a time. (c) Taneda Santoka
Licorice ( Higanbana), the Latin name is Lycoris radiata (a bulbous plant of the amaryllis family). It originates from Greek mythology - the Nereid Lycoris was famous for her beauty. In English the names are often found Red Spider Lily And Hurricane Lily- due to the fact that it blooms before the start of the hurricane period. In Japanese, the main name of this flower is Higanbana. It blooms in September - just in autumn equinox – Higana (Aki no Higan). But besides this, lycoris has many more names: shibito-bana - “flower of the dead”, yuurei-bana - “flower of ghosts”, tengai-bana - “flower that looks like tengai” (decoration of the dome of a Buddhist temple), yome no kanzashi - “a flower that looks like a (traditional hairpin) of a bride”, doku-bana – “poisonous flower”, manjushage (in Sanskrit – “manjusaka”) – “heavenly flower” (in Buddhist sutras there is a mention of red flowers falling from the sky, bringing joy), jigoku-bana – “hell flower”, kamisori-bana – “razor flower”, kizune-bana – “fox flower”. So mysterious and ambiguous. And everything would be fine, and the flowers in the photo are beautiful, but lycoris is not planted near houses - it is a flower dedicated to the dead. He loves to grow up on the battlefields where the blood of warriors was shed. Traditionally, lycoris is planted in cemeteries (not only as decoration, but also for protection from animals due to its toxicity). It is believed that if you bring flowers into your home, it may cause a fire. But the Japanese specifically planted lycoris on the borders of rice fields. Firstly, the bulbs strengthened the soil, preventing it from weathering and being washed away by water. In addition, poisonous plants protected crops from rodents. And finally, during crop failure, the bulbs and stems were used as food (the poison could be washed out with plenty of water). Lycoris stems emerge from the ground in autumn and bear bright red flowers. Then the flowers fade and leaves appear, which remain until the beginning of summer. So flowers and leaves can never be seen together. In Korea, lycoris was given the name “san cho” - “flowers miss leaves, and leaves miss flowers.”
Wisteria / Wisteria / Fuji
Japanese name Fuji- a genus of deciduous vines. They grow naturally in China, Korea and Japan, as well as in the southeastern regions of the United States. The most famous are Chinese and lush-flowering (or Japanese) wisteria. The liana can climb up to 20 meters, twisting around the trunk of a supporting tree or artificial support. Wisteria blooms in spring or in the first half of summer (depending on the type). Inflorescences of fragrant flowers of lilac, white, pink, blue can be up to 1 meter in length. Wisteria is used in landscape design. At festivals, it is often used to decorate floats or “flower umbrellas.”
Camellia / Camellia / Tsubaki
Japanese name Tsubaki. Belongs to the tea family. In Japan (and beyond) it is best known Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica), originating from Southwestern China. Wild camellia is an evergreen shrub 6-9 meters high with red flowers 5-8 cm in diameter, having five to six petals and dense stamens. Many hybrids of red, pink, cream and other colors have also been bred. Some of them are double, similar to roses or peonies. One of the names of camellia is “winter rose”. In areas with a mild climate, it can bloom in the middle of winter; the flowering period is 4-5 months. Camellia is widely used for landscaping parks, gardens and indoors.
Sakura / Sakura
(Japanese - Sakura) – . Wild sakura grows in China, Korea and Japan, but in Japan new varieties have been bred for a long time (there are several hundred of them). The most popular type of sakura is Somei Yoshino. Its petals are pure white, only slightly pinkish at the base of the flower. Fuyuzakura- winter sakura begins to bloom in the fall, and sometimes also in winter. U Yaezakura large flowers with dark pink petals. Shidarezakura (weeping cherry) has long branches hanging down with a cascade of pink flowers. Small sakura fruits are not eaten. In cooking, salted or pickled flowers are used (to add flavor to dishes), as well as leaves in which sakura-mochi is wrapped - sweet rice balls with sweet bean paste.
Tokkobana - kamikaze flower / Ookinkeigiku / Tokkobana
Coreopsis. The Japanese call this flower Ookinkeigiku, which means chicken chrysanthemum. Coreopsis belongs to the Asteraceae family; its relatives are the well-known chamomile, dandelion, aster and sunflower. This is a perennial herbaceous plant, branched stems up to 60 cm tall. The leaves are petiolate, lanceolate or almost linear, and disappear as they climb up the stem. The reed flowers range from golden yellow to dark yellow and bloom very beautifully from July for about two months. The plant loves sunlight, and in Japan it can often be seen along airfield runways. In the Land of the Rising Sun there is a second name for this flower; the Japanese call it Tokkobana, which means “kamikaze flower”.
This flower growing is called tokkobana in Japanese. Tokkobana literally means "special attack flower", but the word can also be translated as "kamikaze flower". According to legend, they appeared here because these flowers were dropped from their planes as they flew over Mount Kaimon over the southernmost point of mainland Japan on their way to Okinawa. In addition, yellow tokkobana blooms profusely in May and June near the runway of Kanoya Air Base, which served as the base for the largest number of suicide pilots during the war. When these flowers appeared in Japan remains a mystery. There are several assumptions. The most plausible theory is that planes returned to base during World War II and carried flower seeds on their wheels. Others believe that the pilots, who were 18-20 years old, still children by and large, loved the beauty of nature and brought the flowers themselves.
Tokkobana flowers play a central role in the television film A Moon Twenty-six Days Old by Y. Mairi. Three young kamikaze pilots check into a small hotel on the eve of their flight and become friends with an eight-year-old girl at the inn. When they leave in the morning, the girl gives each of them a bouquet of yellow tokkobana flowers, which the three pilots drop on the lower slopes of Mount Kaimon, where today there is a huge field of these flowers.
For connoisseurs and lovers of Japan, the country is associated not only with high technology, but also with beautiful flowers. A great variety of them grow here. What do they look like? Are they much different from those we are used to? In order to understand this issue, you need to go to Japan or read this article.
Beautiful garden
Even children know that the symbol of the Land of the Rising Sun is sakura. These flowering trees are beautiful, but the Japanese Ashikaga Flower Park offers no less wonderful plants. In this truly heavenly place, breathtaking pictures open up to the traveler's gaze. It’s not for nothing that this park is called fabulous. Wisteria (fuji in Japanese) are everywhere here. They can be called the second most important plant in this country after sakura.
These Japanese flowers are tree-like vines. Long inflorescences of different shades hang like rain from numerous trunks. It looks amazing, especially when illuminated at night, when it seems that every flower lights up with magical fire. The peak of wisteria flowering occurs in early May. For the park on the island. Honshu does not seem to need other plants, and nothing can make it more decorative than delicate inflorescences among lush greenery.
Why is it so beautiful
The older this vine is, the more branches it has, so the oldest tree, which is already 100 years old, is supported by numerous supports. There are several types of wisteria in Ashikaga Park. 160 of them are already 60 years old. Their peers are the azaleas and rhododendrons planted here. There are about 1,500 of them in the park. Chamomiles, hyacinths, daffodils, petunia, hydrangeas and many others are also used to create living compositions. Some of them are not quite. Plants like them can be found all over the world. For example, in our country we also grow petunias, chrysanthemums, roses, irises, and clematis.
In the park, each plant blooms at its own time, so this process is continuous, and at any time of the year it is charming and cozy here. But wisteria remains the queen here. These Japanese flowers have long flexible branches that allow you to form domes of arbors, tunnels, etc. It looks unforgettable. Anyone who has ever seen a photo of Japanese flowers or enjoyed them in person will forever retain in their soul the image of an extraordinary garden.
Practical Application
The population of this country tries to use the properties of beautiful plants. The pliability of wisteria made it possible to create a tunnel from these flowers. It stretched for 80 meters. Ashikaga Park is not only beautiful. A myriad of flowers give off their aroma, which mixes and saturates the air; it accompanies visitors everywhere. The Japanese try to create harmony everywhere and primarily within themselves. This is greatly facilitated by the contemplation of flowers. This is probably why this small country allocates so much land for planting. A fantastic creation is the tunnel of flowers in the Japanese Kawachi Fuji Garden. We'll talk about it further.
There are many such places
This beautiful place is located in the city of Kitakyushu. "Kawachi Fuji" is a park where a million different flowers grow. There are also several tunnels here. The most beautiful of them is wisteria. Interestingly, Mount Fuji is named after the wisteria tree. In addition, this plant is considered a symbol of youth, healing, and is a kind of amulet for the Japanese. Therefore, going through the entire tunnel, the dome of which is the fuji branches, is considered a good omen that brings good luck. To see all the beauty of the blooming Kawachi Fuji, it is best to come there in the very last week of April, which is called the “golden” week. Around this time, the Wisteria Festival is held here.
It’s not only beautiful there
Inspired by Japanese beauty, I would like to see something similar in my homeland. It turns out that wisteria grows in Crimea. You can see it in the Botanical Garden, although in May, when it blooms, you can also find it in the city. During this period, wisteria looks very beautiful, although here it is not cared for as in Japan, and the crown is not formed; it grows on its own. But you can also have something at home that reminds you of a distant country. Japanese corm flowers in the garden look original. It is quite possible to grow them in our country. For example, a beautiful flower of various colors. Another option is to plant something unusual in your apartment on the windowsill.
Dogwood on the windowsill
The Japanese Aucuba flower will do an excellent job of this role. In nature, this plant can reach five meters, but at home it will only rise by 1.5. People fell in love with aucuba for its bright color, which adds decorativeness to the room. Its leaves are green with yellow spots. The interior is also decorated with red berries that appear on it after flowering. This plant belongs to the dogwood family. Aucuba grows in Japan and South Korea. Interestingly, it has two popular names: golden tree and sausage tree.
And all because of the spots on its leaves, which to some resemble a precious metal, and to others - a cut of a meat product. To prevent Japanese aucuba from losing its decorative appearance, you must observe special conditions and know some rules for caring for it. This plant sheds its lower leaves if the room temperature is above 20 degrees. Its leaves turn green when the aucuba is in the shade, due to the fact that the plant has to save chlorophyll produced in the sun. Aucuba works best in partial shade.
Rules of care
In spring and summer, aucuba is watered abundantly, and in winter - moderately. Spraying is not necessary. A bush formed by aucuba can be pruned into any shape. This is done in the spring. To add splendor, shoots are pinched. As soil, you need to take humus, peat, sand, turf and leaf soil, and then mix them in equal quantities. Aucuba is fed once a week. Mineral-organic fertilizers are suitable for this purpose. If you take care of the plant, take care of it and destroy aphids and scale insects that can damage it, then you will have your own Japanese flower on your windowsill, just like in the beautiful gardens of this country.
Cute cactus
There is another plant that you can grow at home. This is an indoor flower, Gymnocalycium japonica. Of course, in appearance it is completely different from wisteria and belongs to the cactus family. But it also has its fans, who already have a gymnocalycium at home or are just planning to have one. This cactus differs from others in that its surface is covered with rare large spines, while in other species they are small and fluffy on the skin. These plants are unpretentious both at home and in nature.
Rare watering and poor soil suit them. It turns out that at home they are able to bloom frequently, refuting the legend that cacti do this only once in their lives. Gymnocalyciums reveal their beauty when they reach 2-3 years of age. Moreover, they bloom from spring to late autumn. So don't consider them a boring plant. Such cacti like their habitat to be well lit. But if it is very hot, it is better to shade the pot in which they are located.
Unpretentious "resident" of the apartment
In the room where Gymnocalycium will grow, it is advisable to maintain the air temperature no higher than 18 and no lower than 5 degrees. You should not spray cacti, because this family is not accustomed to such luxury, since it naturally grows in dry areas. Gymnocalycium should be watered in the same way as other flowers. In winter, the cactus practically does not need water. Settled, warm, acidified water is suitable for irrigation.
The soil is purchased only suitable for cacti. In order for a houseplant not to get sick and to look good, it must be fed with special fertilizers. As soon as the gymnocalycium grows, it is transplanted into a larger pot. It is best to do this in the spring. Blooming gymnocalycium looks beautiful and elegant. To see a blooming cactus, you should work hard to make it feel good.
Attitude to nature
Why are there such beautiful parks in Japan? Probably because the Japanese treat all plants very responsibly, even indoor plants. Before planting any flower at home, they must make sure that it will not cause harm, either physical or moral. In addition, indoor plants must be selected so that they are combined with the interior and suit the internal energy of the residents of the house. To avoid negative consequences from such harmless actions as planting a flower in a pot, you need to find out in advance more about who will soon become your pet. Then the apartment will be beautiful, calm and cozy, like in the best Japanese gardens.