秋の気配 Signs of autumn

 毎年ヒガンバナより一足先に開花する、洋物リコリスが咲いています。花柄が大きく、花びらは分厚くてしっかりしているのに加え、濃い黄色の蛍光色で目立ちます。

This lycoris aurea starts flowering ahead of spider lilies.  Its flowers are larger than those of the spider lily and the petals are strong.  Most of all, I love the bright golden colour which I find to be stunningly beautiful.

リコリスの手前には桃花ヒガンバナも上がってきました。こちらは本物のヒガンバナで、デリケートなピンクの花色です。

In front of the lycoris aurea, flower stems of the pink spider lilies are starting to come out of the ground.  In contrast to the red spider lily (lycoris radiata), this variety's colour is delicate pink.

赤花ヒガンバナも咲き始めています。

The lycoris radiata are starting to flower.

2024年に購入した日本ナツメが色づき始めています。うちでは数種類のナツメを育てていますが、去年 挿し木が成功した日本ナツメ以外はトゲ無しなので管理が楽です。よって、この↓苗もトゲ無し。この苗のヒコバエから育てた２株は写真上のほうのバルコニーに置いてありますが、まだ青々しています。

Fruits of the Japanese jujube tree that I bought in 2024 are turning yellow.  I grow several varieties of jujube and, with the exception of the Japanese jujube tree developed from a cutting last year, all of them are thornless, which makes it easier to look after them.  I have trees developed from the suckers of this tree, and they are peeping out of the trellis in the top part of this photo.  Their fruits are still green.

これくらい色づけば十分甘くてジューシーです。

The fruit is already very sweet and juicy with this much of brown on the skin.

果肉の色を示した写真を載せたくて、なるべく歯形を残さないよう努力しました。この↓ような果肉が白のタイプが私の好みです。

It is rude/bad mannered in Japan to show the bite mark, but I wanted to show the colour of the flesh.  So, I tried to avoid the teeth mark as much as possible.  I like jujubes with milky white flesh like this.

８月24日に購入した売れ残りパッションフルーツとビラフランカレモン苗は、この植え付け時の状態から順調に育っています。

The leftover passion fruit and Villafranca lemon that I bought on 24th August this year have grown significantly from this↓.

パッションフルーツのツルの長さは、元の状態と比べて３倍ちかくに伸びています。

The passion fruit's vine is 3 times that of the original height.

しかも節々に蕾も出ています。冬は室内越冬になるので、できるだけ成長を抑えたいところ。

Moreover, each node has a flower bud.  I will be keeping this plant indoors during the winter, so I hope the plant does not grow too much henceforth.

レモン苗は葉っぱが増えてきました。

The lemon tree is becoming leafy.

また、最初から着いていた２個の実のうち小さいほうの実が２倍くらいに肥大しています。

Of the two fruits that were already there when I bought the plant, the smaller fruit has grown visibly.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

午後になっても雨が降らなかったので、散歩がてらにタイガのオヤツを買いに出かけました。

Today, it did not rain even in the afternoon, so we went out for a walk and to buy Taiga's treats.

雨の合間 Respite from the rain

 今日のお昼前に一旦雨が止んだので、バルコニーの排水口が詰まらないよう掃除をしました。雨で無核金絲ナツメの実が落ちていました。

We had a break in the rain during mid-morning, and I decided to clean the balcony floor so that the water pipes would not get clogged up.  Some of the fruits on Seedless Gold Thread Jujube had fallen due to the rain.

苗全体的に完熟までには時間がかかりそうですが、わずかに黄色くなって裂果が見られるこの実を試し撮り。

The fruits on the whole tree are nowhere near ripe yet, but this one is turning yellow and has cracks from the rain.  So, I decided to try the taste.

完熟ではないけれど、糖度計では46.1%を示していました。左側の半割に種が入っています。

Although not ripe yet, it was already sweet.  The Brix meter indicated sugar content of 46.1% (of which I am not sure).  The half fruit on the left contains the pit.

取り出した種の硬い木質の殻（核）を割ってみると、ちゃんと種子も入っています。

I took the pit out and opened it to find that the seed was there.  Why is this variety called 'Seedless'?

その種を殻から取り出して皮をむいてみました。瑞々しい胚が現れました。もしかして、うちの苗は「無核金絲棗」ではなく品種違い？

I then took the seed out of the hard shell and removed a small part of the seed coat - everything looked fresh and viable.  I am beginning to wonder if they have not sent me a wrong variety.

８月下旬に地面に仮植えしたパンザオは、新芽（黄色い葉っぱ）が成長を続けています。連日の雨のおかげなのか、それとも地植えパワーのおかげなのか分かりませんが、これで枯れ込みにストップをかけられたようです。

I planted the Panzao tree in the ground in late August, in an effort to save the plant from going totally brown and dead.  Thanks to the continual rain as well as the benefits of the ground, the new leaves are growing well.  What a relief.

パンザオを地植えにした際、ダメ元で細い枝を近くの日本棗に高接ぎしておきました。接ぎ穂となった枝には節が２箇所あったので、うまく活着すれば来年用の芽が節の真下にできるだろうと思っていました。が、これも雨のおかげか、もう芽吹きが始まっています。

At the same time as planting the Panzao tree in the ground, I took a small twig and grafted it onto a Japanese jujube nearby.  The scion had two branches.  If the grafting went well, I hoped that there would grow a node under each of the branches for next year's budding.  To my surprise, I see a node already budding out under each branch, probably again thanks to the rains.

上の写真の青丸の芽を異なる角度から見ると、こう。来年の初夏から夏にかけて取り木を掛けて発根すれば、切り離すと事実上の接ぎ木苗ができます。

Looking at the bud in the blue circle from another angle, a node is definitely growing into a new bud.  If I air-layer this section next summer and cut it off when it has rooted, it will virtually become a grafted plant.

６月16日に届いた極小の「静浜クコ」苗の2個は、７月の猛暑の間に枯れたような状態になっていました。秋に涼しくなったら片付けようと日陰に置いてあったのが、雨に打たれているうちに復活したようです。これは2個のうちの特に小さく貧弱だった苗ですが、開花が始まっています。

I bought two goji berry plants in June this year.  They were tiny and weak looking, and they eventually went dead, or so it seemed.  I was going to get rid of them once the weather turned cool and dry.  Recently, I noticed that they came back to life.  This plant is the smaller of the two and flowers are starting to open.

小さな蕾がたくさん着いている。

I can see quite a few flower buds in waiting.

こちらは2個のうち大き目の苗。もう開花が終わっています。

This was the larger of the two plants.  It has already finished flowering.

ローゼルのガクがだんだん大きくなってきました。今年の苗は「パープル」に分類されるもので、花はピンクでガクの底のフリルも赤色です。

The roselle calyces are growing and looking pretty.  The roselles I am growing this year belong to the group called 'purple' - the flowers are pink, and the whole calyx is red (the type I grew last year had a green base for the calyx).

これは、２，３日前にほんの一瞬 日がさしたときの写真。花は午前中に萎んで落ちてしまいますが、なかなか可愛い花です。

I managed to catch these flowers a few days ago when the sun was out for about 10 minutes.  The flowers curl and drop before noon, but I find these pink ones pretty.

近所のJAで見つけたアロエベラとコモンセージ。アロエは「木立」なら普通に買えるけど、「ベラ」はあまり出回らないので、見つけられて嬉しいです。

I found this Aloe Vera, together with the common sage, at the nearby JA this morning.  I can find Aloe arborescens at any plant shop, but Aloe Vera is not very common.  So, I was happy when I saw this in the shop.

冬ナツメ収穫 Winter Jujube

 冬ナツメが色づき始めました。まだまだ全体的な完熟には程遠いですが、８月以来の連日の雨で裂果が相当ひどいので、一部収穫しました。

The fruits on the Winter Jujube are turning red gradually.  Although not yet fully ripe, I picked some of them since the cracks on the fruits are getting worse, due to the continual rain since the middle of August.

これは去年の６月末に苗が届いた日の写真で、10号鉢に植え付けたところ。夏の間に２本の枝がV字型に伸びて、今年の結果枝の基礎ができていました。

This is how the tree looked when it arrived at the end of August last year.  I planted it in a 30 cm diameter pot.  It grew vigorously during the summer with two branches forming into a V shape.

これは現在の樹姿。木の下半分の塊りが去年のV字型の枝が元になっています。上半分の塊りは全て今年の春以降の成長からきたもので、木全体として今も２本の主枝から成っています。

This is how the tree looks now.  The mass at the lower half of the tree is from last year's V-shaped branches, on which there are a lot of limbs with fruits.  The upper half of the tree is formed entirely from this year's growth.

採取した実は甘くて美味しいけれど、小さい！もともと冬ナツメは小さめの実がなる品種なので、その初成りの年だからか、予想を下回るサイズです。来年以降に期待です。

The fruits picked today were very sweet and delicious, but they are so tiny!  Now, this variety is known for its smallish fruits, so it is probably not surprising to see these, particularly since this is the first year of fruiting.  I am hoping for a better result next year.

パンザオなど Panzao jujube etc

もう９月。今年の東京は台風の影響から８月のほとんどが曇り日で、しかもほぼ毎日 何時間か雨も降っていました。本当に晴れた日は４-5日だった印象です。

 10日以上前に、２階バルコニーのパンザオを下ろしてきて地面に仮植えしました。真夏に落葉樹を植え替えするなんて非常識ですが、今年の春から初夏にかけて展開した葉っぱの日焼けが止まらなかったので、もう失うものが無いと思ったからです。

鉢から引っ張り出してみると、根の痛みは特に見られませんでした。ただし、10号菊鉢で鉢底に鹿沼をたっぷり敷いたあとは、土の量が少なすぎたようです。これでひと冬過ごして、来年の３月に元から予定していたスッポットに植え付けします。

It is already September.  Due to the effects of passing typhoons one after another, the weather in Tokyo during August was mostly cloudy with occasional rains every day.  I think we had only 4-5 days of sunshine for the whole month.

I brought down the Panzao jujube more than 10 days ago and planted it in the ground.  This is a temporary arrangement.  No doubt it was mad to transplant a large deciduous tree in the middle of the summer.  However, the leaves on Panzao kept turning brown and I felt I had nothing to lose.

When I pulled the plant out of the pot, I did not find anything serious with the roots.  However, the amount of soil in the pot was insufficient for the size of the plant.  So, this tree should be happier where it is now.  In March next year, I will be replanting it in the spot that I am preparing for the purpose.

右に写り込んでいるのは、ネット掛けした皇帝ナツメ。

The tree on the right is the Emperor jujube with nets to keep green beetles out.

地植えにしてから何度も雨が降っているので、新芽が伸びてきました。

After planting Panzao in the ground, we have had a lot of rainy days which encouraged new buds.

幼果が着いていますが、どこまで育つか見守ります。

I would be interested to see if any of the young fruits would grow to maturity this autumn.

初夏の開花から唯一生ったこの１個はどう見ても腐りかけているので、写真のあと取り除きました。

This is the only fruit resulting from the flowering season during June/July.  I removed it after taking the photo, since it looks like a dud.

去年の３月に挿し木した枝が発根して、今年 苗木らしく成長した日本ナツメが色づいてきました。

These are the fruits on the tree that was developed from a cutting of March 2025.  The plant rapidly grew into a small tree this spring and produced several fruits.  They seem to be ripening.

連日の雨で裂果がみえます。美味しそうに色づいているので、この１個を試し採り。

Due to the frequent rain, cracks are appearing on the fruit.  However, it looks inviting and I decided to try the taste.

実の長さは４センチ足らず。

The length of the fruit falls short of 4 cm.

あくまでも糖度計の数値ですが、47.1%。実際に食べてみると、とても美味しかったです。甘くて、酸味もあり、もう１種類の日本ナツメに負けないジューシーさがありました。

This is solely according to the brix meter, but the sugar content was 47.1% which is extremely high.  When I tasted it, it was indeed very sweet, with acidity (which I value in jujubes), and with enough juiciness.  It was as juicy as the other Japanese variety that I have been growing since 2024.

レモン＆パッションフルーツ苗 Lemon and Passion Fruit plants

 スーパーからの帰りに近所のJAを覗いてみたら、値下げ苗につい手が伸びてしまいました。JAは私がいつも買い物するスーパーのすぐ側、そしてうちはJAのすぐ近所なので、ついこういうことになってしまいます。でも、JAの事業再編の動きで２，３年後にはこの桜台のお店が遠く離れた平和台のJAに統合されるそうなので、近所で買えるうちにという気持ちが働いてしまいます。

ということで、右はレモン苗、左はパッションフルーツです。

I looked into the nearby JA on my way home from the supermarket and, before I knew it, my grubby large hands were on these plants.  The JA is located close to the supermarket, and my house is less than 100 meters away from the JA, so this happens often.  However, this will not last forever.  Due to the reorganisation movement of the JA, the outlet near my house will be merged into another one which is in a town far away from where I live.  So, I am taking advantage of the current situation while it lasts.

This morning, I picked up a lemon tree (on the right), and a passion fruit vine (on the left).

レモンはくたびれた状態の苗ですが、回復させる自身があります。

The lemon tree was a leftover and was in a sorry state, but I am confident I will be able to nurse it back to health.

品種はビラフランカ。うちに既にあるリスボン同様、トゲ無しなので扱いやすいです。私は基本的に果樹苗は、接ぎ木された太い一年生苗を買いますが、この苗は大きく育たなくても良いので挿し木苗で十分です。

It is a Villafranca.  As with my Lisbon lemon, this Villafranca is thornless, which makes it easier to handle.  Normally, with fruit trees, I buy a grafted one-year tree with a big trunk so that it will grow healthy and large.  However, I would rather that this tree remained small, growing in a pot, and I am happy with this one grown from a cutting.

パッションフルーツは、最も栽培難易度が低いエドゥリス。以前、この品種をバルコニーに設置した棚に這わせて毎年たくさんの実を収穫していましたが、ナツメ苗がバルコニーを占拠し始めたので一時中断していました。来年はナツメの大苗を庭に下す予定で、棚の再利用ができます。

The passion fruit plant is Edulis, the easiest variety to grow.  For several years, I grew this variety on the upstairs balcony using the shelf that I constructed myself.  It produced abundant fruits every year.  However, as I became keen on growing jujube plants, the balcony has been occupied by them, and I gave up growing passion fruits.  Fortunately, next year, I will be taking down some of the large jujube plants downstairs, leaving room enough for restarting passion fruits.

レモン苗は10号鉢に植え付け。パッションフルーツ苗は、冬の間 2階の部屋で管理になるので、持って階段を上り易いよう小さめの鉢です。

I planted the lemon tree in a pot with 30 cm in diameter.  As to the passion fruit, since I will have to take it upstairs for indoor wintering, I am using a smaller pot until next spring.

植物は鉢増しすると立派に見えるのが嬉しい。

Repotting a plant in a larger container makes it look much better.

種から育てたローゼル２本のうち、片方に花が咲き始めました。去年、JAで買った苗は「レッド」に分類される苗で、花はクリーム色、収穫時のガクの下の部分は緑色でした。今年育てているのは「パープル」に分類されるもので、花はピンク、ガクは全体が赤です。

This is one of the two roselle plants that I am growing from seeds.  This morning, I found two flowers on it.  The roselle plant I bought from the JA last summer was a 'red' type, with yellow flowers and the base of its calyx when ripe was green.  This year, I am growing a 'purple' type, with pink flowers and the whole calyx will be dark red.

あまりに主幹がヒョロヒョロ伸びたので、このあと天辺を摘芯しておきました。

The trunk simply shot up with few branches.  After taking this photo, I pinched the top of the trunk in order to encourage growth of new branches.