スーパーの帰りに近所のJAを覗いてみたら、ワイルドストロベリーの苗が１ダース入荷したところでした。入荷ホヤホヤ苗にしては、かなりお疲れの様子です。ここまで葉っぱがクタッとしている原因は、
On my way home after the supermarket, I looked into the nearby JA where I saw a dozen of newly arrived wild strawberries. However, in spite of being 'just arrived', they were looking beaten down. The reason being
this extremely dry state. I suspect that the middleman did not look after them properly. The root ball is so dry and has shrunk that there was an alarming gap between the root ball and the wall of the pot. In spite of this dire state, the plant was surviving. So, I thought that if I provided it with a proper environment, it would grow vigorously.
なぜ「中間業者」の管理不足を疑うのかというと、植わっている鉢は小じゃれたテラコッタの鉢なので、育苗業者の思いが伝わってきました。
The reason why I suspected the middleman's handling was based on the fact that the plant came in a nice terracotta pot. I felt that the original grower cared for it and gave it a proper pot.
蕾があちこちに出ています。収穫は春から秋までがメインですが、四季なり性があるようです。
The plant has several stems with flower buds, which means that I can expect to enjoy fruits for some time.
品種名は「ゴールデンアレキサンドリア」、黄色っぽい葉っぱが特徴です。ランナーが出ないので、増やすには単に株分けすれば良いそうです。
This is a variety named 'Golden Alexandria' with light green leaves. Its main fruiting season lasts from spring to autumn, with sporadic fruiting in other seasons, too.
鉢から出してみると、本当にカラッカラでした。
I took the roots out of the pot - there was no hint of moisture in the soil.
水はけのよい用土で植え替えしました。たっぷり水やりして暫くすると、さっきまでクタアッとしていた葉っぱが起き上がってきました。
I replanted it with well-draining soil and gave lots of water. After a while, the withering leaves came back into life and they looked as they should.
真上から見ても、以前よりは密になっています。
Looking at it from above, I can hardly see the soil.
熟していた２個をさっそく試食。普通のイチゴの刺すような甘味ではなく上品な甘さで、香りがワイルドストローベリーらしい濃厚な香りでした。
I tasted the two fruits that were ripe. They were not piercingly sweet like normal strawberries, but softer. The flavour was very rich just like wild strawberries.
せっかくのテラコッタ鉢なので、またモミジの盆栽に挑戦してみようと思います。（去年のノムラモミジの発芽苗は、鉢が小さすぎたのか枯れてしまいました。）
I love the clay pot that came with the plant. Not to waist it, I think I will start a bonsai maple tree again. The two Nomura maple trees that germinated last year did not survive the hot summer 2025. Perhaps the pot I used then was far too small, for a beginner.
今年の春に、完熟の実付き「べにほっぺ」苗を買いました。小さな苗でしたが、とても美味しい実だったので気に入りました。以来、ランナーが出て、今では来年用に２個の子苗ができています。
I bought a small strawberry plant with ripe fruits on it in spring this year. The berries were delicious, so I have been looking after the plant. It started growing runners and I have already made two new plants for next year. The pots at the front are the baby plants, and the one at the back is the plant I got this spring.
親苗のほうは、最近またしても花茎が伸びてきて開花が始まりました。親苗は翌年以降は実つきが悪くなるそうなので、今年いっぱいで処分する予定です。
To my delight, the parent plant started growing a flower stem recently, and now berries are growing. I will keep the parent up to the end of coming autumn, since I am told that they become much less productive from the 2nd year onwards.
こちらは子苗。ランナーが伸び続けるので、あと１鉢作る予定です。
These are the baby plants for next year. The runners keep coming out, so I plan to grow another new plant, making the total for next year 3.
門の横の素芯オニユリは今が開花ピークです。うちの植物は食べられるものがメインなので、ユリの花は貴重です（実際は、オニユリおよび山百合の球根は食べられますが、うちの素芯オニユリや紅筋山百合は花を愛でるニア向けなので、食用という位置づけではありません）。
The spotless Oniyuri lilies are now at their peak of blooming. Since I grow mainly fruit trees and edible plants in my place, these flowers are precious. (Actually, the bulbs of Oniyuri and Yamayuri ARE edible, but the varieties I grow are rare so eating them is out of the question.)
