After Gardening - J.Aoki / Profile

since January 2000


Fourteen happy years have passed since we started gardening. After we got married, my husband started planting a lawn, some conifers and herbs in the backyard plot of condominiums. Although we were still beginners, plants grow smoothly as the garden is sandy soil. We became serious gardeners after we brought a house in Kyoto. Plants in my garden ware initially a lawn, some conifers, herbs, and annuals. Subsequently we added roses, varieties of conifers and fruit trees such as apple trees, raspberry and blackberry. In the last seven years, we tried the plants suitable for dried flower to create original dried flower arrangements.


	I stick to my basic stance to create the original dried flower arrangements with flowers and leaves in my garden. It is handy to buy commercially dried roses and sea lavenders (Limonium sinuatum) and craft the arrangement. Yet it is impossible to create arrangement according to your image. When you intend to use specific flowers not readily available at flower shops or require many bunches of the flowers with same color, there is no other way, but you have to grow the plant at home. Creating dried flower arrangements with the flowers in your garden, you will have a great joy of growing the plants in your garden as well as the satisfaction of completing your arrangements. In addition, every one in your family could enjoy the dried flower displays for an extended period of times. Since my garden space is limited, I purchase some materials as cut flowers from outlets from time to time. Yet, my basic stance is to use the garden flowers as the main materials.

My home garden consists of four sections. Shadow garden in the front yard, flower beds in backyard designed as decorative garden purposes, a rose flower bed, and a plot of flowers suitable for dried flower arrangements in the sunny backyard.

You may misunderstand that all flowers in my garden are picked altogether before or at their maturity. My original aim is to balance gardening and dried flower arrangements. I neither pick rose buds or cutting all the flowers in their full bloom. Harvest for dried flower is conducted piece by piece keeping the overall balance of garden scenery.

Typical home gardening in Japan was used to be the container gardening with single annual species such as pansy and tulip besides the front door, and ornamental plants for home decoration. Recently, Japanese home gardening style has been influenced by the English natural garden featuring perennial plants. Yet, many gardeners tend to purchase plant seedling pots from gardening shops, and throw them away after flower seasons. If you store dried flowers and leaves from Spring to Summer and acquire the basic know-how of dried flower arrangements, you will enjoy creating original dried flower displays from Autumn to winter even if flowers and leaves are all gone.