My parents' garden

Very beautiful. Do I see snow???

Yes, it snowed once while I was there but not much (thank goodness).

The snow is adding a charm in the picture but I know why you said "thank goodness".

Yes, snow is pretty to look at but could be a nuisance. You know that very well Klahanie, being in Canada!

Fortunately, we live on Vancouver Island Tommymoo and we (usually) do not have snow here in winter time ...just lots of rain. The ocean moderates the climate. We are considered to be the banana belt of Canada :-)

Ah, I didn't know that! Great to know. Thank you very much for the info. That's why your plants are a bit ahead of mine, such as forsythia. "Banana belt" is a new word for me. Very interesting! Speaking of "banana", I read your blog today and left a comment :-)

Love the cloud-pruned tree. Where is this Tommy?

Shielabub, thank you for your comment :-)

It's in Japan, north of Tokyo, 30-minute train ride from Tokyo (then 30 minutes by bus, then 10-minute walk from the bus stop!).

Thank you for looking at my blog Tommymoo. I've seen your nice comment and sent you some hugs :-)

Klahanie, thank you for letting me know that you've seen my comment. I've just checked out your reply comment, thanks a lot! A big hug from me too :-)

Thanks Tommymoo . . . is their garden anything like the Japanese gardens we attempt in the UK?

Shielabub,
I don't know what to say... Their garden is authentic Japanese style, that's for sure, and not many Western/foreign plants are there, especially trees/shrubs, although they have a bit of a small stuff such as lavender, pansy, agave etc. 3 or 4 gardeners comes to trim the trees twice a year but they didn't come at the end of last year because the master gardener is getting old (80-ish) and he's a bit poorly. That's why the trees aren't really neat as usual.

Love your parents' cloud pruned tree.

Thank you Siris :-)

I do love Japanese gardens (well, the ones that I've seen here) - usually with water, stepping stones, maybe a bridge; gravel, Acers and definitely cloud-pruned trees . . . all very coherent and restful. Sorry to hear that the master gardener is a bit poorly :(

Sheilabub, thank you so much for your comment. Here's my photo album which shows more of my parents' garden. Please take a look if you're interested:

https://goo.gl/photos/Gf2NBa9tLnyYQNhW7

Wow Tommymoo! Thank you so much for the link . . . I really enjoyed seeing all your photos: what a fascinating place. A lovely cat too, and some very mature bonsai. I grow dwarf trees too, but can't match those of your parents!

Shielabub, you're too kind to say that! I'm glad you liked my photos :-)

I have just bought a small pagoda, to go by my pond in the garden, not expensive, a whim.

Siris, really? I'm very interested. Did you upload the photo?

Yes - it would be lovely to see it, Siris.

Too busy gardening to photograph, and it's only tiny, only 3 euros.

So you bought it in France! I've got a tiny "faux stone" lantern several years ago, it's made with plastic or (resin?) at a garden centre near us in Norfolk. It was only 1 pound or so!

Oh! That's better value tan mine, but if resin, can you put a Tea light inside it without it becoming damaged? If you tap mine it sounds 'pot' like.

Mine is totally OK to put a tea light inside but I don't keep the light too long. My OH says ours is made with plaster or something.