Garden Scenes in a Small Town, Niigata Prefecture

A board was put under this squash to protect it. Protect it from what? The rough concrete? Water? Or was it because of the angle of its stem? I'm not sure, but I'd rather sit on wood than concrete.




A gardener in his garden by a cemetery.




Morning glories are a common summer flower here. Every first grader grows them at school. Some people like our late Jiji, grandfather, continue to grow them all their lives.




More morning glories with balloon vine also called "love in a puff". When the green balloon or puff turns brown you can shake it and hear the three seeds tumble around. The seeds are round and black with a perfect white heart on one side. Very nice.



This lotus was standing high above its container of water in someone's garden. It was standing beside another one. Later that day they had closed. Maybe you know more about water lilies than I do. Do they close in the heat of the day?