Ljubljana: Ljubljana, Slovenia, features prominently in The Reluctant Dragon, book 10!

Go visit! And now you'll know how to say it!

Guerrilla Gardening

The very first time I came to Japan, I noticed that almost every odd piece of land I saw had been claimed by someone who planted something on it, in the dirt or in a pot.

This is particularly wonderful in industrial areas, by train tracks, in little bits of corners by driveways. There are train tracks about a block away from my apartment. I can't hear the trains unless I am outside in my own tiny garden and they're not loud then. I haven't been surprised to see areas that have been carefully planted by adjacent residents or at street ends.

It's guerrilla gardening, and I love it. Now, and this is very much an Only In Japan thing, it's organized! In the little pocket park across the street, some beds have been set aside for public use. Please do plant here. You can even call this number and they'll suggest suitable plants and even give you little starter pots for your seedlings. I've seen this in other tiny parks along my regular routes. It's new this year. 

These are in the "official" area.

So are several of these, like somebody was moving and needed a home for houseplants.

This is in a side border area, not "official," but people plant here anyway. I am not sure what it is though it resembles cotton. 

From my yard: a lily making new bulbs! It'll take them a while to get to blooming size, but this is a start.

In my little garden, various plants are going to seed (or something) and I have some extra seeds in my gardening storage container, which is breaking from UV exposure and I will need to clear out when I do my fall clean up. The building gardeners will come at the first of December. I like to get my part done before they do.

A lily seed pod. I have dill seeds, too, from a friend. Dill is an annual but will self-seed! I may have some other herbs. They're still working on it.

 I'll have plenty of fun not only increasing what's in my personal little bit of Tokyo, but also joining the crowd as a guerrilla gardener: making plants blossom in any little bit of available land.  How very Japanese. How very wonderful!