A lunch-break walk out of Palaceside Building through Hirakawa Gate opposite into the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace (Edo Castle) is very hot. Still, it is a season of many flowers, so an occasional visit is not bad.
From Bairin-zaka, the Ninomaru copse on the left, past Hakucho-bori, right at Hyakunin Bansho, up the slope from Naka-no-mon to Chujaku-mon, and farther on the right, in the planting before “Midori no Izumi,” Minazuki was in bloom — photo above.
Minazuki is in the hydrangea family, a garden form of nori-utsugi, widely distributed in Japan, also called “pyramid hydrangea.” Like hydrangeas it has “bisexual flowers” (stamens and pistils that set seed) and “decorative flowers” of petal-like parts (actually sepals); what people call the beautiful flower is the decorative one. Being a garden form means it was bred for show, almost all decorative flowers; nori-utsugi turned all-decorative is Minazuki. There is also “Limelight,” a bit greener, likewise from nori-utsugi. The names are rather mixed; net shops also say “nori-utsugi ‘Minazuki’” and “nori-utsugi ‘Limelight.’”
To stick to Minazuki: as the name says, it blooms in the sixth lunar month “Minazuki” (late June to early August on the solar calendar).
The close-up at the very top may not show it, but in a longer shot (photo at right) the heads seem to droop. A guess: bred for more decorative flowers, the petals increased while the stems stayed the same, so the stems lose to the weight. They look a little tired.
But these whitish flowers feel a bit cool this season, and I like
them.
The modest white is fine, but one vivid summer flower too: tiger lily. The photo at left was taken a little past the Minazuki, before the lookout over Hakucho-bori; they also bloom in the Ninomaru copse. Besides Japan they grow in central and northern China, the Korean Peninsula, the Siberian coast and even Guam. A little South Seas, perhaps.
Please enjoy seasonal flowers in the East Gardens and elsewhere. But do take care against heatstroke.