Tokyo stayed rainy all day on the 18th. In front of the Sumitomo Corporation Takebashi Building next to the Palaceside Building, pure-white Annabelle hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) bloomed vividly, wet with raindrops
According to gardening sites, a leading theory of the name is that the plant was found in 1910 near Anna, Illinois, combining the town name "Anna" with "bella," meaning beautiful. Ordinary hydrangeas (mountain, lacecap and oakleaf types) change color, so their flower language includes less flattering meanings such as "fickle" and "unfaithful." Annabelle, by contrast, means "earnest love" and "patient affection" — an interesting contrast.
The weather in the Tokyo area should recover from the 19th. Heavy-rain disasters are a worry, and it is also a little concerning that the rainy-season start, so fitting for hydrangeas, is later than normal (around June 7).