Springtime was busy, with people waking up early to get
their gardens and fields planted in the sunny reprieves amidst the rainy season. Bees were
buzzing to and from the wide selection of early Spring flowers, either planted with care or
the lively wild blossoms. There were, and still are a lot of flowers to pay attention to, as it seems that
every week, a blooming season ends and another begins.

The earliest flowers of the year were the azalea bushes all over town, ranging
from bright fuchsia and soft pinks to crisp white. These bushes were seen everywhere.
They are a national favorite and can be found in parks, people’s yards, surrounding
buildings, or parking lots, in small patches of greenery lining the streets. When they are in
full bloom, it is quite a sight to behold. So much so, that there are normally azalea
festivals in the larger parks, where people can enjoy the flowers, browse food vendors, and
participate in various family activities.

❀ Check out my gallery of spring floral photos, here. ❀

The second big deal in floral events would be what Japan is probably most
famous for in terms of flora, the sakura, or cherry blossoms. In Hokkaido, the cherry
blossoms bloom later than the main island of Japan, which was perfect for us because they
burst in all their glory over “golden week” – a week that features a handful of consecutive national
holidays. I was fortunate to get many days off to wander around the many parks
and capture photos of this national treasure. They also smell absolutely exquisite, and the
breeze carries this seasonal fragrance across town wherever you may be. Ashoro boasts
its collection of many different colored sakura trees, which continue to saturate out town
with color after the petals fall off of their branches by powdering the streets in pink.

Lastly, if you came to Ashoro you would notice the short, bold, flowers blanketing
lawns and grassy patches. These are called shiba-zakura, directly translated into “turf
(cherry) blossoms” but in English are referred to as moss phlox. They are large, thick
clusters of tiny flowers with an array of colors: from purple, pink, to white and any shade in
between. They grow low to the ground, and I personally think that we should replace all
grass lawns with these lovely thick floral carpets. Luckily for us, the moss phlox blooming
season seems to be quite long!

It is an ideal time to go outside and enjoy your garden or local parks, wherever you are in the world. Even though we may all still be restricted in what we can do, let’s not forget to stop to smell the flowers. ❀