One of the wonderful things I loved about my time in Japan was the way in which nature was so strongly linked with their culture. The flowering seasons of plants were linked to festivals in the local shrines and the notion of hanami, or flower viewing is not only linked to the cherry blossom season.
I still remember the beautiful iris flowers en masse in May and June in Japan - beautiful, striking. I tried growing them once I returned to Australia with mixed success and I certainly could not replicate the beautiful visions of Japan.
