The herald of Spring in the Orient is the Plum blossom arriving before the end of the frost and before the leaves arrive on the trees. This beautiful and delicate flower has the meaning of courage in adversity it is used with pine and bamboo in the Three Friends of Winter. The fruit is different to our plums, they are small and hard and are usually used as traditional pickled plums.

A special and noble material the evergreen pine is an iconic sight in Japan and has the meaning of constant and everlasting. Matsu has a double meaning the same word is used when waiting for a loved one to return so is often used in poetry and art. Pine is the most impressive of all the flowerless trees in Japan, they are pruned into the classic "floating cloud" formation by skilled gardeners. There are five varieties of pine to be found in Japan and in Japanese belief trees are places where gods can rest whilst visiting this world, hence the importance of pine trees in gardens.

The camellia is a beautiful flower, sometimes known as the Rose of Winter, that flowers from late November until the end of Spring. The genus is native to East Asia and is very popular in both China and Japan. Camellias come in many different forms from single to massive double blooms and in all colours from white through palest pink to crimson and on to the dark hues of red.

The Maple is an iconic sight in Japan a fresh lime green in the Spring and brilliant shades of scarlet and yellow in the Autumn. There is a sadness that comes with Autumn, a melancholy enhanced with soft mist but the scarlet of the Maple leaves are sharp and bright in contrast.

T Seven grasses or flowers of Autumn. Akiko-no-nanakusa.

These flowers were present in the gardens of the aristocracy in the Heian Period (794-1185) all had a use in the house, and inspired poets and artists. This collection of seven grasses are mentioned in the early poetry of Japan, again like the cherry blossom , they invoke feelings of great beauty tinged with sadness. The grasses washed by the rain and bent by the wind as the year draws to a close talks of the end of life and feelings of sadness.

T Seven grasses or flowers of Autumn. Akiko-no-nanakusa.

These flowers were present in the gardens of the aristocracy in the Heian Period (794-1185) all had a use in the house, and inspired poets and artists. This collection of seven grasses are mentioned in the early poetry of Japan, again like the cherry blossom , they invoke feelings of great beauty tinged with sadness. The grasses washed by the rain and bent by the wind as the year draws to a close talks of the end of life and feelings of sadness.

The Lotus is a stunning water plant of amazing beauty, The National flower of India (nelumbo nucifera, family name Nelumbonaceae) and is also found all over Asia.

The beauty of a single flower is best illustrated by the Morning Glory, the flower for the month of July.