Potted bonsai ume Japanese apricot trees tell late arrival of spring

February 28, 2018

Potted bonsai ume Japanese apricot trees tell late arrival of spring

The 80-year-old residence, built in a largely rural area in southwestern Japan, becomes a display pavilion for hundreds of potted bonsai ume Japanese apricot trees from February to March.

The two-story house stands on a site of about 6,500 square meters, surrounded by nursery tree fields, in the Ono district of Miyama City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
Placed in the center of the garden is the 300-year-old Beniohshuku tree, the oldest among the bonsai ume collection at the site.
Supported with three steel props, the tree looks almost dead but it has vermilion flowers from late February to early March on upper branches of its twisted trunk.
Visitors enjoy strolling around various species of white, red and pink ume bonsai trees placed not just in the garden but also in the tatami mat rooms. A bill posted on the door to the rooms says, "Please do not leave the door open so that birds may not come in."
Ume bonsai trees are moved into the rooms for indoor display before the season. This requires hard work, but it allows visitors to appreciate their beauty in an intimate atmosphere.
The Seikien (Blue Glow Garden) residence attracts hundreds of tourists a day toward the high season. But the blooming this year is a little slower than usual, "because of the cold days since the beginning of the year," said a shop girl at the garden.
Cherry blooming trees are the most favored among Japanese people, but ume apricot trees have a much longer history of entertaining Japanese since around the Heian period, as their pure, elegant appearance is linked to the deep part of the Japanese culture and spirits.

Well, I wonder if your heart has not changed. It is quite unknown, but ume apricot trees at my native place must be giving off their sweet odor as before. 

(A personal translation)

This is a waka poem made by Tsurayuki Ki, a distinguished poet in the Heian period. He is known as the chief editor of the Kokinshu waka anthology compiled early in the 10th century.   

The estate in Miyama dates back to the middle of the Edo era early in the 18th century, when a local nursery tree grower made its fortune on mandarin orange tree cultivation. The Tanaka family then started producing various fruit and garden trees, particularly ume apricot and Japanese white pine trees on bonsai trays and pots.
The current residence is occupied by the eighth in the line of proprietors. The Seikien residence started an indoor display of its bonsai ume tree collection to the public in 1962.
Tourists can find a few other sites with ume bonsai trees for public display in the district. This reflects the decades-long custom of showing bonsai and other plant collections to guests outdoor or indoor in the area. 
The estate also attracts many foreigners in recent years as Japanese miniature bonsai trees have caught on well with plant lovers in other countries.
The fragrance of the Seikien ume trees lets visitors breathe a sigh of relief at the much awaited arrival of spring and reminds them that they live in a culture- and season-rich country.