Irises at Yakushiike Park

Irises blooming in May and June

Cathy Cawood Jul 20, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>A scene to make Monet get his easel and paints out!</p>

<p>Looking toward the far end of the iris ponds</p>

<p>The iris ponds cover a long narrow area</p>

<p>Park visitors rest and picnic in the pergola</p>

<p>Looking along the iris gardens to the pergola</p>

<p>Moss grows thickly on a wooden sign board</p>

<p>'Iris musume' on their way to work in the iris garden</p>

<p>A small mill house tucked away in the trees</p>

<p>Irises in front of the small mill house</p>

<p>A small mill house stands near the iris ponds</p>

<p>If you like irises you will certainly enjoy the range of different colors and types</p>

<p>Parts of the pond have wooden walkways to better enjoy the water gardens</p>

<p>I suppose they are removing spent blooms</p>

Yakushiike Park is lovely in all seasons of the year. I went there in June, when the long narrow ponds were full of delicately scented blue, white and purple irises. the park is such a beautiful setting, surrounding the iris ponds with hills densely clothed in trees. While I was there I was fortunate enough to see two gardeners who the park brochure referred to as 'iris musume'. I think they were too busy posing for visiting photographers to get much work done!

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Cathy Cawood @cathy.cawood

I came to Japan in 2003 to teach English. I lived in Shiga prefecture for 1 year, and it still holds a special place in my heart. I lived in Kyoto for 9 years, then moved to Machida, Tokyo in 2014 after meeting my Japanese partner. I love to take photos, and my Japan in Pictures Facebook page ha...