無量壽寺のかきつばた IRISES VIEWING AT MURYOJYU TEMPLE

無量壽寺のかきつばた

 

女房と知立市にある無量壽寺に行って、かきつばたを見てきた。満開だとラジオで聞いて出かけたのだが、満開は満開でもかきつばたの数が少なく、寺の４つの池の内、三つではまばらにしか咲いていなかった。一つの池だけ密集して咲いていており、紫色の花が鮮やかでしばし見とれた。来て良かったと思った。
かきつばたを世話している人に聞くと、１０年前の極暑でやられて以来、本数が減ってしまい、毎年新しいかきつばたを植えているのだがうまく花を咲かせてくれない。また寒さにも弱く、寒暖に敏感で、今のような有様になったという事であった。女房は３０年ぐらい前に来たことがあって、ぎっしり群生して美しかったそうだ。かきつばたを見に来た人たちも残念がっていた。

IRISES VIEWING AT MURYOJI TEMPLE

I went to Muryojyu Temple in Chiryu to see Irises with my wife today. Yesterday’s radio news had said that the irises were in full bloom. It was right; they were in full bloom all right, but the number of the Irises was so small that I was disappointed. I had expected to see thickly growing Irises. Out of the four Iris ponds surrounding the temple, only one had Irises growing clustered. The purple flowers were so vivid that I looked at them for a long time. I felt it was worth visiting the temple.
According to one of the caretakers of the flowers, the extraordinary summer heat ten years ago damaged most of the Irises. Since then they have been planting young Irises, but they do not grow well. On top of it, Irises are weak against the cold. They are sensitive to the climate.
My wife had visited the temple about 30 years before, and the Irises then were growing densely and beautifully.
The other visitors looked disappointed, too.