Near the first summit of Miharashi Hill at Hitachi Seaside Park, this year's Welcome Garden has arrived, with its planted area doubled from last year. Thirty-one varieties of flowers greet visitors in vivid color, including bright yellow and orange marigolds and celosia prized for its colorful plumes. The Welcome Garden is expected to stay in bloom through late October, offering a long viewing season that runs alongside the kochia's transformation from green foliage to autumn red.
Planting Highlights of the Welcome Garden
1. A Deliberate Balance of Color
This year's Welcome Garden is built around the bright yellow of marigolds as its central color theme. Around September, the plumes of feather celosia will brighten into vivid color, adding a different mood to the garden. Coleus 'Black Dragon,' a colored-leaf plant, has been added as an accent this year, giving the mostly bright-toned garden a sense of visual breathing room. Since Miharashi Hill tends to fill with warm-toned flowers in autumn, more blue flowers have also been planted to balance the color palette across the hill and leave a lasting impression on visitors. Enjoy the wide variety of colorful flowers throughout the garden.
2. A Design That Combines Different Plant Heights
Within the garden, the plant care team combines low-growing dwarf varieties, medium-height varieties, and tall varieties with a strong presence, arranging them to look random even though the placement is carefully calculated. The result is a colorful flower bed with a real sense of depth.
3. A Design Built for a Long Blooming Season
By combining the differing colors, shapes, and blooming periods of each variety, the garden can be enjoyed over a long stretch of time, alongside the kochia's own color change from green to autumn red.
Photos That Make It Look Like You're Standing in the Flower Field
The zigzagging path leading up Miharashi Hill makes it possible to take photos that look as though you're standing right in the middle of the flower field. By using the path's curves and changes in elevation to hide your feet from the frame, the resulting photo fills the screen with colorful flowers — a great backdrop for a memorial photo with family or friends.
Green Kochia Is Currently in Full Bloom
At both Miharashi Hill and Miharashi-no-Sato, the fluffy, rounded, refreshing lime-green kochia is currently at its best. Be sure to enjoy the kochia spreading across the Miharashi area together with the Welcome Garden.
