This is the continued story from the previous article.
My husband is one of the Christmas Rose collectors, and he is currently growing more than 500 pots in our garden.
He wanted to display some of his collections at the event so he chose more than 100 pots from our garden two days ago. One of the staff members at the municipal garden drove his truck to our house to pick up 100 pots of Christmas roses for their three-week--event.
My husband and I drove to the place to prepare our floral display yesterday. I had brought some rugs from our kitchen so that we can clean up dirt on the flower pots there. We also wrote down the variety's name on each plate, and placed them on the long tables they had prepared.
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Despite the chilly temperature this morning, my husband had to go to Tegarayama Botanical Garden because he had promised it with some of the staff members there. I accompanied him.
We stayed there from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We spent most of our time in the Christmas roses display area where my husband had brought more than 100 pots from our garden.
In addition, we liked staying in the cactus garden. Most of the cactus are native to tropical areas so they have set a warmer environment for them to survive. The warmer temperature made us much comfortable than outside.
This flower is named "Sagi sou."
"Sagi sou" is registered as the city flower of Himeji.
Sagi is the Japanese word for Heron.
This flower resembles a white bird flying.
I took this picture of Heron flying last year.
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The pictures below are the displays at the entrance.
Various flowers including Christmas roses are planted in each pot.
I liked these kinds of arrangement.
The Christmas rose has become popular in Japan for these 10 years. British people call it Hellebores.
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We thought there were more than 50 visitors, which was more than we expected.
Sitting down on the chairs, we waited for visitors. During our 5-hour stay, we thought there were more than 50 visitors but it was more than we had expected. My husband explained everything about Christmas roses if visitors showed their interest about the flower.
More than half of the visitors were ladies over 60 years old. Some of them asked the prices. He replied, "The flowers in the display areas are not for sale. There is a flower shop in the entrance you can buy some varieties of Christmas roses there."
I added, "They sell Nigers in full bloom from 450 yen or $4.50. Also, other singles in full bloom are from 800 yen or $8.00."
Among them, one lady suggested that she was particularly interested in one flower named Madam Lemonnie. She also said she has already found that flower for sale at the entrance. She added, "It was priced at 4,500 yen or $45.00. I'm wondering if I should buy that one."
I thought to myself that how could she afford to buy flowers with that price as she obviously looked like a retiree. Flowers bring us enjoyment, but they are not daily necessities such as food and clothes.
The next moment, my husband said to her, "If you have found that flower in that price, you must be very lucky today. It is a must buy. I found them more than 9,000 yen or $90.00 at online shops these days."
I am not interested in buying expensive flowers. I would rather like to buy the arrangement of various flowers in one pot with cheaper price.
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We also visited the botanical garden last Feb. 19 for the preparation of our display. It was one day earlier from the event and we noticed more than hundreds of Christmas roses pots were already prepared for sale at the entrance.
On our visit of Feb. 24, I guessed that more than 70% were sold already.
Before the event has started, some staff members asked my husband, an expert, to help them to explain about the flower to their visitors during the three-week event. Additionally, I was with my husband when its manager asked my husband to visit them "as often as possible" and "as long-hour as possible" when we visited them last Feb. 19.
In fact, my husband stayed at the event place for 7 to 8 hours last Saturday, Feb. 20 and Sunday, Feb. 21. He drove his car there. He put 200 yen coins for the vending machine in the parking lot each time. He has been encouraging visitors to buy their flowers at the entrance, that profit goes to the botanical garden, none to us.
On the other hand, they have never served him something to eat, or drink, not even a thermos filled with hot water.
According to my husband, they prepared this kind of thermos for him
when he joined their event in the previous year, 2015.
During his stay from 9 a.m. to 5:00 pm, he did not have any chance to drink or eat.
I was very disappointed my husband complained to me that he brought there his cup noodles and cups of coffee from our house, but he did not get the chance to have them for two days of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. of Saturday Feb. 20th, and Sunday 21st. I am sorry for my husband who is not good at asking these things to the staff members.
They are making profits out of my husband's promotions, but he has not paid even a single penny. That's why these kinds of volunteers are not popular here.
In fact, when I joined the local Saint Paulia group several years ago, we had an annual event at the same botanical garden. The floral group had more than 20 members. However, only a few members helped to visit the event. Some of them said that they were too busy for other own things to do while others said putting 200 coins in the vending machine in the parking lot each time is just too much because they are already retired from work and they have been depending on their pensions. Their incomes are very limited and they can only afford to pay daily necessities and medical expenses.
I don't belong to the local Saint Paulia group anymore.
But I am still growing Saint Paulia in my room.
But I am still growing Saint Paulia in my room.
I am wondering what we should do for "win-win" situation for both of us. Obviously, he should get money from them in return of his help to the botanical garden. In case that he stays over 4 hours, they should prepare a thermos filled with hot water there.
I said to him. "My husband has been complaining about the way your staff members treat him. Your manager had asked him to stay as long as possible and as frequently as possible during the three-week-event. Actually, he visited here more than 7 hours on Feb. 20 and 21. He has even tried to sell your flowers at the entrance. However, you never served him anything to eat, even hot water. All of you are very, very, inconsiderate to my husband. That's why I brought him his lunch box and his thermos. Would you still like me to pay the entrance fee?" Then, he didn't ask me to pay the entrance fee.
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The next day, Feb. 25, my husband went to the botanical garden. I guessed that he had some appointments with some visitors. He stayed there from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
He brought there the lunch box and the thermos that I had prepared that morning. He took his lunch at noon. However, one female staff member brought him something to drink after he had finished lunch. I wondered if they could provide him something to drink before lunch, not after.
Generally, Japanese people serve teas before meal. I noticed that there were four female staff members working at the botanical garden. Do they usually serve their families something to drink only after their meals? Not before meals?
I am not satisfied with the way they have been treating my husband these days, so I emailed them on Feb. 26. I asked them about why they cannot provide even hot water to my husband. I also wrote about my opinion that why volunteer members are unwilling to participate in their events from my Saint Paulia group experiences.
I got an immediate reply from the manager on the same day, 26th, saying that they apologize for the inconveniences they have caused him. They are willing to discus the matter on his next visit.
I hope that they will prepare the thermos filled with hot water as soon as they see my husband coming at the entrance. That's the way Japanese people greet their guests to have them for their support. In addition, I hope that they will discuss the matters themselves so that volunteer people will get more willing to support their event.
There are too many varieties of Christmas roses, and we don't know how many of varieties exist upto now. Each flower has unique colors and shapes just like humans differ each other.
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