Houston Back Yard Landscaping - Long Bean Flower with Garden Decoration / Chinese Produce

Now moving into the inner garden of our back yard - that sacrosanct space maintained by my wife and my wife alone.  The background was kept deliberately dark to provide contrast against the bean flower.

And when I say bean, I mean looonnng bean.  This whole business of how seriously Asians take their gardens, and the things that grow within them, are still fascinating to me, even after being married to the culture for 34 years.  In fact, this expands into the whole of their produce and what would seem strange to us, but perfectly normal to them.  Take these long beans...they grow to a length of two feet or more if cultivated correctly!  On more than one occasion Chenjean's gone out there to pick a mere five or six beans, which suffice to serve as the vegetable for an entire meal.

Same can be said of the loofa.  Those things can grow to a gargantuan size, and take over anything nearby that's vertical.  Ours climbed a tree and used the roof of our garage as a platform from which they would hang.  Occasionally on walks around the neighborhood we'll see a loofa plant crawl up the entire height of a telephone pole, then down the wire enough to hang some of those things, suspended as if bombs waiting to be dropped.  One can bet a million dollars that it originates from the back yard of an Asian homeowner.

So these things are still interesting to me, and I've benefited not only from a healthier diet, but very much enjoy the education I get of the fascinating cultures from which they originate.  Especially when we go to the supermarket...

Pic below is posted to demonstrate the awesome clarity captured by the Bigger Cahoona.  This was a Christmas gift given to the wife some years ago, so am glad that its still in her garden to enjoy: