On November 11, the watermelon cutting ceremony took place at Sakuya Konohana Kan Botanical Garden (Tsurumi District, Osaka Prefecture). This is a melon that attracted attention when it grew in the middle of a median strip on a busy road, then was rescued and displayed in the garden from October 20.
Dozens of people came witness the ceremony to see what’s inside the “courageous watermelon”.
When the botanical garden staff uses a knife to cut the 10cm diameter melon in half, the ripe red flesh is revealed to visitors. excitedly cheered and clapped. Those who tasted the watermelon commented that it was “sweeter than store-bought melon”.
“This spring I had foot surgery and the recovery was very difficult, but watermelon helped I have the courage to do it. I think I will be able to persevere and keep going,” said a woman in her 50s.
Ryo Uedana, manager of the botanical garden, said the melon was found in a place where many people pass by, so may have sprouted from seeds dropped by birds.
The seeds are in good condition so we will plant the seeds of hope to grow “second generation” courageous watermelons” said Ryo Uedana .
Previous On October 19, a group of 8 workers in Osaka city were mobilized to “rescue” a watermelon tree that had fruit right on the land of a hard median strip on a route with heavy traffic.
According to city officials, they decided to move the watermelon tree to a new place because they were worried that its appearance could cause curious people to cross the street to take photos, causing unsafety traffic or bad guys vandalism.
An expert said watermelon plants grow in special environment and being able to produce such large fruit “is very surprising”.
Watermelon flowers only bloom for a short time and need to be pollinated properly. When the weather is cold, this plant will die. However, I hope the people of Osaka will be able to see it even for a short time,” the expert said.
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