Bonsai

During construction madness, I kept a wary eye on my plants, many of them dug up and potted in temporary containers to make way for back-hoes, lumber, plumbers, and carpenters. I was primed to run to the rescue because, let's face it, in the middle of the winter most plants look like so many lifeless sticks, and no matter the promises of construction workers, "Yeah, lady. We'll be careful," accidents happen, like the board crashing down on my Azara lanceolata 'Variegata' Insert a scream here. Luckily only one branch broke. I know I've moved my pots around at least a dozen times to keep them from harms way. Thank god it's all over.

When the dust settled and everyone left, for the last time, it was a relief to see that most of my plants had survived the ordeal. Included amongst the saved from destruction were several dwarf conifers, nameless now, (after all my years of gardening and careful plant collecting I have yet to find the ultimate label. the label that stays attached to the plant, or a pen or penciled tag that doesn't grow dim or unintelligible with time. How about disintegrates all together? I found my conifers tipped on their sides, up against the cinder block wall I mentioned in an earlier post. They looked quite sad, and very neglected. I decided to save them, after all at least two of these conifers were over fifteen years old. They needed fresh soil, a nice slow release feed, and some grooming, but most of all they needed new containers to show off their beauty. I had fun looking for and finally finding three lovely Japanese pots, in earthy browns and in different sizes and shapes to suit the size of the plants. I have learned that new pots should always be slightly larger than the old one, and a little root pruning helps to keep them small and happy. After settling them into their new homes, I then gave them a nice trim. I selected certain branches to remove to emphasize the natural shape of the plant. I also cleared out crowed growth on the branches to open up the plant. I then added chunks of red lava rock to simulate an out cropping, one to a plant. I arranged moss around the foot of the trunks of two small, tree shaped conifers, and added a stand of very miniature Mondo grass around the remaining conifer. I was quite satisfied with the results. these gardens in miniature, for that is what they are, give me immense pleasure. Mind you, they require work, diligence in their care. My lovely Bonsai collection now sit on my porch for everyone to enjoy. For all you would ever want to know about Bonsai, CHECK HERE.