"Packwood" - Revisited

"Packwood" is waiting for a Spring repotting like most of my Larch. The Sunrise this morning was worth snapping a picture and revisiting.

Just an update since I havent posted in a few days. My hands hath recovered from what I am now calling "Iunius Chaos ab Ventum" which is the title of the second chapter of my new book coming out July 4th called "Can I Borrow A Feeling" being sold at all Barnes & Noble on the West Coast. The cost is $79 and not a god damned dime goes to charity.

On a less serious note, June has been a very giving month. It really has been a month of chaos in discovery for me. I have found a passion....err lets be honest...an outright obession with plants, trees, bonsai and anything that falls under those categories this last month in which I have posted over 3 dozen projects. I am like nutty proffesor without the PhD or the flubber. Every time I find something interesting, other areas of relative interest exponentially present themselves to me. For those of you who know me, this jibber jabber might actually make sense. /wink

Nonetheless, what I am trying to say is......My hands are healed up and I am ready to raise hell! I have some projects I am prepped to tear into so check back in the next few days for some shit that will blow your f'n mind!! Okay, that might be a bit much but you get the jift.

Thanks for stopping by, check back soon. Hakuna Matata Bitches!!

No Name - Cissus Tuberosa

No Name - Trident Maple

"Tastes Like Chicken" - Zen Garden

This one is very new. That greenery you see is a Weeping Willow cutting that will eventually shade most of the zen garden which at some point the "goose chase" will be removed. This one is for my beautiful wife since that Willow is from a Willow she grew up with in her front yard that will be dug up and forever gone pretty soon so we are gonna take a bunch of cuttings and keep the Sale Barn Weeping Willow Club alive..........There was one?

No Name - Adenium Somalense

Cell Phone Pics - Updating Soon!

No Name - Fig Tree

Cell Phone Camera Low Quality Pics - Will Update Soon!

"Red Hat Ladies" - Escallonia Red Elf Pruned Hard

BEFORE HARD PRUNING

AFTER HARD PRUNING
CELL PHONE PICS SORRY FOR LOW QUALITY

Red Elf Escallonia for indoors looks so beautiful when in bloom. In all honesty I could have practically left it the way I got it and it looked cool. I imagined better flow through this hard pruning but cant wait to see it fill out and bloom. Enjoy!

"Cannon Beach" - Japanese Larch on Rock

Sorry about the poor picture quality. This was taken with my camera phone until I can get some new rechargeables. Enjoy friends!!

What Kind of Fern is This? Me Likey

I dug this one up but like a champ I didnt turn off the A/C timer the fern sits on. It dried out and died but I know where there are more. Does anyone know any cultivation tips? I dipped the ends in root tone and used organic potting soil, topped with orchid soil for looks. I would kick myself in my own teeth if I could get one of these living in my house.

p.s. nothing communicates Feng Shui and good energy flow in the bedroom like a 16guage shotgun. :)

Facing East - View From My Deck

Sorry for the non-bonsai posts. My hands hurt as I have been ignoring my body's whiny shit about not wanting to work so much. GTFO physiology pfft. Anyway.... last non bonsai post of the day :P

Beyond those trees is Lake Washington then Bellevue. To the South during Autumn and Winter when there are few to no leaves we have an absolutely crazy view of Mt. Rainer in all its glory. BRB, gonna dig up that photo.

Fuchsia - Non- Bonsai

I planted four 1inch starts of Red Spider and Minka Fuchsia. This was taken about a week ago so it is a bit bigger now. You can almost see Bellevue from across Lake Washington in the background. Oh! That reminds me of a picture I took the other morning when I was watering plants on my deck. Standby for another non-bonsai post heh....

"Lu Lu" - Cotoneaster

Just made this for my Mom. It is just about ready to bloom, just in time to give to her!

"Cle Elum" - My First Succulent Rock Landscape

This landscape cost about $30 in materials including plants. The Moss, and hanging Echeveria- like plant (I dont know name, do you?) Chresta and I collected using guerilla urban collection strategies. This basically entails walking around digging up moss and other botanicals that might not otherwise survive. We do not condone interrupting anything that someone else might be able to enjoy. If you follow that rule and dont enter people's private property I think you might be suprised at the neat things you can find.

Okay, enough chitchat. We gots killer red moss off a wall that faced East likely half the day. I think it adds to the dried out desert effect I was going for. I added an Adenium Somalense and the Japanese Larch both purchased. The slab cost me $6 and the main rock $5. Everything else like was collected within a three block radius of our home. I think the rest of the plants are succulents relative to the Echeveria? Except for the one on the left that looks like a little palm. I cant make out what the tag says....I interpreted it as follows "Padypadium Esvidum." I have two one from the wild and the one shown here came Indoor Sun Shoppe in Fremont.

Anyhow, if you have any tips or ideas...seriously....please comment and lets hear it. I dont care if you have a black thumb and or have never touched a plant. I enjoy the perspective. Thanks for stopping by and letting me share this with you!! Go easy -

Non-Bonsai - Succulent Display

Non-Bonsai - 7+ Month Old Orchids

Just wanted to share, I know its not Bonsai but nice on the eyes nonethelesss. These are atleast 7+ months old. The top picture on the lower set of yellow orchids are pretty sweet. The lower had only 2 blooms when we got it last summer, now it has 9 BLOOMS!! The top branch has only 4 but has had 7 at its peak.

These are my second set of Orchids I have ever bought. They are so pretty and easy to care for, I think I should make a seperate Orchid blog and grow more. Even though I read orchic propogation is difficult I think it would be balls to the walls fun.

For nutrients on my Orchids I use a Foxfarm Product called "Open Sesame" which contains 5% Nitrogen, 45% Phosphate, 19% Potash which I think is what is responsible for the extra blooms. Then, I also use a foliar water/beet derivitive spray (ratio 45ml to 1gallon) on the big floppy leaves and the orchid soil. Remember not to spray directly on the bloom tissue itself. From what I understand, the beet derivitive provides hyper sugar production necessary for photosynthesis. It is great for my Fuschias too.....let me post that next since I am at it. :)

Everyone have a great day! GIVE, SHARE, PROSPER!!!

No Name - Succulents on Lava Rock

I attribute this piece to delerium. I think I really dig this for some odd reason. Seems unique. Lets wait until tomorrow to see shall we? I am going to bed for real this time. Good Night All!! Sunrise :/

No Name - Unfinished Rock Landscape

This was my first attempt at using rocks on rock slab. It is not ready quite yet as I needed to let the clay dry for the pool of water you see as the gray area. It really needs to be cleaned up I am just too tired at this point.

This landscape has two Japanese Larch, an Adenium (Desert Rose,) hens and chicks of some sort and some succulents. I will finish up tomorrow and post a picture of the final product. I dont even care at this point.

I cant believe I am even up typing right now....wait, am I really up? Pretty sure this is a dream cause there is no way in any dream would I anticipate doing this many projects in one day. Wait, is this really happening? Ahh, I get it....IT IS a dream.................................. nighty night poo bear.

"Castle Rock" - Japanese Maple

"Shesells" Japanese Maple

5am too late for comments...check ya later

"Packwood" - Japanese Larch

Its 4:40am and I havent slept yet. It's been a huge project day and I am done for.....will comment tomorrow

No Name - Adenium Somalense

Okay, this is my last post for now. This is an Adenium. I have a few of them but this one branches out very quickly above the dramatic caudex. Just wanted to post it since I finally got my greasy hands on some. I will continue to add projects. Happy Summer !! :)

No Name - Japanese Larch

I dont have anything to say about this one. Enjoy.

No Name - Begonia of Sorts

Getting tired...here is a Begonia for ya....

"Give, Share, Prosper" Justin's Feng Shui Prosperity Corner

Again, I decided to try something new and I am very pleased with the final result. The three plants you see are as follows from left to right. Serissa Foetida Yose-ue (Multi-tree) style with fresh soil instead of moss (in progress,) behind the fountain is ....damn I cant remember. I want to say Pieris Japonica, then the furthest to the right is an awesome unfinished Ficus.

Justin's Indoor Environ

Dont know if you can tell or not but there is a very nice looking slab of rock those plants sit on. On top of that is another rock of which I will construct a Sakei of Bamboo and running water. Soon............

UPDATED 6/15

The following picture is what I used the above slab for.

"The Columbia" - Deadwood on Alberta Spruce

This one isnt quite done either but thought it worth posting. My Great-grandpa Frank used to take me hunting along the Columbia River when I was very young whilst my sister and Great-grandma Viola would hunt for mushrooms. That was my vision when puting this together. It has a Douglas Fir start, a Japanese Maple Start and lastly a Japanese Larch start planted under the deadwood Alberta spruce(alive.) I will design it to be windswept I believe. Enjoy

No Name - Cotoneaster Pre-Bonsai

Snapped a photo whilst in flowering. Will repot this in the next week or so. Stay tuned.

No Name - J.Spiraliter

Meh.....

"Catfood" - Ponytail Palm

My cats eat the leaves of this plant like it was their last meal. I barely get a chance to enjoy this plant cause its always shoved into a corner with other plants and chimey obstacles surrounding it to try and save its long plam leaves. Finally I thought perhaps the Wife could enjoy it at work so now atleast someone can reap the benefits of its energy and vitality.

"Carl" - Serissa Foetida

Carl is sun worshiper who likes wine tasting and long walks on the beach. Carl is a gemini and loves to sail, but says he has to dig himself out of this hole he got himself in first.

Knyuck Knyuck Knyuck...I'm here all week. Shakan (Slanted Style) Serissa Foetida Shohin Myabi form recently transplanted so no flowers at this moment. Stay tuned!

"Maddie" - Uknown Species **UPDATE JULY6TH**

UPDATED JULY 6TH ABOVE PHOTO

I spotted this succulent at the Indoor Sun Shoppe that had such a unique set of exposed roots that I had to have it. All I know is it is relative to the Madagascar Palm. I definately have had no luck deriving the subspecies. Anyone?

A few months ago when I first got into bonsai it dawned on me that it had potential for bonsai. Now since I am a noob to bonsai, I dont know all the rules but dont think this counts as bonsai. I dont really care too much I guess. Needless to say I sit "Maddie" on my desk about 1 inch under a 45watt full spectrum CFL and treat her like a bonsai. Most indoor plant stores will sell FULL SPECTRUM compact flourescent lights that you can put in any desk lamp. They are coiled just like the ones you can buy at the grocery store, the difference here is this bulb omits most importantly the blue and red spectrums for growth. (Blue for flowering, Red for vegatative growth.) Anyone who wants plants and claims they dont have enough light, I just solved your problem. Donations accepted. Now lets move on to another bonsai smartass.....

UPDATE JULY 6TH

"Abernathy" - Living Maple Burl Slab Landscape w/ Sequioa

Ok, first of all I just want to say how much my Dad kicks ass. I made him go out on some disgustingly hot dry day with a chainsaw and hack away on this fallen maple that had massive burl growth. If you read the previous blog entry about Sequioa burls, you would have read that a slab or cutting from a Maple burl in this instance contain both male and female hormones when it is seperated from the root system. Anyhow, this is a living piece of wood my Pop cut for me that grows perpetually if provided nutrients and kept here in its native environment. Like a living plant dish :)

It has two Sunflower that just sprouted due to the birds kicking seed in my plants. Besides that there are new shoots of Maple that will shade the Sequoia seeds that have been planted on and in crevices, under dirt I added etc. I am going to Jin the two large branches and which will likely eliminate the bulk of their misplacement. Needless to say it should be interesting to see where this one goes. I will keep you posted!!

6/16/09 **UPDATE**

Added a Weeping Willow cutting between the two branches that will be jinned. In theory it should look as awesome as a Chuck Norris spin kick. Happy Times

No Name - Alberta Spruce Netsuranari Bonsai

I have never tried so many new things in my whole life as this last week. Why stop at Netsuranari (Raft Style from Roots?) I took an Alberta spruce and layed it on its side. I cut all its branches on one side all the way down to bare nothing. This side would be planted bare side down after opposite sided branches are wired to randomly exit the soil eventually to root themselves. The pot I used was too short for the 2ft Spruce so I used an oval pot and bent the top around rather than top it. Either way this is a really neat way to get a little quick instant gratification in bonsai. Its only been a few days since I did it so I am gonna continue to stimulate the roots with Rhiztonic and let it recover. I wont touch it for atleast a year now aside from routine maintenence.

In a year or two I will style this and update you then!!

"Chuck Norris" - Serissa Foetida

This Serissa is recovering from a quadrupule transplant. I am using a rooting stimulant derived from marine algae applied foliarly and it seems be recovering nicely. Anyhow, this little guy is a Serissa Foetida bonsai in Literati style, Shohin Gafu form from what I gathered.

I really like this plant but it's size can be decieving, just like Mr. Chuck Norris. This plant also kicks ass so the naming scheme was an easy choice.