Marimo Moss Ball Aqua Terrarium

Since first seeing them, I have been kind of fascinated with 'Marimo moss balls'.  Actually they are a type of spherical algae that just feel and look like moss.  They come from cold lakes in Japan, Scotland, and Iceland (plus a few other areas).  Long lived - 100+ years - and slow growing, they are a fun addition to a aquarium.

I already had this 3 gallon apothecary jar from Home Goods.  Besides the Marimo, I put in a tall and a short aquatic plant.   I'm also looking for some sort of floating plant(s).  I plan to add a Beta fish next spring.  We keep our house pretty cool in the winter and I don't want to fool with a heater just yet.

Here's a close up of the Marimo (Japanese for 'seaweed ball').  Interesting aren't they?

Kusamono... aka 'Grass Thing'

A companion art form to Bonsai are kusamono plantings.  Basically it is artistically arranged plants in a way that mimics nature in a season.

Bonsai I do not have ready, but I can do kusamono!  Our bonsai show had an exhibit of kusamono and suiseki (more on that one later) so I was able to work up a few to put in the show.

In my studio working on one of my plantings.

We went out to my favorite moss gathering area to get some sheets to work with.  Here I am trimming a moss sheet to fit this planting of Summer Savory.  Don't you love that stem?

Using a chop stick to firm the moss into the pot.

Below are the four plants I entered in the exhibit.

Summer Savory (a culinary herb).

A tiny elm seedling.

A little fern I found growing in the moss.

Not sure what the plant is but I love its 'Dr Suess-y' look.

This is part of the kusamono display at the bonsai show... notice my savory at the top right.

Closer of someone's cool fern.

A 'kokedama' (moss ball).  When it cools off a bit I'm going to try making a few of these.

A fun kusamono display!  The exhibitor is also a potter.  He made the cute egg pot sitting in the nest.  The plant is a baby elm tree.

I'm starting to collect/gather interesting nature 'pots' (such as hollow stones and drift wood) for my kusamono.  I'm excited about what I can do with this!

Bonsai Show 2018

Time for the annual Nashville Bonsai Society show.  I still don't have a tree ready for competition but Himself and I worked the show.

There were some wonderful displays this year.  

This is a Hinoki Sekka and a Sawawa Cypress.

(I'm just copying what is written on their ID cards)

A mimosa tree.  This one got the "Viewers Choice" award.

A barberry.

A 5 year old Japanese maple in root-over-rock style.

A cork bark Chinese elm.  It's 5 years old and got "Best Display".

An Amethyst Fall Wisteria.

(Personal opinion here... but I'm not a fan of displaying a vine as bonsai.  After all, bonsai means TREE in pot.)

Golden Gate Ficus

A Pen Jing display.  This is a Chinese form of bonsai.

Chinese Elm, about 12 years old.  Notice the accent plant to the left!

Procumbens Nana Juniper

Bald Cypress

The show judge was Arthur Joura, curator of the NC Arboretum in Asheville.

There was also a 'bring your own tree' workshop.

It was led by our own John Wall.

One of my jobs was to take photos of bonsai displays.  Himself was a 'tree guard'.  You'd be shocked at how many adults can't keep their hands to themselves, plus trees have been known to disappear!

The Light

Madonna and Child among the Jade

At Urban Jungle, the challenge for December was to do a styling featuring 'plants and light'.  This is my interpretation of the theme.

To see what other's have created, go to:

(Will have active link on 22 Dec)

#urbanjunglebloggers 

Brass Buttons Up Close (#urbanjunglebloggers)

Let the spring planting begin!

We've picked up our first new plants for this spring, these to go in the trellis planter on the front porch.  The plant is called "Brass Buttons".  It's a low growing perennial that spreads... a lot.  I think it will look nice in the planters with the runners hanging down.

What caught our eye is the fern-y looking leaves.  But don't let that delicate look fool you.  Brass Buttons are tough enough to stand light foot travel.

The deep brassy purple and green are a plus.  I think I'm going to go with a purple theme for the porch this year so this is a good start.

The flower buds are so interesting!  The flower will be a bright yellow.

Doesn't it look like a miniature Jurassic Park?

I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out.  

Kitchen Cactus in the Urban Jungle

I'm trying to have plants all through the house.  But they have to meet certain specs...

1.  They have to be tough.

2.  They have to be interesting (more or less).

3.  They have to be cheap!

This is my little cactus dish I've been working on for my kitchen.  There's a 'dead' space near the microwave that is perfect.

Picked up these recently at Walmart.  Seriously, Wally World has some of the most abused cactus ever.  First there were those dyed one I showed a while back... wouldn't take 'em if they were given to me.  

However, these weren't quite so bad.  They just had a dried straw flower glued to them so it would look like they were blooming.  (That feels so dishonest to me...).  Apparently a lot of people thought that because there were many flats of them marked half off.  A pair of needle nosed pliers took care of the 'flower' issue!

It's starting to look cute.  One or two more orphans and it will be done.

#urbanjunglebloggers