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!
I've never heard of kusamono before, but it sounds very interesting. Thanks for the education.
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