by Lucy | Mar 7, 2018 | General |
The joy of container gardening. My first garden design client had a hillside landscape in almost complete shade that had been planted with ivy…! After several months of ripping out roots up to two inches thick, she commissioned me to install a container garden...
by Lucy | Jan 19, 2018 | General |
Aesthetic pruning for specimen trees. I have begun to offer pruning services for select Japanese Maples for Portland area clients. These trees can be tricky to shape and thin to give the wonderful lacy appearance so desired, with layering to accentuate the...
by Lucy | Jan 9, 2018 | General |
Finding the “Tree within the Tree.” Here is an updated photo of the weeping spruce formerly pictured. Now in a classic Chinese Drum pot, this tree has matured into a quite majestic specimen, deserving of its formal round container. Approximately twenty...
by Lucy | Jan 9, 2018 | General |
Softest and most delicate of the pine bonsai specimens. Japanese Five Needle Pine is a classic for bonsai, with soft short needles and a wonderful lanky growth habit. The needles are well placed in clusters, giving fullness to the branches and vivid green color...
by Lucy | Nov 27, 2017 | General |
Best of the native shrubs for longlasting spring color. Ceanothus, or California lilac, is not actually a lilac at all. The flowers slightly resemble our perennial favorite spring bloomer, but this native of the woods of northern California and southern Oregon has its...
by Lucy | Nov 24, 2017 | General |
Littlest bonsai gives big impression in new pottery. My Privet bonsai– Ligustrum ovalifolium– native to Korea and Japan– has beautiful fall color, changing from mostly golden-green to crimson over the season, depending on the weather. It is deciduous...
by Lucy | Oct 26, 2017 | General |
Bonsai from the Northwest going to St Louis! Bonsai Akira Nursery has been accepted as a vendor for the American Bonsai Society 2018 convention in St Louis, Missouri. A chance to show what grows in our Northwest gardens, in miniature form! Presenters include Marc...
by Lucy | Oct 23, 2017 | General |
European Beech looks grand in all seasons. This small specimen of Fagus sylvatica, or European Beech, was grown as pre-bonsai on a tile field, giving a wide and shallow rootball ideal for a small container. Wonderful layered branching habit accents the wide horzontal...
by Lucy | Oct 23, 2017 | General |
Loveliest of deciduous trees of the Northwest My Oregon Ash has come to the golden time of year. Brief but magnificent– it will leave its foliage in the coming days– but for now I will revel in the Elm-colored fronds which encircle the canopy of this...
by Lucy | Oct 3, 2017 | General |
Holding out for cooler nights! “Red Dragon” is one of the iconic Japanese Maples that finds a home in every location that supports these stylish trees. Delicate filigree leaves and open branching structure make a magnificent show in a sunny garden. My...
by Lucy | Sep 19, 2017 | General |
Serene garden space for small balcony or patio setting. My “City Living” Display Garden– February 2017 is the basis for my display at the Portland Fall Home Show this october. At the Expo Center, the show features home improvement vendors and plant...
by Lucy | Jun 27, 2017 | General |
Sweet flowering Street Tree pours on the charm. Here’s my tiny dancer again, to show Isolde SOLD
by Lucy | Jun 26, 2017 | General |
Strange name for a lovely cultivar. This little tree was featured in teh tropical section at our local nursery. The name hearkens to the clusters of “grapes” on the trunk, resembling tiny caulflowers… But the specimen featured has perfect form for...
by Lucy | Jun 26, 2017 | General |
The best color– lavender-blue– longlasting blossoms are stunning. Hydrangea makes a surprisingly good bonsai, with a balance between the plant’s woody stems and a good terracotta pottery container. Here’s a success story, a long-lasting bloomer...
by Lucy | Jun 22, 2017 | General |
How a canopy of new foliage can “make” a tree. This mountain ash has been featured in prior posts, as I worked with the huge nursery-grown and neglected wayfarer to find its inward essence…. It has finally formed a perfect crown, with several ew...
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