Maple garden????

Since the longest day has come and gone, one might hope for some good weather.  Well some has finally come, at least one day’s worth.  Well actually the weather has recently gotten better, but I am still hoping for the day when wearing shorts is a normal activity.

But the plants don’t seem to mind too much, especially in the Koi Garden.  As my blog readers will know, Maples are a favorite in Japanese gardens.  I have reviewed the bible of Japanese Maples: Japanese Maples by Vertrees in earlier posts.  We have even posted about bringing Maples inside for a piece of the garden during the winter.  But don't think for a minute that they will stay that small; they will grow very fast, and will require pruning. Of course even the dwarf maples will require trimming to keep their shape.   Of course we cannot show all the Maple trees I have trimmed this year, because, ahhh, they were all the neighbors trees and I disposed of the evidence immediately; and forget before and after pictures.....   So IXNA on the  ECRETESA.  LOL.

Still, I thought it would be nice to post some photos of the maples in my garden.

The Inside Koi Garden reaches Spring

A few weeks ago I wrote about a way to get an early spring by bringing the Koi Garden inside.  Well, we have some results.

No Seattle has not become warm overnight, but the Inside Koi Garden is showing us some spring.  It doesn’t take too long for the Inside Koi Garden to acclimatize to the warmer weather inside.  They act just like they would in the spring, only for our mid winter benefit.

Enjoy a bit of spring in your winter and imagine how it will be with the snow six inches deep outside....

Bringing the Koi Garden inside

Things can get quite slow in the winter around the Koi Garden.  Well at least it seems so, but maybe that is because we spend so much time in the house and not in the garden….

Either way, the leaves disappear, the plants will slow down, the colors mute, and the weather gets worse.   The days get so short that work starts in the dark and ends in the dark, further reducing the usable garden time.  The longing for the spring increases…  Oh, what to do?  Oh, what to do?

But wait, there is a solution!

Why not bring the Koi Garden indoors?  No, really!  Well, not the entire garden but a miniscule representation of the garden?  Yeah!  No reason why not!!!

You can bring small plants and mosses indoors and place them where you can see them and watch them grow every day of the winter.  Bringing things in during the dead of the winter allows you to experience an early spring.  The plants are tricked by the raised temperature of the house to think that it is time for buds to bloom, for leaves to open, all to your advantage.  These new plants require no more effort than any of the rest of your plants.  Plus for those of you that have followed me into the realm of moss fanaticism, this is a great use of any moss you have cultivating somewhere.

A trip to your local thrift shop or local garden center can yield a plethora of places to hold your miniature gems (I just love using the word plethora).  I use large glass containers to achieve a terrarium effect.  Many have small openings on the top or tops to close them altogether.  This is especially good when you want to create a moist, warm environment.  They can be especially stylish as table arrangements.  And I thought so before I got the latest copy of Sunset magazine….  LOL

For those times when you don’t want a glass enclosure, a small bonsai pot works great to help build a little world to bring the outdoors in.  Remember the rule of threes when placing stuff.  Moss, a little maple tree sapling, and a small, shaped granite stone combine to make a nice, balanced scene. 

Both can be kept in the house year round.  Just be sure to keep them away from the direct sun during the summer.  Until then, enjoy the mini Koi Garden in your house!!!

Can't keep a good moss down

Seattle is not known for sunny weather, but the summers are actually quite dry here. Keeping a moss nice and moist and green, much less alive in the summer requires some thinking, in addition to some timing and working with the weather!!! The rains just have returned and are helping out but even in Seattle, you cannot count on the rains.

I have always been impressed with the moist moss in Japanese gardens. I will dive into the Seattle Japanese Garden more in future posts, so stay tuned for them.

In order to cover one of my nicest Japanese lanterns with moss, first I needed some moss. I had read of ways to grow moss from scratch (yes, I do read stuff like that), but that seemed too long a process. It involved chopping up moss in a food processor and mixing it with milk or yogurt to create a paint for surfaces where you want to grow moss. Nope, not going to happen....

Instead I became a moss thief; yes a moss thief. I “harvested” some really nice moss from the sidewalk down the street. I prefer early mornings; it stops having to do the explanations to neighbors…. I used a metal spatula to remove the moss and a cookie tray to store it. The cookie tray works well in retaining the water, keeping the moss moist and healthy. You can almost not over water the moss at this stage. I would recommend storing the resultant “moss cookies” in a shady place in the yard out of sight from your neighbors… For some reason being a moss farmer is not looked on with the esteem that I think it should be…

My goal was to use my moss cookies to cover my Japanese lantern. I first let the moss settle in for a few days in my moss tray. I later pulled pieces out of my moss tray and pieced them together like a puzzle on the top of the lantern in the most natural layout I could think of. I tried to keep the lantern moist and out of direct sunlight for as long as I could. Babying the moss at this time is needed but a Japanese lantern without the top looks, well, looks nothing like a Japanese lantern… So even though I placed it back in the Koi Garden and made sure it stayed moist and in the shade, especially on hot days.

Now once I had spent so much time and effort in covering my Japanese lantern with a delightful head of moss, I had to keep it that way. In addition to the risk of moss drying out, you need to watch out for birds and squirrels. For some reason, they both think that there is something underneath and will sometimes tear up your work in search of gold or something. This is another reason why I always keep some moss in my moss tray. You just never know when you will need some more moss!

After a while, the moss will adhere to the lantern top and you will be the proud owner of a moss topped Japanese lantern. Once the moss is established, it will handle droughts, ice and snow equally well. It goes dormant in the cold of winter, and if dried out in the summer, it will return after some beneficial watering.

Now that is some really good moss!!!