Update: Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum)

Dec. 13, 2025 

JM is "back-budding"..growing new foliage to replace damaged leaves & growing new foliage on areas of the tree that were formerly bare of shoots or leaves (such as the lower trunk). I've begun "helping" the process along by pruning dead &/or dying leaves & will continue to do so. 

Dec 31, 2025

Removed the last leaf remaining on this tree, this morning; and hopefully, the last of the diseased foliage. New buds are popping up on both trunks & remaining lower branches, back-budding is well underway & a good sign that this tree is on the road to recovery, again.

If he survives, it will do much to change my mind about how delicate and temperamental the Acer's can be. I've been told that growing them in our hot, dry climate is problematic & I've had the experience of losing my first specimen to heat-stroke, so when this tree almost succumbed to a fungal infection, I really did not expect it to survive, but here he is, beat-up, naked, chopped & all, putting out new foliage..well, this is why we do this..the pure wonder of the will to live.

(complete history of this plant at https://www.jerryspatio.com/p/photoshistory-japanese-maple-acer.html )

Here We Go Again..

 It's was just 1 month ago, we had our first "winter" storm & just 2 days before Xmas, here we go again. Spent the morning (Tue) moving all of my "little trees" undercover & out of the wind..well, the worst of it, hopefully.

I moved the seedlings, cuttings, miniatures & the youngest succulents, inside temporarily.

It did not take that long & went surprisingly well, so even if the storm turns out not to be so bad, I am enjoying seeing my small collection from a new perspective.

Dec. 29 - It's Not Over Yet..

It rained pretty good on Christmas & for the next couple of days..the weather people say it was the wettest Xmas recorded, in so. California..it finally cleared over the weekend & I was able to put plants in the sun to dry out before the next round of precipitation starts tomorrow night.

"Is it still raining?"

Forecasts call for wind with the New Years storm, which concerns me more than the rain..while the climate here is mostly benign, the wind can be deadly to young plants, particularly those that are stressed. Typically, they don't react appreciably to either hot or cold, within limits and they don't mind being wet, if not for too long, but add 15-20 kts. of wind to the equation & that can be a real threat to saplings. (sapling is the next stage past seedling, but far from an adult tree)

At least there are no frost/freeze warnings (as yet) but I will keep one-ear tuned to the weather forecast for sure. Meanwhile, all is well here on the patio..Allow me to wish you a Happy New Year..the days are getting longer now & although we will have our share of winter storms, the growing season is coming faster than we think.

UPDATES

 Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) (click to see update)

Today is the Winter Solstice

grown from cuttings-Summer '25

I spend much of my gardening day chasing the sun..my patio is well-shaded by 2 Birch trees, 2 Magnolia's & a row of Palm trees, across the street. The landscape trees keep my apartment cool in the summer, shield the patio from rain, to some degree & serve as windbreaks from the north-westerlies that can suck the life right out of a plant.

However, it also means that I have to shift plants around to try & make sure that they get their fair share of sun, or at least enough to stay alive during the shortened fall-winter days. And so, as we approach the Winter Solstice, I am starting to anticipate more hours of sun, less sun-chasing & happier plants.

Meadow Rue (Cal Native) - '25

Historically, the winter solstice was far more than an astronomical event; it was a matter of survival. In a world without electricity or global supply chains, the solstice marked the "death and rebirth" of the Sun. It represented the pivotal moment when the days stopped getting shorter and began to lengthen again—a literal turning point toward spring and the promise of future harvests.

The solstice served three primary roles in ancient civilizations:

• The Agricultural Marker: It was the time to slaughter livestock (since they couldn't be fed all winter) and ferment wine and beer. This provided a rare abundance of fresh meat and alcohol, fueling massive feasts.
• The Architectural Alignment: Civilizations went to incredible lengths to align monuments with the solstice sun.
• The Victory of Light: Most celebrations focused on "helping" the sun return or celebrating the victory of a sun deity over the forces of darkness.

Euphorbia - '25

Many of these ancient traditions were eventually absorbed into modern holidays. The Roman festival of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun) and Saturnalia directly influenced the timing and customs of Christmas, such as the use of evergreens, candles, and communal feasting.

The word "solstice" comes from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because for a few days around the solstice, the sun's path across the sky appears to stop before reversing direction.

So, I will celebrate the Solstice today by perhaps "tipping a cup or two" to welcome the sun back to the patio.

New Addition to the Collection

Italian Stone Pine - Fall '25

 We have a new tree to add to our growing collection..please welcome the Italian Stone Pine (pinus pinea) as the newest member.

An evergreen, and also one of the only pines with a canopy that resembles an umbrella. From the Mediterranean, this is an excellent pine for beach gardens and coastal planting, as well as for use as a street tree. While it's an excellent evergreen tree for a wide variety of landscape applications, it's an especially good choice for homeowners looking to create a Mediterranean landscape.

This Italian Stone Pine is drought tolerant and performs well when planted in full sun. A dry pine, it's a moderate grower and will require low to moderate watering, once it's established.

Birds are attracted to this graceful giving tree. In fact, if you love pine nuts, then you know how expensive they can be. Plant a thriving Italian Stone Pine and save money - it's the source of the edible, nutritious pine nut! Fun fact: this is the pine depicted in many of the famous Italian Renaissance paintings.

Follow his growth & development as time goes on, at https://www.jerryspatio.com/p/italian-stone-pine-pinus-pinea.html or look on the "Tree Inventory" menu (r-side of page) & click-on the name.

How evergreen trees shaped human history

By Beth Saulnier - Cornellians 

In the early 1770s, American colonists furious over British meddling in their trade of a key agricultural product finally had enough and rose up – an act of rebellion that would ultimately spark a revolution.

But this wasn’t the Boston Tea Party.

It was the Pine Tree Riot – a bit of rural lawbreaking by some New Hampshire residents that would inspire their Massachusetts brethren a year later. And it’s just one of the myriad ways that evergreens have played a transformative role in human history – chronicled in “Evergreen,” a new book by Trent Preszler, M.S. ’02, Ph.D. ’12, a professor of practice in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

 “It’s like the courtroom drama that would unfold if you brought evergreens onto the witness stand and swore them in,” Preszler said. “They kept the receipts about everything, from world wars to religion to construction booms. I basically just wrote down everything that they’ve been trying to tell us for 365 million years.”

Click here to read full article

UPDATE: Fremont Cottonwood (Populis Fremontii)

"the Fremont" seems to have fully-recovered from what ever was causing his leaves to blacken & die. In fact, he is growing a bit & "putting-on-some-weight" as he is beginning to build a canopy of side-branches & shoots, although he will never grow much taller than he is, right now.

But no one told him that this is December, when deciduous trees are supposed to change colors & lose their leaves..I wonder if this California native observes the seasonal changes like his Eastern cousins? Perhaps someone out there can answer that question?

If you're interested in learning more about this tree, you can access his Photos/History page here.

UPDATE: Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena Marginata)

Dec. 11 -Update: "the Dragon" was looking a little scruffy, having been beaten-up by the wind & exposure, over time, so I decided to give him a fresh start by cutting-back his foliage. Winter weather is yet to come & he will handle it better with less foliage to get damaged.

Am also looking ahead to when his brachts won't all be at the same height. I initially trimmed each shoot to 4" from growing base to tip as this photo shows.

  But, in the end, I gave-in & trimmed him evenly, as it may be the last time it will be possible for him to grow a unified "fan"..foliage that looks like a single plume.

What I did was to even-out the 4 shoots, leaving 'the Dragon' with a "flat-top'.(for those of you too young to know what a "flat-top" was, ask your grandpa)

If you want to know more about this tree, you can access his Photos/History page.

A New Project: Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila)

I stumbled across this Ficus a couple of days ago, on the "1/2-OFF" table at a major Home & Garden Center, while looking for "a new project"..He didn't look well..but he didn't look sick, either..just neglected

Acquired: Dec 10, 2025 - Home & Garden Center - $7.50 + tax

Once I got him home (the patio), I was able to get a good look & what I saw reinforced my opinion that this was a viable plant & could become a candidate for my collection.  

As I "unpacked" this tree & cleaned him up, it struck me that this had been someone else's project, that had either failed or been abandoned. If you'd like to see the steps in-between, you can see the process & access the Photos/History page here. 

Divide & Double (updated)

 Oct 26, 2025

Here's the challenge..can you divide a tree with 2 trunks & make 2 little trees from one? This one is an out-&-out gamble..I found this HoneySuckle at Home Depot

Nothing special about this plant, but when you take a closer look, you'll see that he has parallel trunks, seemingly growing beside one another or, are they both growing from the same root stock or ??

I won't know until I get it out of it's pot & take a look..

First step is removing soil & trying to see if this is one plant, or two that have grown together & slowly, slowly, start to pull them apart.

The idea is to NOT destroy this little tree, & after a few minutes of pulling & prying & trying not to tear too many roots, I turned to my trusty pruning saw.

The two trunks were indeed joined..looked as if they had both grown out of a large, woody root, but the saw cut cleanly through the root ball.

Now we have 2 specimens, each with root ball intact..now, can I keep them alive...?

I potted both & here they are..will they survive after major surgery? Only time will tell... I will leave them alone for a few days..see what happens.

Oct 30 - Update

Both of these are doing fine..no sign of wilting or die-back. If you want to follow their progress, click on HoneySuckle II

Nov. 8 - Update

Over the last week, these 2 lost some leaves, but otherwise showed little ill-effects to the surgery & re-potting, as separate trees. Now I have to decide if either is a candidate for potting-on &/or development..however, I now have 2 HoneySuckle specimens for the price of one.

Nov. 24 - Update

I think enough time has passed to declare that the "gamble" paid off..this specimen survived what I consider "major surgery" to divide him & make 2 plants. Now, the question is, what can we do with them? I've selected one to work on, pictured here, & started preliminary style pruning.

This is all for now, as I want to see how he reacts to pruning, so soon after being divided & potted.

Dec. 9 - Update

It was not difficult to choose which of these little trees would become a candidate for further attention..we'll differentiate between them, heretofore, as Honeysuckle II(a) & Honeysuckle II(b). I'm going to let Honeysuckle II(b) grow & watch how she develops.

Honseysuckle II(a) will be the focus, in terms of this project, going forward. One of the next things we need to determine is "which side is up".. does the plant have a front, back & side? Sometimes, that's obvious, but often it is not; at times, the choices between front & back might trade places, as the plant matures & presents differently..below is how I see it..what do you think?

SIDE 2

FRONT

SIDE 1

Use the Comments section (below) to record your answer

Back to roots: a brief history of trees-in pictures

Over 120 years ago Henry John Elwes and Dr Augustine Henry embarked on an epic project to create a comprehensive catalogue of British and Irish trees. This monumental work was published in a series of seven volumes containing 2,022 pages and 412 main photographs. It recorded over 500 species of tree. Collotypes by Henry John Elwes and Dr Augustine Henry

The Guardian published a sampling of this fascinating look into the past & printed it in the online US Edition today. 

For those that are interested in either the sociological impact of trees(& nature in general) during the pre-war period or the history of photography during that period should take a look.

Back to roots: a brief history of trees-in pictures

Say 'Hello'...

Say Hello to the Abelia Kaleidoscope..

Japanese Maple (Update)

Dec. 6

I think the crisis is over & JM is recovering from whatever  was causing his leaves to turn black & die-back from the tips..the infected leaves are never going to regrow tips or regain their color,but there is new growth appearing that will replace the discolored leaves that remain & I also see back-budding since the pruning. 

(click here to access the full history for this tree) 

Not Your Mother's Candles...

 Update: Mexican Weeping Pine

The Pinus Patula has been taking shape over the last few months, to the point that you can almost see what he's going to look like when he's grown. You can see 3 distinct sets of candles growing at the tips of branch ends, that indicate where the major branching will be on this tree, if allowed to continue.

Topping the plant is a whorl (circle) of 7 candles, each about 3 " long. In order to balance the tree, it will be necessary to reduce the number of candles, or the tree will become top-heavy or lopsided.

This morning, I pruned 3 of the 7 candles, leaving 4 in a North-South-East-West configuration, as pictured here:

I'll let him rest now for a few days, although I don't expect any reaction at all..young trees like this are remarkably resilient at this stage, I am learning.

Back to Work

 I've been so engaged with the suspected fungal infections affecting the Japanese Maple & "the Fremont" (my Cottonwood tree) and getting the new trees squared-away, and the Thanksgiving holiday, that I have been neglecting the rest of my plants, so today, I tried to get back to a regular routine of water & feeding & taking a closer look at each plant.

The Dragon Tree foliage is looking a little ragged, these days, so I gave him a boost by misting his foliage with a dilute mix of water & liquid seaweed..since I discovered the benefits of foliar feeding, I am finding out that it can be a solution to many plant maladies &/or problems, including physical damage.

I also sprayed the Japanese Maple & I think he's gonna be ok..his color is coming back, as we've stopped the progress of whatever was causing them to turn black & die, from the tips inward.. I am encouraged.Monter

Also gave the pines (Monterey Pine & Mexican Weeping pine) a shower, using just plain water, as well as the Junipers (Blue Star & Juniperis). Then, since I had my sprayer out, gave all of the Jades, Elephant Bush & the other succulents (that I don't know the names of)a shower..they all seemed to like it.

Spent a little time with my Olive tree, as I noticed that he had experienced another growth spurt.This little tree will seem to go dormant for stretches of time & then exhibit discernible growth..his color is an amazing deep green that I have not seen previously on this plant..his leaf size is also increasing towards what I assume is how they look when fully mature..the Olive is very slow-growing, even in our Mediterranean climate

Update: Japanese Maple

Nov. 30

Not much change..infected foliage is not getting any worse..I think the repotting in fresh soil addressed the root (no pun intended) problem, but I don't see any substantial improvement, although there are some new leaves appearing & so far, do not appear to be infected.

My long-term strategy for this tree was to wait for his winter dormancy to repot & prune (he is deciduous), but I'm more concerned with recovery than schedules, right now, so decided to remove the top-most branch in order to lessen the load on the roots.

Reducing the height of this JM has always been necessary to shorten him, but to also possibly stimulate "back-budding" or new growth that is lower on the tree than the current canopy. If we can accomplish that without "layering" the tree (think taking a section out of the lower trunk), we might save months off the schedule for this tree.

(if you need to "catch-up" on the history, see the Japanese Maple Photo/History)

Update: Unpacking 2 New Trees

Both of these seedlings survived 5 days in-transit, and nearly 2 weeks since they were potted & both are showing signs of growth, so I have formally welcomed them into the collection, live or die, & created permanent Photo/History pages for each, which have been added to the list of specimen trees.

They can be found at Pacific Crabapple (Malus Fusca) and Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Florida) respectively. To see the complete article showing the process of receiving, unpacking, potting, etc. see Unpacking 2 New Trees.

Happy Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving Day was absolutely beautiful on the patio..80 degrees..mostly sunny..light wind..and I was thankful, mostly cuz I wasn't back in Nebraska, where I grew up. The high temp yesterday in my old "home town" was 30°..the low was 18°..'nuff said.

I worked on both Junipers today; minor pruning on both, what you could call "housekeeping"..the goal being to expose more wood..to show the underlying structure of the tree, without sacrificing too much foliage.

Blue Star

It's been about 30 days since I styled & potted the "Blue Star" & from all appearances, he's doing fine. He seems happy in the training pot & is taking water, which is one indication he is adjusting to his new life.

Juniperis

After some "due diligence", I have to admit that I do not really know the Genus (family) that this Juniper belongs, so until further enlightenment, he will be know as simply "Juniperis"

2 months now since the initial styling/pruning/potting & he continues to show no signs of distress; I am slightly "gun shy" around Junipers, as I lost a plant last year to unknown causes..he just "up & died", rather suddenly with little warning except for some tip browning..it bothers me when I lose a plant, and more so when I don't have a clue as to why?

Here is a close-up of this little tree, after some minor pruning, as with the "Blue Star" to expose his "bones" more advantageously; I want people to see the tree, under the foliage. I feel pretty good about how this tree is looking & his apparent good health..hope we can keep that mode, going forward.

Update: Japanese Maple

Nov. 26
Last night, I was afraid that I'd be writing about how my Japanese Maple was dying, but he looks much better this morning. I continued foliar-feeding w/ liquid seaweed & he is responding..there's no hope for the infected leaves, but I do see some back-budding lower on the main trunk & those buds do not look infected..keeping my fingers crossed!

Update: "the Fremont'

Nov. 26 - Update on Fremont Cottonwood

Good News!.a close look this morning revealed no blackened or wilted-looking leaves..hopefully, we've nipped the infection or fungus that was causing the problem, in the bud..watered/Fed (UB)

What Did You Do Today?

Nov. 25, 2025

 Another clear sunrise..no wind..I don't know if the plants are ready to get back to a regular daily routine, but I sure am. I think the first item on the agenda should probably be to see if anybody needs watering..I haven't watered since last Wed-Thur, but with the soaking they got last week & over the weekend, I have been more concerned with drying them out..wet roots invite fungi, which causes root rot, which is the commonest cause of death of containerized plants.

• First up, the Dragon Tree was dry, which slightly encouraged me, because he came out of the rains very wet & not looking well..the combo of cold & wet over consecutive days doesn't allow for any recovery time, so I have had him in the primo, morning-sun spot for 2 mornings now & my intention was to dry him out. I foliar-fed him yesterday & he is looking better. Watered/Fed (UB)
• Using a hygrometer (see My Magic Water-Wand) I checked each plant, but most of trees were well-hydrated, so no takers. Some of smaller plants, mostly succulents, were dry, due to the 50% gravel composition of their potting mix, I think. (it drains better)
• Pruning: did some minor pruning on the Laurel Sumac..strictly cosmetic;
• Removed a complete branch on the Pittosporum having contemplated doing so for some time..each major branch has 2 sub-branches but the sub-branch we pruned was the 3rd sub, which threw the plant our of balance.
• HoneySuckle II showed no effects of yesterdays pruning, where he lost a major branch.
• Spent some time moving plants around, in order to maximize what sun they got, according to what I think each needs.

After the Storm

 Nov. 23, 2025

Today dawned to a cloudless sky, clear blue & no wind..precious sun shines on the patio, after a week of record-setting rain & cold temps (for southern Cal) , the plants & I are looking forward to drying-out & warming-up.

Fact: average rainfall for November, going back 30 years, is a little less that 1 inch; the 2 storm systems we encountered last week dumped 2-5 inches on the region. Our local rainfall ranged from 2.4 - 4 inches, depending on location.

I reported on the Japanese Maple Issue , which was a pre-existing condition, but probably made worse by the extended cold/wet. Yesterday, while moving plants into what sun we had, I discovered a leaf exhibiting the same black splotches, on my Fremont Cottonwood; a native California tree. Also, my Madagascar Dragon looked like a wet-dog when I moved him into the sun; hopefully he will snap out of the "blah's" as he dries out.

Besides these, I'm also worried about the 2 new trees which were potted just hours before the rain began (see Unpacking 2 New Trees). Thankfully, the rest of the "little trees" seem to have come through in good shape & most are showing visible growth, probably due to the clean, fresh rainwater..after being raised on municipal tap water, the rain was like the difference between instant coffee & a fresh-brewed espresso.

Japanese Maple Issue

Nov. 19, 2025 - 

Over the last day or so, I noticed that my Japanese Maple was looking disheveled, but figured it was due to the storm & that JM's don't like being wet & cold. Upon closer inspection, I saw that some of the leaves had discolored tips..in fact, the tips were turning a blue-black color, as you can see in this enlarged photo (left)

I began researching possible causes for this discoloration & learned that it indicates a circulatory problem, possibly root restriction or damage to the roots. Either way, this changes my plan & probably overall strategy for this tree.

Nov. 20, 2025 - Regardless of my long-standing plan to wait until winter & dormancy, it will be necessary to de-pot this plant, today if possible, & take a good, hard look at the roots & the root system for signs of rot, infestation, or constriction due to overgrown or potbound root growth. If there is rot, I will remove the affected portions or treat them if it is an infestation or some sort. Now I have no choice..I'm going to have to re-pot him as a consequence..

I will post updates to this item as the day progresses. 

(to be continued)

 He came out of his nursery pot fairly easily, due to still being semi-saturated from the last few days of rain. This plant was NOT root bound..no circling roots, no feeder roots reaching for the surface. But I wanted to get a better look at the roots than just what I could see,so I began removing the compacted soil mix, in order to get a better look at the roots ball & to see if I could see anything amiss with the potting mix that it had been growing. 

Managed to remove about 50% of the soil..very wet, but not muddy.. what I saw now were the rest of the root ball, & the feeder roots. The mature roots looked normal, but the feeder root growth was all on one side, with a large gap on the opposite side of the root ball.

The only conclusion that I can come to is that perhaps when this plant was potted, a large air space went undetected & created a perfect spot for fungal growth..dark, humid, presence of oxygen.. Since I was going to re-pot, I went ahead & pruned the straggly roots so they were even & re-potted.

Now it's just a "wait & see" as to whether or not this tree can recover, given a fresh start in well-draining potting soil. Additionally, I am foliar-feeding the affected leaves to help them heal the damage done by the fungal infection.

You can monitor the Japanese Maple's progress as time goes on by "clicking" on Japanese Maple on the right-hand side of the front Page

Unpacking 2 New Trees

Nov 18, 2025

Received a shipment, yesterday, of what I hope will be 2 new members of our tree collection, or rather, 2 seedlings..a Pacific Crabapple & a Flowering Dogwood. Ordered via the Internet, direct from the breeder, shipped/delivered via USPS, these specimens arrived in a cardboard tube

First job is unpacking the trees from their shipping tube, carefully & extracting the packaged seedlings. 

This is the Pacific Crabapple(left) & has a plastic envelope protecting the juvenile roots & root "plug" which retains the shape of the propagation tray it came out of.

Next step is to give the seedlings a good drink of water..I let them soak overnight.

During the soak, some of the loose soil washed away & revealed that both of these seedlings had healthy, white roots..the Crabapple is the larger of the 2 & will fit into a standard training pot that I use for almost all of my trees when they first arrive.

The Dogwood is smaller & fit nicely into a previously used pot. Now I will "water them in" & keep a close eye on them for the next few days. This is the most critical stage of their lives when they are vulnerable & have not developed any defenses against disease or insects that prey on young plants.

If they live, I will start a dedicated History page for each & post it to the list, so that you will be able to see each plants progression as they grow into mature "little trees in little pots".

Nov. 30 - Update

Both of these seedlings survived 5 days in-transit, and nearly 2 weeks since they were potted & both are showing signs of growth, so I have formally welcomed them into the collection, live or die, & created permanent Photo/History pages for each, which have been added to the list of speciman trees.

They can be found at Pacific Crabapple (Malus Fusca) and Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Florida) respectively. To see the complete article showing the process of receiving, unpacking, potting, etc. see Unpacking 2 New Trees.

Weather Widget Down?

 Yes, we know that the Weather Widget isn't working this morning..according to Google, the problem is with Cloudflare that provides services for many corporations, websites & API's like the Weather Widget. You can read more about the outage here: article -"Cloudflare Outage..." The widget will start working again as soon as Cloudflare fixes the problem at its end.

Nevermind..it's fixed!

New Features Added

 The inclement weather this weekend has prohibited any outdoor gardening, but it has given me an opportunity to work on the blog and add a couple of features that I want to tell you about.

Google Translator: On the upper right-hand side of the homepage you will see a new feature labeled "Translate", with a drop-down menu that allows you to view my blog in any of 110 different languages. Try it  yourself..just "click-on" Select Language , pick a language & enjoy.

The other feature is embedded in the Blogger code (Blogger is Google's blogging software). If you "click" on any photo on the blog, it will open in a full-size version & display all of the other photos on that page as thumbnails along the bottom of the screen. You can scroll through all those photos without having to read the narrative. So, if you're searching for a particular photo, you can review them en masse' as opposed to one at a time.

Nov 17, 2025 - UPDATE:

This morning I added another new feature to the blog that seems highly appropriate after the last few days..a 

Weather Widget . Placed in the upper-right corner, it will most likely be the first thing you see when you log in..enjoy.

Rain, Rain & More Rain

Nov. 16, 2025 

This is our 3rd straight day of rain..very much a typical early, taste-of-winter storm for us. This storm has been a real "soaker"with few breaks in-between the squalls carrying tropical moisture in addition to a preview of the coming rainy season that we call "winter".

My "little trees" not only  came through this storm, they are absolutely thriving..they look happier & healthier this morning than usual, due to the rain that has cleaned the air and given the plants a deep drink of clean, fresh water & hopefully flushed many of the toxins & chemical water treatment residues that build-up over time.

Unfortunately, I only have access to municipal water here, which is not great. The only alternative is either bottled water or some sort of water filtration system, which sounds extreme, just to water some plants, but seeing the visible improvements to their foliage, posture, color makes me think that I need to spend some time finding out if I can improve the situation at a reasonable cost.