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.

the calm before the storm..

Nov. 12-13, 2025

There's a BIG low-front, probably the 1st Alaska Low of the season moving in & the weather forecasts are calling for a multi-day rain event, statewide. Looking at the weather radar, you can see that this one might be our first real winter storm. Keeping that in mind, I want to get a few things done before the rain hits.

There are a number of trees that need their potting mix refreshed, the soil having settled, due to compaction & loss of soil due to frequent watering. Also, this will give me an excuse to get a look at the roots & to get a general sense of the plants health & rate of growth since their last re-pot.

First victim, Dracaena or Dragon Tree: de-potted & immediately saw impressive root growth, with long, white (healthy) roots encircling the root ball, as well as many feeder roots fanning out from the center. I unwound the circling roots & was pretty surprised at the amount of root growth..if you're interested in knowing more about this process & how the plant was affected, you can read a more detailed account on this plants history page if you click here 

Next up was my Star Jasmine: this little tree has been totally trouble-free, to the extent that I had forgotten to register him & set-up a History page. The Jasmine, like the Dracaena, showed what I considered impressive root growth, which required substantial pruning before re-potting in a small bonsai tray..your can read a more detailed account & view photos here 

What Did You Do Today?

Laurel Sumac

Nov. 9, 2025

In spite of the warm weather we've had, the calendar doesn't lie & the shorter days & cooler nights presage our "winter"and I find myself preparing by re-potting plants &/or simply refreshing the potting medium that has served it's purpose..for young, healthy, growing plants, about 6 mo's seems to be the yardstick, at least for my trees.

I've been growing this tree (in a training pot) for several months, while periodically pruning him for height. Over the months, I've been able to reduce his overall height by roughly 50%. The time has come for the next step in attempting to train him to live in a container.

Once I de-potted him & removed most of the soil & exposed the rootball, I decided to take a chance & skip the 2nd training pot & give him, for what might be, a permanent berth in a small ceramic bowl (pic) that needed a tenant.

As with all of the trees in my collection, the Sumac has it's own Album which documents it's development & growth, which you can access & follow by clicking-on  Laurel Sumac here or in the menu on the r-side of this page.

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.

Bonsai Pics from China

A friend of mine & his wife are vacationing in China. He visited me here in Ontario a couple of weeks ago, before his trip & I took him to Eastern Leaf, the Bonsai nursery in Chino. So, he sent me those snapshots taken when they were visiting a Buddhist monastery in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan with a population of over 20 million. It is also famous for the Giant Panda Breeding program. The practice of Bonsai traces its origins to China.

What Did You Do Today?

 Nov. 4, 2025

• Gave Madagascar Dragon Tree a "haircut"; I do this 2-3 times per year.
• Watered & Fed everybody: the plants, the cats, the whole fam-damily..
• Cut my ankle & bled all over the place.

Happy Birthday Pittosporum (Wheelers Dwarf)

 Nov 1, 2025

It is a year since this I brought this dude home, so one day being as good as another, I declare Nov 1 as his birthday. 

    

AFTER

BEFORE

If you want to learn more about this plant & see his transition to the present, click on the Pittosporum Album in the right-hand column.