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.

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.