Having 2nd Thoughts..

Jan 2026

  I am having 2nd thoughts about the Kaleidoscope       (Abelia Grandiflora).After 8 months of feeding,        watering, pruning, re-potting & daily observation & attention paid to this specimen, I had an epiphany..in his current configuration, this plant is not a good candidate..I think I was "blinded" by the foliage, to a large degree & way too timid in my approach to styling this little tree.

BUT, the Kaleidoscope has proven himself to be a healthy, willing plant that handled root pruning/reduction & re-potting, as well as adjusting to his environment & mini-climate of the patio. So I took my trusty pruning shears in hand in an  attempt to reveal the tree that I know is hidden.

Like most commercially available plants, he is too"leggy"; I make that generalization based on my experience with specimens purchased from retail garden centers & nurseries. The growers are simply trying to produce sellable plants of a given size instead of taking the time to let nature take it's course.

Next step will be to eliminate cross-branching, redundant(over-lapping or encroaching) branches & any branches growing down or from the underside of main branches.

This is enough for now..I left a set of leaves or a bud on each remaining branch & one long "sacrificial" limb (on the right) with an adult set of leaves to help feed the plant until he regrows foliage on the pruned, shortened branches. The "sacrificial" branch, left in place for now, will help to increase the girth of the trunk & base & can be pruned or removed at a later date.

I really think I've improved this plant, if he lives & I feel fairly confident that he will..I didn't do anything that would put his life in danger.."hard" pruning? yes, but this guy has been pruned before & I've reduced the load on the roots by getting rid of so much foliage.

To see the complete history of this tree, click here or use the Tree Inventory list

Blue Star Juniper - Jan. Updates

Jan 18

I applied the 3% Hydrogen Peroxide diluted in water on 1/15/26, after letting the Blue Star dry out for several days. Still don't know if this treatment will reverse the damage done, but, as of this morning, it isn't getting any worse! I will take that, for now & continue "watchful waiting" to see if it has any long-term effect.

Jan 24

Now, over a week since I used the 3% Peroxide, it seems like the browning has not progressed or, at least, not getting any worse. It is hard to see (apologize for the crappy pic), but it looks like there are some bright green needles, indicating new growth, starting to appear on a few inner branches.                                                                                                                                        This might be wishful-thinking on my part, but only time will tell.  I don't expect the plant to fully recover..the tip browning is irrevocable..those needles are dead, but if I can see new growth, it may signal that the roots are again starting to deliver nutrition to the plant. 

Jan 26

This photo was taken this early-morning & with the plant backlit, it is possible to see the extent of the browning & what I think is the re-greening, after drying out & the use of Hydrogen Peroxide to aid the process.                                                                                                                                           You can't see from this picture, but there is new, young growth just starting from the crotch of more than one branch.                                                                                                                                     Unless I'm fooling myself, I am becoming optimistic that the Blue Star is going to 'live long & thrive.'

Bougainvillea Updated (pics)

 This is a "mid-winter" update for the Bougainvillea found on the last-chance table at a local Garden Center. Our "bougie" continues to add foliage & restore broken branches, while adjusting to life in a training pot & apparently, loving it.

Click here to see the complete photo/history & the newest update for this little tree.

Project: Explore/Experiment "living top dressing" Part I

Euphorbia

 I use gravel..plain old everyday gravel as "top dressing" for my plants..in addition to being visually amenable, it also provides the benefits of 'mulch", in that it helps to mitigate temperature (cools in summer; warms in winter) & helps to retain moisture loss due to evaporation. 

It also keeps fresh potting soil from floating when watered & splashing-up on your plants.

Wood chips can also be used as a mulch or top dressing..pine bark, in particular, is often used in northern climes to provide some level of insulation against colder weather & protection from snow; bark or chips that are high in tannin content are sometimes used for plants that prefer ericaceous or acid-loving soil mix.

I have also used decorative rock as top dressing, mostly for miniatures/succulents (as pictured), white, black & mixed which is fine for small plants, but is too expensive for everyday use in growing pots.

So, what is wrong with rock or gravel? It seems entirely appropriate in a semi-arid environment such as so. California, where we are. 

And, the answer is "nothing" is wrong with rock/gravel, but there are plants & presentations that can benefit from a "softer look", to say nothing of color..most types of moss are green & green is an excellent background for certain plants & specimens, such as in terrariums, forest settings & some individual plants.

So, what kind of moss should I use, where/how do I find it & what does it cost? Those 3 questions are what this article is all about.

What kind? The commonest recommendation that I found was for sphagnum moss, readily available as a dried product that must be reconstituted, which I found to be a pain-in-the-ass. Soaking, squeezing, too wet, not soaked long enough & when I put it on the plant, it looks like a bunch of straw someone might use to protect their veg patch against a late spring frost.

The latest sphagnum iteration I've run across is "preserved sphagnum", which to me looks like "Astroturf" (if anybody out there is old enough to know the reference)..much like using artificial turf on your front yard.

Someone told me, "just scrape some off of a tree".. I live in USDA 10..our trees don't have moss..this is a semi-arid environment. So, it might make sense to see what the local nursery's sell and the closest to what I'm looking for was Irish Moss. 

(to be continued)