Kusamono Japanese Flower Arrangements

I've always liked Japanese gardens and floral arrangements, probably because I lived in Tokyo when I was little, and because I am drawn to peaceful and ordered livingscapes.

These arrangements are fairly easy to make, and perfect for spring. I wish I still had some of my bowls from my early collecting days. Vintage stoneware is perfect for these arrangements. I'm going to take a trip to the thrifts tomorrow to see if I can find some shallow bowls.

Check out these pictures from the National Bonsai Foundation... look how many of the plants used are common garden "weeds"! I've always known that there is beauty and elegance in wild flowers.

Kusamono are potted arrangements of wild grasses and flowers in unique pots or trays. The name is composed of two Japanese characters: “grass” and “thing.” Originally, this name referred to the small, potted grasses displayed with bonsai as companion plants.

More recently, kusamono has developed into an art form of its own. A well-chosen kusamono reflects the season in which it is displayed. Some compositions are designed to include plants that will look good in several seasons. Besides the season, a kusamono should suggest a specific natural habitat--such as a wetland, meadow or woodland. Whether using a single plant or a group of plants, there are three basic styles of planting: moss-ball, out-of-pot, or in a container.

I found the moss kusamono image at top on Google images. I'd love to try this one; I've got lots of moss in my yard, my favorite.

Growing Potatoes in a Garbage Can

Thanks Myrnie for this tip! We will be trying this.

Ciscoe's To-do List: Grow potatoes in a garbage can

By CISCOE MORRIS
SPECIAL TO THE P-I

Growing spuds in a garbage can is fun, and it's something you can do to get your kids interested in gardening. Any clean plastic garbage can will work. Drill at least four 1/2-inch holes in the bottom for good drainage and fill the bottom 6 inches deep with houseplant potting soil. Mix in slow-release fertilizer, or feed every two weeks with high-phosphorus, soluble houseplant fertilizer. Buy starter potatoes at a nursery, and plant them whole, 5 inches apart, just under the soil surface and water them in. The vines will soon begin to grow and as soon as they reach 4 inches tall, cover all but 1 inch of the lowest vine with compost, wood chips or potting soil. Continue to cover the vines in this way until they grow out of the top of the garbage can. Once the vines bloom, you can reach in and pick the biggest spuds you can find. These are new potatoes and they won't store, but they are delicious for that evening's dinner. Wait to do the main harvest until vines die back completely in fall. You never know what you'll get. My champion harvest was 42 softball-size Yukon Golds. Then for some reason, the next year I planted the same variety and got exactly 9,347,012 spuds smaller than pingpong balls.

I've got an idea to get two cans, one for us, and one for the food pantry. Gardeners, plant a row for the poor.

I'll be trying out these Red Pontiac Potato 2 Pounds Organic Certified Seed Tubers from Hirts Garden.

Make a Moss Terrarium

These can be made in much more elegant glass vessels, but this was spur of the moment, so I used what I had on hand. This little jar fits nicely on my kitchen window sill.

Materials:
- Glass or clean plastic container
- Soil
- Pebbles
- Charcoal
- Moss

Put the pebbles in first, then the charcoal to control odors, soil, and moss. I didn't use charcoal, but I did made some air holes in the top of my lid with a hammer and nail. This will help control odor. Mist the moss once every few weeks, or less for smaller terrariums.

All these materials were available in my garden and recycling bin. Other ideas for plantings: lawn "weeds" such as oxalis, violets, sorrel, shamrocks, or anything on the small side. With a large container little decorative elements can be added, like coral, interesting smooth stones(Asian theme), drift wood, or whimsical items.

An elegant terrarium sold by Made by Mavis at Etsy. I love these terrariums; we had them in the house in the '70's. I'm glad to see them back. See more at the Make It Form Scratch Carnival(4/14/09)