Q and A: Twigs in Moss

Fall is a great time to build a terrarium, to capture a bit of greenery in a bottle before things turn cold outside. My question for today comes from reader Kate:

Question: I bought some moss online. It's very healthy - I've just got it in a cookie sheet with some soil and pebbles, the whole affair sitting in a Ziploc bag that I can keep closed for humidity and then open it for awhile every day to get air. Now that I'm about to use it for a terrarium though, I see it has loads of (what look like) small brown decayed needles, and some tiny twigs. If I try to clean all that stuff out, I'm afraid that the entire sheet of moss will come apart (which I don't want to happen.) I'm thinking that all this detritus is decayed matter that's feeding the moss and keeping it healthy. Besides which, I'd never be able to pick it all out. So what do you think? Ok to just leave everything as is?

Answer: Your moss sounds healthy and well cared for! Storing it under plastic is a great method for quarantining your moss, to observe for insects or signs of mold. If the twigs and needles are in the dirt under the moss, wrapped up in the roots etc, it is probably fine to leave it there. It does sound like it is just part of the soil for your moss, and minimizing disruption of the moss while planting it in your terrarium will help it establish. Perhaps remove the larger pieces of twigs or pine needles if you do tear your moss into smaller pieces to place it in your terrarium.

Do you have a suggestion for dealing with twigs or pine needles in moss? Let's hear it in the comments?

Kickstart a Human-Sized Kokedama Forest

My fascination with kokedama has not extended into craft execution (yet) but my interest is renewed but this amazing kickstarter fund for a large scale kokedama installation. Kokedama master Coraleigh Parker for Pickled Whimsy aims to install this hanging bonsai forest at the Tauranga Garden and Art Festival 2014 in New Zealand. Judging by the photos of Pickled Whimsy's citrus tree and orchid kokedama, this project has a fighting chance!

Orchid Kokedama by Pickled Whimsy

Moss-Filled Landscapes Worthy of a Terrarium

Waterfall in "Little Switzerland", Luxembourg. Photo by Kilian Schönberger

The aspect of terrarium crafting I find most appealing is the creation of a miniature dramatic landscape all by my own design.  I hear similar sentiments from other terrarium enthusiasts, who often enjoy including elements of the fantastic or macabre in their designs.

With that said, I imagine many terrarium enthusiasts would appreciate Kilian Schönberger's photography as much as I did.  Schönberger traveled to the further corners of Europe to document the landscapes that may have inspired the darker fairytales from the brothers Grimm.  His photos exude mood, despair, and moss; all key ingredients for a fantastic terrarium.  See more of Kilian Schönberger's photography from his series "Grimm Homeland" at wired.com.

Poinsettia in Any Color from Weidner's Gardens

Endless poinsettia

This past weekend I was lucky to tour the greenhouses of poinsettia that the lovely folks at Weidner's Gardens have been raising for this holiday season.  Talk about a spectacular display.  In addition to learning about the process Weidner's uses to mix their own soil (sphagnum moss by the pallet!) and moderate temperatures in their green houses (simply open the vents and let the cool pacific breezes lower the temps!) we got a sneak peak at some of the newest varieties of poinsettia.

In addition to the brilliant red, lovely white, and peppermint-marbled poinsettia, Weidner's has a crop of more modern varieties.  Gone are the days of the limited poinsettia color palette, nowadays there is a poinsettia to match nearly any holiday color scheme.

How to Get Poinsettia to Bloom for Christmas

I also learned a handy tip if your are keeping your poinsettia over for the next year: if you want blooms by Christmas you'll need to force it into 12 hours of darkness a day in the month prior.  You can place a box over the plant or put it in a closet - but the 12 hours is required to get blooms by December.  If you live in a part of the country that gets 12 hours of night in October and November, you should be in the clear.

Ecke Ranch is the largest purveyor of these speciality poinsettia varieties - check out their site if you'd like to learn more.

"Tapestry" - a true red flower (take my word for it, the colors are off in this photo)
 with gorgeous yellow and cool green variegated leaves.

"Carousel" - a ruffled bloom in a rich burgundy red.

"Renaissance Winter Rose" - the winter rose part seemed to imply the curled red leaves that form a more "rose" shaped poinsettia.  Note the long stems - this poinsettia is intended to be a cut flower and can last up to 10 days in a vase.

"Orange Spice" - an orange-red poinsettia great for thanksgiving.

Any shade of poinsettia you could imagine.

Crafts for Kids: Kokedama or Hanging Moss Balls

Kokedama consist of moss formed around a the roots of a plant to create a hanging arrangement.  This hands-on process makes for a great project for kids.  Check out kidsactivitiesblog.com for a quick tutorial on this fun gardening project.

How to Start Hydrangea Cuttings in a Terrarium

Philipp Franz von Siebold and Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini
(Flora Japonica, Sectio Prima (Tafelband).) [Public domain]

Hydrangea cuttings will propagate in damp vermiculite, coarse sand or other sterile medium.  A terrarium-like environment will give your cuttings the best chance to sprout roots.  But you don't want to stick your hydrangea cuttings down a narrow-necked bottle terrarium and hope to fish them out again.  

Much like quarantining plants for use in a terrarium, you'll want to be able to easily retrieve the plant at a later date.  Consider purchasing a wardian case with a hinged door, or you can build a terrarium environment by tenting your potted cutting with a plastic bag.  Check out hydrangeashydrangeas.com for some great tips and photos.

Moss Monday: How to Water Kokedama or Moss Balls

Photo from fleurametz.com

Kokedama or moss balls are the newest gardening craze.  Simply form some moss and mesh into a ball around a plant rootball and hang from a string or rest in a dish for a globular garden.  But how do you water a kokedama arrangement?

Here is a kokedama watering tip from fleurametz.com, be sure to visit their site for more tips on how to build a kokedama or moss ball.

"If you want to water the plant, simply do this my submerging the ball of moss into a bucket that is filled with water. The ball of moss is saturated after all the bubbles disappeared. Give it a small squeeze to remove the excess water."

Q&A: Is it OK to steal plants?

Nature's original bandit might not care if you steal a sprig or two of plants.

Thanks to my sister Alyssa for pointing out this relevant advice column article.  I have been known to sneak a bit of a plant that is easy to propagate from a common area... is it wrong?

"Q: My wife and I love plants. While walking through our local shopping center, we noticed a particular plant that we both liked and decided to get it for our patio. We visited two local garden centers; neither had the plant. My wife thought she could grow it from cuttings, so we went back and took about three or four cuttings from one of the many plants that were scattered around the shopping center. The plant was not hurt or damaged in any manner or form, but my gut instinct told me that this was wrong. Was it?"

A: See the answer at the NYTimes

How to Form Kokedama: Photo Gallery at Philly.com

Visit philly.com to view a neat photo gallery about forming kokedama or string garden plantings.  The news story also shares some helpful ratios for optimal moss/soil mixes to form the balls.

Terrain Terrarium Plant Kit

If you have a difficult time locating terrarium-suitable plants in your home town, you can order a set of six small plants suited for terrarium life from Terrain.

What is wrong with impatiens this year?

Photo from Wikipedia Commons, by DenesFeri

Standard impatiens, a longstanding staple of shady flower beds, have been decimated by a fungus that has spread throughout the United States.  If you happen to see some available for sale, you are better off skipping this plant this year.

At best your impatiens will probably succumb to the fungus in the end, at worst you may introduce the fungus to your soil.  Read more at Halleck Horticultural.

Halcyon Days Perusing Victoria Magazine

1998 Victoria Magazine cover

My Mom had a subscription to Victoria magazine all during my childhood.  As soon as she tired of it I'd drag it off to a beach blanket on the grass under the trees and imagine living in the secret garden-esque settings contained within.

I loved the evocative scene-setting and delicate anglophile sensibilities.  It was a perfectly curated pinterest board before we had the means to make those dang things ourselves.

I also COMPLETELY thought the magazine had folded - but apparently it has not.

1998 Victoria Magazine interor

Long story short

1. When I saw this 1998 copy in an antique store I had to have it.
2. Perchance I need to re-up on a subscription.

Peat Bogs and Sphagnum Moss

Peat Bog, Frontenac National Park (Québec, Canada),
photo by Boréal, from wikipedia commons

Most terrarium tutorials advise the use of sphagnum moss to line the soil layer of a terrarium.  But few gardeners know what sphagnum moss is or how it arrives to gardening stores in convenient bundles.

The harmful commercial harvest of sphagnum moss involves the destruction of an endangered environment (bog wetland) and the release of previously-stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  Harvesting sphagnum moss is tantamount to cutting lumber in an old growth forest as bogs take a long time to develop and mature.

The phytophactor blog explains this situation much more eloquently so I encourage you to click through and read more.

Cow Skull Planter with Moss

This photo of an awesome planted arrangement in a cow skull from Seed to Stem is extremely timely for me.

As I reside in Texas, my sister (in San Francisco) sees me as her source for all sorts of western themed paraphernalia.  She recently requested that I locate and mail to her a cow skull, with horns if possible.  Suffice to say this was a goose chase as the cow skulls with horns are pretty expensive - and large!  It was going to cost a fortune to mail her one.  Long story short, we found a decent hornless skull at a roadside sale in a podunk town in Texas (which looked a lot like the one in the photo) and were able to mail it to her.  What will she do with this skull?  I do not know.  Maybe make a moss planter out of it.

Moss Monday: Bonsai of the Japanese Friendship Garden

The Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego recently lost a significant portion of their bonsai collection to a thief.  In spite of that loss, the garden recently hosted a bonsai show with several different style of bonsai.  Thanks to my Dad for taking these photos to share on the blog!  

Minigardener Blog Reports on International Miniature Gardens

Visit the minigardener blog to see Janit Calvo's collection of fun photo spreads of miniature gardens from around the world.  a.) The miniature gardens are out of this world and b.) there is some extremely creative photoshopping of wee folk into the photos that can't be missed!

Are Trees on Skyscrapers a Pipe Dream?

Environmental writer Tim De Chant says trees would never survive the environment on top of a skyscraper as too much wind can damage foliage's ability to maintain moisture levels.

Would you still like to see trees on skyscrapers if they had to look like scraggly, mountain-top trees?

How to Make String Gardens or Kokedama

Head over to Dennis' 7 Dees for a brief tutorial on constructing kokedama.  I am really hankering to try this out but - I can't really fathom keeping them out doors and they seem like potential gnat magnets if you keep them indoors.  Have you cared for kokedama and do you have any tips?

Moss Monday: Las Pozas

Photo from dif-place.blogspot.com

NatGeo had a neat photo essay of gardens at night, once of which depicts Edwards James' surreal garden in Xilitla, Mexico. James was a patron of Salvador Dali and an ardent collector of exotic plants and animals for his whimsical garden dubbed "Las Pozas."  I have a soft spot for eccentric plant collectors and this garden looks tops!  Read more at the Guardian.

Moss Monday: Sun Mosses at Mountain Moss

I often visit the Mountain Moss website to learn more about moss varieties and the environments in which they grow best.  Mountain Moss also sells trays of moss suitable for outdoor gardening.