forest blooms

forest floor

'tis the season to be mossy which falls somewhere between the foggy spring damp and the bright heat of the longer days. as in the pacific northwest forest, the forest floor in the redwoods on the mountain remains green throughout the year but this is the time for moss and lichen to spread tendril wings. moss is one aspect of the tea garden we would like to encourage and cultivate so i am in the midst of field research. some one has to do it.

since i began transplanting the maple seedlings i've become hyper-aware of the micro landscapes living underneath the tree canopy, between the cracks, crevices and roots in the older growth forest floor. ornamental grasses and fern sprouts are also abundant. so  today, my grand contribution to the scheme of things is a representation of the forest floor in a terracotta saucer. a mobile micro - forest.

as the greenhouse grows

once i started paying attention i can't see the forest for the seedlings. so by day's end i had 30 tiny transplanted japanese maples in the greenhouse. this being a sudden and spontaneous collection,  they have names like hobbit garden maple 1, address sign maple, driveway buddha garden maple. perhaps as they grow i will learn their botanical names. perhaps a few will make it to the periphery of the tea garden someday as it develops.