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Friday, February 27, 2009

Bonsai

Here's an example of bonsai, the ancient Japanese art of shaping and training miniature and sometimes not so miniature trees and growing them in containers. Aesthetics are all in bonsai, which I learned recently is pronounced bone'-sigh. And while I don't pretend to know much about this form of horticulture, I can appreciate its delicacy and beauty. I walked by this still unfinished exhibit at the flower show and was stopped in my tracks by this tree, which had no ID. But I loved how it's placed and that the opening is round. It looks as if light from the outside is pouring through a portal, surrounding the tree with a dramatic aura. I love, too, that the tree stands by itself in a hall of windows that by tomorrow will be filled but for now are open and airy, almost like a museum. So I've learned a little about lighting and placement of plants or trees, if you wish to draw the eye to one thing. Nothing wrong with standing alone, whether in the window or in front of a tree. Ciao!
Posted by virginia smith @ 5:44 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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About Virginia A. Smith
Ginny Smith, a Philadelphia native, worked as a reporter at newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Ohio – with six short months at the end of the Bulletin tossed in – before returning to Philadelphia in 1985 to join the Inquirer. Her favorite beats here have included Center City, roving around Pennsylvania (and getting paid for it!) and alternative medicine. She’s also been City Editor and Pennsylvania Editor. Ginny has been happily writing – and learning - about gardening fulltime since 2006. She’s won two silver medals of achievement from the national Garden Writers Association and in 2011, Bartram’s Garden honored her with its Green Exemplar award for her stories about “the region’s deeply rooted horticultural history, cultural attractions and bountiful gardens.”
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