Natural Gardening, Japan.

I recently rediscovered in my garage a 2007 copy of +Item mag from Japan. It is segmented issue from Natural Gardening magazine. NGMagazine focuses on gardening with an emphasis on ZAKKA ("the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane".) using "junk" and found objects in gardening.
here is a little sampling the goods found within this issues covers.

Japanese magazines are so great because they are like glorified product catalogs that have heaps of images and great details, and unlike American rags, they have very little, if any, advertisements!

Most even have great "how to" sections on all sorts of subjects. In this case it is building various containers and storage items.And since the images and drawings are very detailed you can easily figure out what is going on if you do not know your hiragana, katakan or kanji.This copy also has a section that gives a lesson on how to display and arrange items, just so, in your garden.
I love Japan and I really love Japanese magazines.

Happy Digging!
Cheers.

Grown In a Pot.

This past weekend I picked up a Ginseng Ficus (Microcarpa) at none other than IKEA. $14.99
I have been wanting to do a Bonsai again for some time and the moment just presented itself.
Also stopped off at Bonsai Northwest in Tukwila WA and obtained a nice dish to raise my young friend in. $16.The thing about the Ginseng Ficus is it is a house plant so every thing is done indoors which is quite nice when dealing with a Bonsai because once you find a suitable home for it lives there until you decide you want to move it unlike other trees that can not live indoors except for winter time to try and protect them. But alas I am not sure were my friend is going to live since we have very limited shelf space that has good lighting so it might move into my cubical at work.

Ginseng Ficus are also really interesting because they have a root system that you can expose and it helps add to it's "age". The roots can also start to extend directly from the branches themselves which adds some really fun interest. Here are a few examples pulled from the ol' intro-net.

Walk In the Park

Went for a walk with the camera in Bellevue WA . It has been very warm for late Jan. Some flowers are already starting to bloom.

On TV.

I have been interested and somewhat following a new show on HGTV called The Outdoor Room With Jamie Durie. Mr. Durie is an Auzy bloke who has mad crazy design skills and has brought his talent and ideas to USA TV. I have to say, though, that the show is a little ruff. I do not like how his team always talk about him and his ideas behind his back so when I say hooked I like the final projects but the way they get there, um well .... Anyway, there is an episode that has got me really excited on a great Zen like style garden to do with Veg and Herbs. I really like the layout of the raised garden. It just works in a Japanese style garden. Clean simple functional. To watch the show click here and scroll over to episode "Garden of Zen"

Images of Trees.

I spent a little while today in downtown Seattle and happened to step into a fine Architectural & Design Book store, Peter Miller, While perusing the various titles and flipping pages I came upon the book " Life & Love of Trees" a photo book by Lewis Blackwell. It is an amazing book, and very inspirational on ways to capture trees with the ol' nikon. Another little write up on the book here.

Gatherd Together.

"A collection of plants is just that - a collection. Unless and until that collection is structured and organized in a pleasing and functional manner, it is not and never will be a garden. It's as if you gathered together an assortments of your favorite timbers, stones and tiles and prematurely declared it a house"

" A Garden should be more than just a nursery."

"Without a strong architectural foundation, no garden can be truly natural. Nature was the first architect and she remains an insistent practitioner, instilling architectural order into every aspect of her landscape."

"By "Domesticationg" the landscape... referring to the process of making it comfortable and convenient for human use. That's the essence of garden... A wilderbess, by contrast, may be magnificent, a superbly pleasurable aesthetic experience, but it would be inconvenient for day-to-day life."

"Designing a garden must begin with "the program". That is , before opening the first nursery catalog, you should think long and hard about how you want the landscape to function, what you want it to do, and what it will need to accomplish those purposes. What's the best route for the path that will take you from the front door to the street or parking area? Will the herb garden be in close proximity to the kitchen? Where should you place the terrace that you plan to breakfast on pleasant weekends?"

James Van Sweden, Architecture in the Garden, 2002

The Process of Activity.

"Consider, Music and Dance are both ephemeral, performance arts. So is gardening. Gardens, after all, are always changing, growing, or dying, and you must learn to treat them as a process, an activity rather than a static work."

"The notes of a Garden composer are those landscape elements- rocks, plants, timber, and water- that you arrange to create a view, a picture, an experience. Architecture, like the composer's rhythm and harmony, is what bounds the experience and defines it."

James Van Sweden, Architecture in the Garden, 2002

Arrange.

"To Become Music, sound must be chosen and arranged. So it is with Gardens."
Charles W. Moore, Architect.

The Sientific Method.

I have been thinking a lot about the 'Scientific Method' for a while now and how to apply it to fashion and my design research. A kind of Science and art mash up if you will. So here is a nice chart that gives an overview of what the 'Scientific Method' is. Now to put it to use.

Mr.Durer

“Study nature diligently. Be guided by nature and do not depart from it, thinking you can do better yourself. You will be misguided, for truly art is hidden in nature and he who can draw
it out possesses it”
Albrecht Durer

I really like the painting called 'Turf' by Mr. Durer. It is of simple common 'weeds' but it is so alive and has an almost modern art feel to it.

Fungi in the Park.

We are getting closer and closer to our big move back up to Utah so we took the time today to meet up with my former coworker, Kira Henderson, at a local park, Baroldi Sycamore Park.
While there I found a nice grouping of Fungi growing among the roots of a large tree, so took a few pics.

Then to my surprise while cleaning up the patio this afternoon I discovered we have a nice little colony of our own Fungi.




So I had to move a nice clump into the ol' terrarium.



I know that it will not live long under glass but I like how it looks and maybe it will spring forth new fungi in the future.

Next I will post a few images of Nature showing its will of survival making its mark in and around Los Angeles while I was out on one of my last shopping excursions before we leave... It may be my last.....

Mrs. Potter.

The recent extrema interest in the natural world around me all stems from a small interest in Mrs. Beatrix Potter, author and illustrator of the early 1900's.

I have had an interest in her work for a while now and in October of this year, 2008, I found myself checking out all books related to her and her work at the local library. I was most drawn in to her work of Fungi That is how it all started... Then I spent a full Saturday working on cleaning up and dressing our patio/garden and I was hooked.
Here is a collection of more of her inspirational work.
I still have yet to actually try my hand at drawing and painting the various vegetation around me as I have been caught up more in researching others and the local flora and fauna while taking fotographs to use for later time when I actually take the time to sit down and add pen & ink to paper. Till then enjoy her work.

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'