Two pines

With all this fine weather we have been enjoying in the PNW. I have been hacking things back quite bit .   Leaving far to much fence exposed. Something I really dislike: and have been trying to cover , not very successfully. So, I went out on a visit to my local NW nursery outlet  , were I found my beautiful Katsura tree and a couple of nice sized  Witch hazels a few months ago. I know I could have chosen a much heftier  conifer that would have provided better fence coverage , but I fell for this Pinus strobes 'torulosa' or twisted white pine. I love that it's narrow, spindly, twistiness, with curly needles. And one day it will cover that fence….

And the second pine is  Pinus thunbergii  or Japannese Black pine. My first attempt  at making a Keshiki Bonsai which is a simpler, modern form of making miniature landscapes. The little pot is from the goodwill , the gravel is aquarium gravel, the moss from outside, as my moss spores aren't germinating quite yet. The tree …I did have to buy, but I did snip , bend and wire the pour  thing. I find myself treating it like another pet , carrying it out doors in the day, than back indoors  at night.  I can see I'll soon have many new pets to fuss over.

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