Fukien Tea Literati

[grouper52]

As I've said in other threads, the Literati style is rapidly and unexpectedly occupying large parts of my mental landscape since retiring here to the Philippines.

All last week I was on a one week jaunt to Bicol, my wife's home province down south. She's one of twelve from a farming family, and all the women relatives are crazy about gardening and such, so thgey took me around to a number of nurseries looking for bonsai material. They didn't quite know what bonsai material was, and were shocked st some of the things I bought, but there were also a number of things that did lead them to question my sanity, and one was a small thin Fukien Tea with a few branches. I've always admired this species in the old Chinese Penjing books I have, and tried to raise a few in the puget Sound area over the years, but they died easily despite my best efforts, and overall have a reputation for being finicky and just plain up-and-dying out of the blue for no apparent reason, so I gave up on them there. But here, especially in the tropical lowlands they seem to grow very well - and even so up here in the mountains at one mile elevation where we live - so I bought this little guy, brought him home, and the re-pot and simple trimming has him already off to a very pleasing literati start.

Stands proudly at about 18" above the pot rim.

Enjoy!

 

[Anthony]

Just get it LUSH.
Forget the Literati bit for now.
Work here shows some Fukien teas, not liking pot cultivation.
In the ground as hedges, no problems.

Observe a rest from Christmas to end of February - no fertiliser
no pruning.

But first get it LUSH.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[grouper52]

Just get it LUSH.
Forget the Literati bit for now.
Work here shows some Fukien teas, not liking pot cultivation.
In the ground as hedges, no problems.

Observe a rest from Christmas to end of February - no fertiliser
no pruning.

But first get it LUSH.
Good Day
Anthony

Thanks, Anthony.

It CAME to me lush, about the healthiest FT I'd ever seen, and yes, it will remain as it is without further tinkering on my part for a good long while. If it survives this phase, I'll move on, but it is does not - which is what I expect, in spite of my best efforts - I'll have these photos and memories of what it once was, and might have been, in this ephemeral world.

As I told a young fellow out in the provinces last week who had some great trees, but who apologized to me when walking past one that had died, "Where I come from, we say, 'If you don't kill a few trees, then you're not really doing bonsai.'" He'd never heard this saying before, and it was like a great weight of responsibility had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders! He'll enjoy it all a lot more from here on out for having realized that!

 

[Anthony]

In the East ---------- trees have souls.
It is a life form.
So when you kill, it is seen as murder.

This why when an old one dies, we transform it into glaze.
Respect.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[grouper52]

In the East ---------- trees have souls.
It is a life form.
So when you kill, it is seen as murder.

This why when an old one dies, we transform it into glaze.
Respect.
Good Day
Anthony

What BS, Anthony. Pure BS. I have practiced a mix of Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist religions my entire adult life, and naive Westerners all too often would come to the Gurus and Lamas I studied with asking questions about plants having souls, and the answer was invariably a quite certain "NO". Grow up, and quit preaching.

Something has been, to me, increasingly off-putting about your posts, so it is with pleasure that I finally have the opportiunity to try out the "Ignore" function here: A"Good Day" indeed!

 

[Anthony]

Hey Grouper,

as we say goodbye, remember we to have Hindus from old India down
here, so you can take it up with them.

Additionally, they will in clearing areas, not hurt a fruiting tree e.g. mango,
nor will they pick from them after 6.00 pm unless they ask the tree.
Good Day
Anthony