New house-- new bonsai garden

Joe Dupre'

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We moved to a new house less than 2 weeks ago and I've been busy designing and building a new bonsai garden. I used the 4 benches and one of the pedestals from the old garden. I had to wait until my workshop building was moved here to see how the benches would be arranged. I added a decorative piece above the window. Kind of Japanese..ish.
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jeanluc83

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I like it.

I think I would have run the benches parallel to the building though. It would have made mowing between the benches easier and would have allowed for future expansion. As it is it doesn't look like you could easily add more benches.

That said you did a fine job and should be proud of your work.
 

GrimLore

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We moved to a new house less than 2 weeks ago

WoW! Serious I respect your dedication - My last move took me two years to have things neat, organized, and nice! Good for you and the eyes, as well as the plants :)

Down the road I would consider a stain on all the stands and the window dressing, in my eyes that would be pleasing - as is though, I must respect your efforts! Thank you for sharing.

Grimmy
 

Joe Dupre'

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Thanks for the reply and the compliment, jeanluc83. The design is supposed to be a self-imposed limit of space, and therefore, number of trees. Sacrilege, I know. Ha! I've come to my own conclusion that , for me, I can't and don't want to handle more than about 40 trees. I culled about 15 trees that didn't have great potential, in the move. I do have a 12 ft 9" x 9" cypress beam I use for pre bonsai and other experiments. The design was purely for my sense of aesthetics. I figure it takes an extra 5 minutes to cut around the posts every week or so. Small price to pay for a satisfying view.
 

Joe Dupre'

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Grimmy, staining the benches crossed my mind briefly. In South Louisiana, almost no kind of coating, stain, paint or varnish holds up to the elements for long. Quite soon, the project looks drab and unevenly weathered........possibly worse than if left natural. You're then faced with coating all of those intricate shapes again. I'm going with the gradual, natural graying of the benches that leaves the trees to be the center of attention. You're right, the window dressing could use a little stain to blend in better.
 

Joe Dupre'

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Grimmy, Re: getting organized after moving. My wife is an organization ninja. We have exactly ONE unpacked box left, and it has pictures destined to go up on the walls. I'm retired, so the day after the building was moved, I had 2 benches and one pedestal down. Two days later, the garden was finished except the detail above the window.

As I was digging the last of 9 holes two feet deep, the phone guy came in to bury the cable in the yard. "Hey, I could have augered all of those holes for you in 10 minutes if I'd have gotten here sooner. GGrrrrrrrrrrrr.
 

CWTurner

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Like those tree trunk plant stands on the patio!
CW
 

Joe Dupre'

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CW, those came from a cypress tree at the other place that was struck by lightning a few years ago. The tree started healing back over the wound, but it started declining, so we cut it down. I didn't have the heart to burn such interesting trunks.
 

Cadillactaste

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I like it! Trees need a place to call home. The cypress trunks for stands a great entrance point to your garden. My trees aren't in the yard...but on benches or,strategically placed in around landscape. Makes one have to water by hand. But it works for me. I respect your 40 head count. My mental count is no more than 25. Gotta find a middle ground where you enjoy and it isn't a chore.
 
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