Nova bonsai garden

[Dav4]

Finished spring fertilization. Generally in spring I replace all the fertilizer cakes and do a root drench with kelp/humid acid right when the buds begin to swell. Then back to wiring. I repotted a lot last season in anticipation of the move, but wiring has been a bit neglected.

Also, I found a pretty active spring in the woods behind the barn. Still making discoveries. View attachment 474281

Looks beautiful!

I'm sure you know this but lyme disease is probably pretty prevalent in your neck of the woods and tick season is upon you... and this looks like primo deer tick habitat. Being such an experienced hiker, I'm sure you're aware and take appropriate precautions. Anyway, enjoy your slice of heaven and keep posting updates!

 

[penumbra]

Looks beautiful!

I'm sure you know this but lyme disease is probably pretty prevalent in your neck of the woods and tick season is upon you... and this looks like primo deer tick habitat. Being such an experienced hiker, I'm sure you're aware and take appropriate precautions. Anyway, enjoy your slice of heaven and keep posting updates!

I have been treated for Lyme 3 times now. My wife has had a lot more opportunities to be infected but has never had it.

 

[Dav4]

I have been treated for Lyme 3 times now. My wife has had a lot more opportunities to be infected but has never had it.

My parents live in SE MA and both have been hospitalized with lyme dz and babesiosis. Tick borne diseases are absolutely no joke!

 

[markyscott]

Looks beautiful!

I'm sure you know this but lyme disease is probably pretty prevalent in your neck of the woods and tick season is upon you... and this looks like primo deer tick habitat. Being such an experienced hiker, I'm sure you're aware and take appropriate precautions. Anyway, enjoy your slice of heaven and keep posting updates!

I take ticks very seriously. One of the former owners of the property had a serious case of Lyme disease. Long pants always. Socks over pants. Gators over socks. And everything soaked in permethrin. Then everything into the wash when I get home and a thorough scrub. Hopefully it’s enough. It’s a 365 day a year problem here.

S

 

[markyscott]

So it was a special day today. I’m a bit of a of a history buff and just finished a book called “The Frontiersman”, about a man named Simon Kenton - pretty famous frontier guide and contemporary of Daniel Boone and Tecumseh. He played an enormous role in the settlement of Kentucky and Ohio in the late 1700s. Anyway - turns out that he was originally from Fauquier County in Virginia- not 15 minutes from my home in Upperville. Trick is - his cabin is in ruins AND totally unmarked AND on land with some pretty strict access controls. But today. With the permission of VOF (Virginia Outdoors Foundation - who holds the land in conservatorship) AND accompanied by the VOF ranger and an old timer who knew the way, I visited Simon Kenton’s homestead. Very cool.

 

[markyscott]

On the way back we walked by William Leachman’s cabin. Story is the Kenton and Leachman got in a terrible fight in which Kenton believed he had killed him. Kenton fled to avoid murder charges, which is how he became a frontiersman. Turns out Leachman survived, but everyone knew he had been in a fight. When Kenton never returned, people assumed he’d hidden the body somewhere. So Leachman was brought up on murder charges, but they were eventually dismissed because of the no body thing. Leachman’s cabin is in much better shape.

 

[markyscott]

This walk took place in the beautiful Bull Run Mountains. I took this picture of the mountains illuminated by the setting sun at the end of the day.

 

[markyscott]

The VOF ranger on the walk is a pretty accomplished naturalist - he pointed out this:


Which he called a “ghost tree”. Apparently this is pretty rare. Tulip Poplars roots will intertwine and, occasionally, fuse. This poplar was felled a long time ago - given the callousing he thought maybe 50 or more years ago. If conditions are right, the surrounding poplars will continue to nourish the trunk of the felled poplar resulting in the formation of callous tissue on the stump of the felled tree. Over time, the heartwood rots away leaving just a ring of callous tissue to mark where the tree once stood. Pretty cool.

 

[markyscott]

Chinese ground orchid and strawberry begonia kusamono. Orchids in bloom.

 

[penumbra]

Chinese ground orchid and strawberry begonia kusamono. Orchids in bloom. View attachment 476281

The Bletilla striata will grow here but it needs decent soil.

 

[markyscott]

The Bletilla striata will grow here but it needs decent soil.

Cool - I might try some in the ground. I have a few spots that might be well suited for them.

S

 

[vp999]

Chinese ground orchid and strawberry begonia kusamono. Orchids in bloom. View attachment 476281

Did you buy these orchids or collected them on the property? They are very pretty.

 

[sdavis]

So it was a special day today. I’m a bit of a of a history buff and just finished a book called “The Frontiersman”, about a man named Simon Kenton - pretty famous frontier guide and contemporary of Daniel Boone and Tecumseh. He played an enormous role in the settlement of Kentucky and Ohio in the late 1700s. Anyway - turns out that he was originally from Fauquier County in Virginia- not 15 minutes from my home in Upperville. Trick is - his cabin is in ruins AND totally unmarked AND on land with some pretty strict access controls. But today. With the permission of VOF (Virginia Outdoors Foundation - who holds the land in conservatorship) AND accompanied by the VOF ranger and an old timer who knew the way, I visited Simon Kenton’s homestead. Very cool. View attachment 474418View attachment 474420

Simon Kenton was as important as Daniel Boone on the frontier. He saved Boone's life once. All of Alan Eckert's books are superb. Be sure you also read his story of the demise of the passenger pigeon.....from 2 billion to extinction.

 

[markyscott]

Did you buy these orchids or collected them on the property? They are very pretty.

I brought these with me from Houston. A friend gave them to me and I made a kusamono with them. I think that they can be purchased online fairly easily. They’re a terrestrial orchid, so can be planted right in the ground if you have the right soil conditions and environment to grow them.

S

 

[markyscott]

Simon Kenton was as important as Daniel Boone on the frontier. He saved Boone's life once. All of Alan Eckert's books are superb. Be sure you also read his story of the demise of the passenger pigeon.....from 2 billion to extinction.

The Frontiersman was a very enjoyable read. In the introduction, the author wrote quite a bit about how he went about his research and I was very impressed. It’s the only book I’ve read by Alan Eckert, but it won’t be the last. I think The Frontiersman is part of a series of books he’s written about the westward expansion of the US. I hadn’t heard about the passenger pigeon book - I’ll put it on my list.

S

 

[vp999]

I brought these with me from Houston. A friend gave them to me and I made a kusamono with them. I think that they can be purchased online fairly easily. They’re a terrestrial orchid, so can be planted right in the ground if you have the right soil conditions and environment to grow them.

S

I think I will get some if they are cold hardy...Very beautiful. Thank you Scott.

 

[markyscott]

Near Abingdon - can’t sit still too long when you have kudzu in your yard.

 

[jradics]

Well - I’ve been trying to identify a good koi pond designer from the Atlanta area…

lol

i PERSONALLY KNOW 2 OF THE BEST KOI POND DESIGNERS IN ATLANTA. i CAN HOOK YOU UP WITH THEIR CONTACTS

 

[markyscott]

Lots of action at Nova Bonsai! My wife and I joined a group of volunteers at a local conservation group called the Clifton Institute and participated in a controlled burn - part of a broader experiment for meadow and pasture management. Really fascinating day.

 

[markyscott]

I installed a French drain on the north side of the high tunnel and plumbed it into the rainwater catchment to the cistern. This added 400 sq ft of roof area (the high tunnel) + surface water running downhill - increasing the total catchment area by nearly 40%. With this add, 1” of rain could yield nearly 900 gallons of water.