I have the tools, but not the patience (or, dare I say it?) time left to cultivate true bonsai. Maybe none of us has. However I must concede that Jade Plant gives us the option of faking it because of the gnarled and easily manipulated trunks on even the youngest plants. Still, painting a bonsai takes less time and discipline. What’s more, any damage resulting from my less-than-green thumb is already done.
Let’s face it, most gardening is a war against chaos. Maybe that’s why I sometimes have fun creating virtual files as the support for my botanical art. For this one I created colorful compartments for Azaleas (on the left) which I enhanced with a touch of turquoise, ferns at the bottom with a ‘button’ of variegated Euonymus, Parlor Palm as the centerpiece and some inner leaves of Euonymus at the top. If only it would all line up so obediently in my garden.
Like most of what I post here, it will pop up matted and framed in my Etsy shop soon.
In late fall and winter, the bright yellow edges of Euonymus deepen to gold with a touch of rose. still, the inner leaves which tend to be larger, remain green.
For this simple triptych, I organized some leaves from a single plant against colors which reflect those it shows in winter — yes it stays green and gold all through the winter, blizzards and all!
For each panel, I shuffled the three colors. See close-ups of this one and some other three-panel botanicals at my Etsy shop.
Gardening doesn’t come to a halt just because snow covers the ground. I have houseplants that stay indoors year round but not many. Most of them summer on my deck. I gave my parlor palm a little pruning several weeks ago with a selfish motive in mind. Here is the first result. I have several more fronds in process, but the plant continues to flourish so it’s win-win during the dormant season.
See more in my Etsy shop, My Stonington Garden.
P.S. The little guy at the bottom of this piece is a snippet from my Andromeda tree which is still lying on its side having been felled by the blizzard of ’13. A master gardener from the University of Rhode Island has advised that I wait until spring and hope it springs back. Fingers crossed.
My Stonington Garden 
