Graffiti Cactus

A cactus in Hawaii which had been tagged. The plant scars white-ish after the initial wound, and makes for a rather nice writing template. It makes both sad and happy. Not sure how I feel about it at the end of the day.

AWESOME SHIT: plants on strings

I came across these photos of exquisite string gardens and immediately thought, "I want that." Very little information is known about the elusive 'fedor,' the person responsible for these little gems. He/she creates them in very limited quantities and markets them like a fashion collection, season by season. No information is provided on the website other than stock is due to be refreshed soon!

Turns out that fedor was inspired by kokedama, which is an ancient form of bonsai, sometimes called 'poor man's bonsai,' as it is fairly easy to create.

a typical kokedama

It involves rolling clay-heavy soil into balls, covering the soil in moss, and inserting a plant into the soil. The ball is usually bound with string to keep everything from crumbling to bits, with the string eventually disintegrating once the roots of the plant have taken over. Kokedama are typically set on display on plates, so that is what makes fedor's work so unique. fedor takes the awesomeness to a new level by hanging the plants in creative ways and making compositions with combinations of the different sizes and species. The sense of seasonality in all of fedor's work is impressive as well. Someone buy me one when they're back in stock? I love Lavandula. Maybe I'll start working on the next Hanging Gardens of Babylon, who wants to help me?

a few more photos of fedor's work:

and a few links for yall:

fedor's string gardens

sala-sala, an old blog devoted to different kokedama

a how-to guide for making your own kokedama

Awesome Plants

Buying plants that make you laugh is never a bad idea

Landscape DO: Trees in Mexico

The style of tree planting in Mexico is like nothing I have ever seen before.  Species of all varieties are thrown chaotically into the landscape and left to their own devices.  Issues one would normally consider when placing a tree (proximity to other trees, open canopy availability, etc.) are, as far as I can tell, not considered whatsoever.  And the final product is fantastic.  Total randomness creates a dazzling, visually complex landscape with rich textured balances of light and dark, greens and browns.  In addition, the density of the vegetation makes noises from traffic recede instantly, and as you enter the park the urban clamor dissipates magically.  Muy great!