It’s incredible what you can do with a sudden burst of inspiration! This past Thursday, I came home from work, took a step out onto the porch to view my garden, and saw the broken pieces of concrete that used to be in the bottom of a pot in which I grew cannabis. I also saw the old milk crate, some other pieces of stone, a container of soil, when suddenly I got hit with creative energies from the cosmic beyond. I turned some curved pieces of concrete on their side, and noticed it looked sort of like a pathway, sort of like a sidewalk in the city or around a park coming together with a lovely little circle in the center. I got right to work designing a new penjing!
Not thinking this is where the day would end, I was amped up with energy to use my creative potential. I lined the entire bottom of the green crate with a large piece of window screen to keep in as much dirt as I could. The screen is held down into place by the weight of the concrete. I’m unsure what these curved pieces once belonged to, but now they make the winding paths of Urbanite Penjing Park. I packed in the soil to keep it from spilling out the holes in the side, and then I covered each of the outside holes with grassy moss to help keep everything inside. Everything was seeming to stay in place. We’ll see if it survives the rain!
A few rocks of concrete would make a mountain for the display. Initially I stacked one rock on the other, but decided to take it down to the one piece. I added moss on the rock to give it a finished look. I also laid moss carefully along the edges of the “sidewalk” and throughout the whole project. Other smaller rocks make a small monument in one of the park sections.
I decided that I would only put items into this penjing that I can acquire for free. I found one plant in the display growing in the sidewalk near a convenience store around the corner from me. Some Japanese Maple seeds were planted in the center of the three smooth stones. Other areas for plants have been marked by small beds of gravel. I’m hoping to find a few ferns in my travels to add to the exhibit!
If I could start over, one thing I would do is place a piece of wood down under the crate to help move the display around. It feels too flimsy to do so at the moment.
This is definitely one project that is going to change and grow over time as I find things I want to add to it. I’m looking forward to the possibilities that lay ahead in landscaping this miniature urban park. Patiently away the new growth!