Tag Archive for: kyoto-style garden sonoma county

Travel + Leisure Visits Osmosis And Tries The Cedar Enzyme Bath!

We were visited recently by a gifted writer, Boris Fishman, who was writing a story for Travel + Leisure about our region. Needless to say, we felt deeply grateful and excited!

The article was published in the February 2022 print edition on page 100 and is now available online. It is a wonderful story about the special nature of our Russian River neighborhood with profiles on some of the most interesting people and places to visit.

Boris found our one-of-a-kind heat treatment, the Cedar Enzyme Bath, much to his liking. Our Cedar Enzyme Bath is a unique therapeutic body treatment from Japan, found nowhere else on this continent. It is a bathing ritual that involves immersing your entire body in a mixture of soft and fragrant ground cedar and rice bran with living enzymes.

If you have not experienced the Cedar Enzyme Bath for yourself, it is time to book a visit now! You can improve your health, exfoliate your skin, and reduce overall stress all in one treatment. This unique experience is also a great way to prepare your body for a relaxing massage.

Osmosis Day Spa offers numerous packages allowing you to create the right combination of services to maximize your visit! Convenient online booking can be found at the following link osmosis.com/online-reservations. Plus, learn more of the lasting benefits here.

And, finally, we invite you to check out our feature and a lovely roundup of West County in Travel + Leisure!

Michael Alliger, Master Pruner

Osmosis Spring Garden During Social Distancing

By Michael Alliger, Master Pruner

In these times of human distancing it’s such relief to walk in nature or in a garden; to walk amongst trees with no apprehension. Feeling safe and offering no threat. Recently the thought occurred that as the human realm is swept with an invisible danger, the trees are impervious, not knowing of our dilemma, physical and psychic. (Or are they? That is a question for another time). But there is a strong sense of the shield between us and them; a boundary not to be crossed.

Then I remembered some years back when an epidemic of phytophthera invaded native trees. We called this root fungus Sudden Oak Death. Another unseen attack, but this time humans were immune, though not unaffected. Our trees were dying and scientists, arborists and foresters all scrambled to limit the damage.

The first important form of mitigation turned out to be distancing. Parks and trails were closed. Workers were advised to wrap their boots so as not to track the fungus to new areas. This rallying to trees’ defenses shines a light on the mutuality of life. And in these times of human isolation plants offer to us their own kind of solace.

 

Spring still drives the flower through the branch reminding us of perseverance and renewal. Floral fragrance and color stimulate insects and birds to action. While we may sit inert, separated from routine, we see that the work of the world goes on and we may in turn take action. Planting trees and flowers for a future we know will come though changed it will be.

Here at the Osmosis garden we’ve slipped into this hiatus – a chance to renovate our welcome garden. New additions of lavender, sun rose and germander complement last year’s make-over of an adjacent area where we added a prodigious Japanese lantern accompanied by flowering currant and hellebores. And as we work we see peaking around the corner the flowering crabapple, here since before the beginning, reminding us that along with the future is the past giving context to the present in time of trial.

 

Michael Alliger, Master Pruner

The Art of Watering

By Michael Alliger, Master Pruner

Summer’s here in Sonoma County California and the rains have stopped.  This means it’s time to water.  Since water is increasingly precious it’s important to use it to best effect.  My pruning mentor Dennis Makishima enlivened in me the love of growing trees in containers and it was he who said, “Watering is an art”.  Those words changed me forever, remaking what might have been a mindless routine into a conscious relational act bordering on spiritual.  As I came to understand it watering is a complex, intriguing aspect of plant care.

Over-Watering

Effective watering depends on a plant’s needs, soil composition, sun and wind exposure, and temperature.  A recurring concern is how much water and how often.  Over-watering is especially problematic since we generally don’t see the effects until it’s too late with no remedy short of re-potting.  To avoid this dilemma we learn from bonsai artists to use soil mix that is virtually without organic matter consisting only of drainage material.  Most bagged potting mixes have high levels of humus, compost, etc. which retain water in such varying and unknown quantities that accurate assessment of soil moisture is difficult.  Using the high drainage formula allows excess water to drain immediately.  While eliminating the fear of over-watering this mix also means we must guard against drying out.  So a regular seasonal schedule of watering is required.  To help gauge soil moisture an inexpensive hydrometer may be available at local hardware stores or nurseries.  In the absence of a hydrometer, a quick check of water retention can be done by lifting the container (when possible) to judge weight.  A light container likely means it’s time to water.  A plant that has seriously dried out can be dunked in a bucket of water; holding the soil level below water will elicit bubbles as air spaces are filled with water.  Remove the container and water runs out to proper level. Another aspect of humus-free mix is that fertilizing is up to us.  Proper fertilizing is an art unto itself and too lengthy a discussion for the current effort.  Stay tuned.

Hose-end hand watering is best with a gently showering nozzle.  This implement avoids splash-out of soil while freshening foliage without damage.

sprayer

In-Ground Plants

Most considerations for watering containers are applicable to watering in-ground plants.  While clearly we are not responsible for overall soil conditions in our garden (e.g. loamy, clayey, sandy) amending that soil is critical.  Adding humus-y composted material is almost always a good idea.  It adds nutrients, aerates, and paradoxically improves both drainage and water retention.  Hand-watering (holding a hose in hand) is generally ineffective for getting water to the roots of all but the slightest of bedding plants.  For trees and shrubs a simple inexpensive sprinkler does the job nicely, especially when combined with a calendar and a standard household timer.  For most trees, it’s best to water infrequently and deeply:  every 3 to 4 weeks; 45 minutes; shrubs 20-30 minutes.  Native plants may require less water, but please remember that drought “tolerant” plants may actually do somewhat better with slightly more water.  Careful experimentation is the key.  Established trees and shrubs should be watered out to the drip line (foliage circumference) as this is where the feeder roots grow.  Watering at the trunk is largely ineffective.  Newly planted specimens should be watered so as to encourage roots to spread out.

Drip Irrigation

Regarding drip irrigation, there are pros and cons with both containers and in-ground gardens.  On the plus side, drip allows us to water without being present and it can be automated.  It helps sustain life, especially with initial planting.  On the other hand, while seemingly carefree drip irrigation requires regular attention.  We must examine emitters for location and potential clogging due to soil and bugs.  Tubing should be checked for leaks, disconnects and kinks.  Also, dissemination of water is limited by emitters (narrow gravity-driven trajectory) and sprayers rarely get deep enough.  In addition emitters are rated at gallons per hour and it’s unusual to see a system set for more than 15 to 20 minutes.  This might be ok for bedding plants but has little effect on trees and shrubs.  Just as we water the newly planted  increasingly toward the drip line, drip emitters must be periodically moved outward to accommodate spreading roots.

For me the biggest drawback to drip is that it separates us from actually tending to and interacting with our plants in an essential way.  Hand-watering, when done consciously, affords an opportunity to inspect our trees forinsects, disease and general well-being.  We become familiar with a healthy look and are therefore more aware of changes that indicate stress or threat.  Perhaps the most profound benefit is the intimacy it brings – a chance to say hello to each plant and to bask in the silence of its reply.
japanese garden master pruner

Garden Journal for Autumn 2016

by Michael Alliger

Astrologers say that August is the gateway to autumn and here in Sonoma County that seems to be so true as we see the light become more golden, trees turning color and we sense the occasional cool lilt to a breeze. Changing seasons always brings pause to the garden and the gardener. Autumn is especially a time for reflection; spiritually, soulfully, and in the garden.  Looking back we may ask: what have we accomplished?  Which of our plans have reached fruition? Which are still developing?  And our reflection may lead us forward.  What will we be focusing on this winter, time of dormancy, by way of preparation for spring?

Yet autumnal weather also offers us some opportunities for pruning and general garden care.  Here in Northern California while the season becomes milder we know that there is a likely possibility for high temperatures still to come.  This is an excellent time to replenish garden mulch with a nutrient rich compost or humus-y blend.  This will help retain precious moisture as we enter the driest period of the year. Here at Osmosis we prefer composted material rather than mere bark for mulching because plants get the added benefit of natural fertilizing as the winter rains leach nutrients into the soil. Along similar lines it’s important that drip irrigation remain functional and on even as expectations of rain increase.

Hinoki japanese tree pruning

Hinoki Tree – Unpruned and Pruned

Falling Leaves


It may go without saying that the falling autumn leaves demand regular raking and sweeping.  Not only the paths and beds are swept, but the plants themselves which collect fallen leaves must be groomed daily.  The large bay trees along Salmon Creek bordering our garden seem to be among the first to drop, though being evergreen their color show is limited to a cinnamon brown.  It is interesting to note that nearby redwood trees are also losing leaves at this time.  Even evergreen trees lose leaves in autumn; though with conifers and other evergreens it is subtler than with deciduous trees and may even bring alarm at first sight.  At Osmosis we have a number of hinoki trees (a species of Chamaecyparis) whose inner leaves turn brown though they tend to persist until brushed off, another seasonal chore.

Conifers

Hinoki japanese meditation garden trees

Hinoki Tree – Unpruned & Pruned

With regards to pruning this is an excellent time to attend to some of the projects that the busy spring and summer postpone.  Many of our conifers (junipers, spruce, cedar) are tended to now.  In the event of a spike in heat they are generally tough enough to bear it without signs of stress while their slow-growing nature allows them to be pruned just once a year.  We also find time to address some of the background material: a large domed English laurel,  California myrtle hedges,  and sheared yews, for example.

At Osmosis we employ the Japanese garden approach to these shrubs wherein we value the older wood for its character and clear some of the young upstart shoots.

A number of other semi-focal or auxiliary plants receive attention now.  Nandinas may be thinned and shaped.  The European or western approach might be to cut away the old growth in an effort to “renovate” the plant.  A beautiful and delicate plant is the Pieris japonica which is actually related to manzanita and rhododendron.  Like it’s two relatives pieris sets its spring flowers in summer/fall.

Magnolias

Conflicting with these developing flowers are last springs spent flower parts and this is a perfect opportunity to clean these off though it takes a careful eye to distinguish the two at first. Late summer/fall is an excellent time for cutback, thinning and styling of magnolia trees.  Magnolias represent another instance of a plant setting flower buds in fall for spring show.  Magnolias are amongst the first of the spring blooms and here in Northern California they’ll actually be opening in January and February.  This limits the notion of winter pruning since we try to interfere with flowering as little as possible while making the tree’s overall appearance exemplary.  Pruning in late summer allows enough time for the tree to establish flower buds to replace any lost through shaping.

Fall is the recommended time for thinning bamboo.  Thinning bamboo is important because it allows the coming spring’s energy to go into making sturdier more demonstrative culms (shoots).   Thinning also reduces the plant’s urge to spread as it has more internal space with less crowding.  Fall is also a good time to apply slow release organic fertilizer to bamboo thus encouraging the best new growth in spring.

autumn in freestone at osmosis day spa sanctuaryWhile there are specific tasks for fall the brief pause can be welcomed with an out-breath of gratitude for all that has gone before and the deep rest that garden life will receive during  the coming winter.

 

Garden Journal for Summer 2016

Master Pruner at Osmosis

Master Pruner at Osmosis

by Michael Alliger

The summer solstice finds us focusing on California native plants used here in the Osmosis gardens.  The theme of our garden design is California Asian, that is to say, a garden structured and pruned in the Asian way yet representative of our place here on this continent through the employment of some native plant material in addition to plants from Asia.

The development of Asian gardens has been in play for literally a thousand years.  The pruning techniques, plant and stone choices, and spatial relationships have been refined through trial and error as well as bursts of creative genius.  The appropriate plant material has been culled from the native landscape again through trial and error.  Appropriateness refers largely to prunability: can a plant be maintained at the human scale required by the garden plan while still evoking the essence of the natural surroundings.  This process of local plant selection, while age-old in Japan, is in its infancy here in California. It is the goal of the Osmosis garden not only to create a sense of place (home) by using native plants but also to further the cultivation of them.  Our garden is somewhat of a proving ground in that regard; experimenting with the possibilities and limitations of the plants surrounding us.

Manzanita Okarikomi

Manzanita Okarikomi

The plant choices we have made vary in their adaptability from co-operative to questionable to doubtful.  Among those most easily facilitated are the vine maple, ceanothus, two forms of ribes (currant) and manzanita.  The vine maple is pruned as any Japanese maple with reduction for scale and thinning for appearance.  Ceanothus gets cutback as the new growth extends after flowering.  This plant is best kept full and usually either grouped or with accompanying plants beneath as they tend to defoliate below.  Our pink flowering currant represents one of spring’s first blooms while also providing a screen along a path.  Most pruning here is done in winter to contain the plant from its inherent wildness keeping it the right height and thickness and out of the path.  We have found that by shearing the sprawling ribes viburnifolium we can create a form resembling the Japanese tamamono or horizontal oval.  Manzanita has been used in several ways from shearing into O-karikomi style (contoured drift) to general screen to focal point at front entry sign.  Each of these is pruned in late spring-summer as new growth follows flowering. The shearing of Manzanita definitely falls into the category of experimentation but has shown to be effective for a minimum of 10 years.

 

Shore Pine

Shore Pine at Osmosis

Among the plants still in the discovery stage or requiring fairly adept pruning would be the shore pine and Douglas fir (surprisingly!).  Without too much difficulty the shore pine can be pruned in the style of Japanese black pine by a skilled technician.
The Douglas fir lends itself to pruning quite readily as it exhibits the ability to freely break bud on bare wood, a characteristic rarely found in a conifer.   This back budding allows for wholesale cutback and general pruning.  The possibilities are seemingly limited only by the imagination and talent of the pruner.  We have two that are documented to be over 50 years old and neither is over 7’ and both are full and lush shrub forms.

 

The tree with which we have had some success though cannot whole-heartedly recommend is the Monterey cypress. While this tree, known along the Pacific coast for it’s fabulous windswept shapes, can reach 40 to 60’ our specimen has remained at no more than 18’ with serious reductive pruning.  The tree’s rapid growth and susceptibility to disease and infestation from hard pruning relegate it to doubtful in an ornamental garden.

We have barely touched the surface in our survey of native plants though some of the others tried include huckleberry, snowbell, and hazelnut.  To find ourselves at the initiatory stage of this endless exploration gives a greater context to our deployment of Asian pruning and design techniques while lending a more familiar feel to exotic aesthetics.

Douglas Fir at Osmosis

Douglas Fir at Osmosis

Pink Flowering Ribe

Pink Flowering Ribe at Osmosis

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