Thanks to my friends at the bookstore where I used to work, I now have a Bonsai (BAHN- sigh) tree. Here it is sitting in its new ceramic tray, but not planted in the tray. It's still growing in its original plastic tray. This is because Bonsai trees are very emotional. I did not know this when I bought it.Upon getting it home, Outside the Box and I looked up how to care for Bonsai trees and were surprised to read that they frequently stress out just moving from place to place- like from the kitchen to the living room. They must have special Bonsai soil that does not stay as wet as normal potting soil, must be watered lightly, daily, but not so much as to cause root rot and need light, but cannot tolerate direct sunlight that shines through the window- it must be filtered in some way. If the Bonsai does not get what it wants, the leaves will drop off, leaving the owner with an interesting, curvy trunk of sadness.
I was so excited to get the Bonsai. I've always wanted one. But it isn't something I would just up and buy for myself, because they are expensive. With the gift card, I felt free to go ahead and treat myself and I had enough to get Outside the Box a Bonsai, too- for his new office. He likes plants, so I knew he'd be into it. We would have fun growing these little trees together. Anyway, after reading the Bonsai Gardner, I became a little nervous about whether or not I could handle caring for this mini-tree in a tray. I mean, I have issues of my own. The trees had spent the better part of the day in my car, since I bought them and then went shopping with Fash, before bringing them to the kitchen table, where they sat for several hours until Outside the Box moved his to his bedroom and later to his office. I figured that one would have no leaves left by morning.
The second day we owned the Bonsai trees, Outside the Box discovered that mine was blooming!
He took a picture of the tiny, white flowers with his camera phone and sent me the alert, as I was running errands most of that day. I couldn't believe it, but when I got home there were four blooms and several buds on my tree. Amazing! Especially since I had moved it from the kitchen table to the coffee table to a side table under a mirror and back to the coffee table, because I couldn't decide where it could get the correct amount of filtered sunlight. I also now feared I'd over watered it, when I'd held it under a fountain in the store before bringing it home- it had seemed so dried out. I kept checking it for root rot about every hour for the first full day I owned it. I was getting kind of stressed out, though I really like having the Bonsai.
On the third day, Fash and I were doing a Bible study in the living room and we noticed several leaves scattered around the drip tray of the planter on the coffee table. I inhaled sharply and put my face close to the Bonsai. I blew on it. Fifteen teeny leaves dropped from the tree. It was happening. The Bonsai was stressing out and going berserk. Though I don't actually have a picture of this. We'd moved it too much. So I started talking to it. Thankfully, we do not have a picture of this either.I hope I can keep my new Bonsai alive. Outside the Box says his has also dropped some leaves. I think the Bonsai Gardener says, "your new Bonsai may feel so stressed out that he will drop all of his leaves, but take heart- they will grow back- if the soil is right, the water not too wet and the sunlight properly filtered." The Bonsai Gardener promises that growing a Bonsai tree is challenging, yet rewarding. I want to re-pot mine into the new, ceramic tray I bought for it, but I'm too scared. I want it to live.
The white flowers are still blooming, but I seem to have a lot of extra hair in my brush. It's funny that the Bonsai came with a little stone on a stick stuck in the special Bonsai soil of the plastic tray, on which is engraved the word- "peace". I wonder what that means. Maybe it means if the tree cannot express it, the rocks will cry out.
I also bought this tropical type plant, whose name I cannot recall- it gets one, orange bloom in the middle of a leaf spray that will last a good two months, then shrivel and never bloom from the center of that spray again. Instead, a shoot will come out of the side of this cutting and an orange bloom will appear in the middle of the side spray. This one seems to be completely comfortable in the kitchen, dining area, bath or living room. Does anyone know the name of this plant? 
