A botanical journal born from my love for nature, design and décor.
Aquascaping Diaries
I like calling this scape "Serenity".
The warm, Autumn colours of Cryptocoryne beckettii in contrast to a bed of vivid green Heteranthera zosterifolia and Saggitaria subulata.
The roots of a fallen tree are now home to the epiphytic Anubias nana 'bonsai', sheltering a school of Ember Tetras (Hyphessobrycon amandae).
Plant care Wednesdays!
Time to do some maintenance on most of my tropical plants. I love me a pink Syngonium any day, anytime!
Swipe ➡️ for image of Root P**n 🌿
A couple of Blue Dream shrimp grazing on beautiful Taiwan Lilies (Nymphoides hydrophylla ‘Taiwan’).
It has now been 9 weeks since this was built. Check out the progress and a small maintenance session on this future Shrimp Iwagumi!
**Click the link below to watch the full video.**
all.9 weeks ago today, I decided to scape a 10 litre tank in an Iwagumi format. Using the dry-start m**h...
Propagating some of these babies is so rewarding! My "Baby Plant" section is looking so lush and vibrant. Some are enjoying life in water culture, others in Aroid mix or semi-hydro medium! 🍀🌿
What is your favourite media for propagating your plants and cuttings?
There is som**hing with pink variegation on plants that gets me going!
The Ficus elastica 'Ruby', similar to the 'Tineke' counterpart, but keeps most of the pink tint on its leaves.
Swipe ➡️ for more photos! 📷
The Cubic Jungle - a 2 month-old update in a cinematic format.
everyone,I have uploaded a very short clip of a 2 month-old cube I have been working on earlier this yea...
My pride & joy - 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗿𝘂𝗯𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘀 '𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀' enjoying Spring and life in general! 🌿❤️
Spring is round the corner!
Baby leaves unfurling on my Anthurium andraeanum 🌿
New video is out!
Watch how I tore apart a perfectly neat aquarium just to improve and adapt.
I wasn't happy with the way this tank looked in terms of scaping, and couldn't come to terms with it, so I tore it apart! Watch the Re-Scaping process from s...
Ever wondered what you can do to improve the aesthetics and overall wellness of your fish bowl and it's inhabitants?
This is how I did it, on a budget, in no time!
Hardware Specs:Glass Bowl - 30cm in diameter, 10 litres.Lighting - Generic LED 5300K + Wooden StandNo Filter, heater, skimmer or CO2.Hardscape:Aquasoil Amazo...
Hi fellow planties,
My love for plants has made me go bonkers!
I've been lately delving into the world of aquatic plants, and what better way to showcase them if not in beautiful aquatic setups?
Join me on this journey on YouTube - promising future quality content related to anything Green!
A botanical journal born from my love for nature, design and décor - the three pillars upon which this idea was built on. 🌱Bonsai, Indoor plants & Aquascapi...
‼️GENERAL BONSAI INFORMATION‼️
(Before & after pics of my Bougainvillae Pre-bonsai after defoliating).
What exactly constitutes a Bonsai?
Although very subjective, Bonsai is the art of creating beautiful, living, miniature trees that look identical (or reminiscent) to their larger counterparts. With that said, a Bonsai tree could have various sizes, so long that it is given proper perspective through pruning, shaping and pot size.
Bonsai is never a finished product, but rather, the journey that takes both tree and artist to the desired state.
A Bonsai tree could be started from seed (very slow), cuttings, air-layering, ground-layering, or from the purchase of nursery-grown stock.
General misconceptions
❓Is my Ficus ginseng a Bonsai?
Most probably no, unless it is one that has been refined by a Bonsai Master. (Unlikely)
❓Can my Bonsai (or tree) stay indoors?
No. Shade your trees during heatwaves but leave them outside all year round. (Goes for most tree species).
❓Why is my tree dying? Firstly, answer yourself these questions:
Is it getting enough sun?
Is it over-watered?
Is the soil free-draining enough?
Is it getting enough air circulation?
Is it able to defer temperature drops from night the day?
On a last note - most tree species can adapt to becoming Bonsai. But how would you know what trees are most suited to becoming good Bonsai?
If a tree's leaves are small, and able to reduce further in size through training.
☑️If a tree has the ability to survive our hot summer months.
☑️If a tree has the ability to thrive in your garden / terrace / roof.
☑️If a tree can adapt to root pruning, and constant pot size downgrade.
One could argue that Bonsai is simply keeping a small tree alive, and although that may be true, it is to be known that Bonsai involves delicate hands-on work, namely:
Pruning
Defoliating
Bending & Wiring
Root-pruning
Downsize repotting
Fertilization
Constant maintenance
Bonsai can seem like a slow, lingering hobby, but it is definitely not a forgiving hobby for those who are in a hurry. I've been doing Bonsai for 4 years, and I know - I really know - that it will be another 10 years until I can call some of my trees, Bonsai.
The joy of newly unfurled leaves is beyond anything I can ever begin to express! 💚💚
A Ficus carica, aka Fig Tree boasting it's new post-summer leaves! 🌿
How would you describe your feelings upon noticing your babies pushing out new foliage?
Swipe ➡️ for close-up and perspective pics!
My kind of platter 🌿💚
Philodendron hederaceum "Brazil" in a semi-hydro set-up.
Can we just take a moment to admire the beautiful flowering clusters of the Duranta repens? 💚
Although not an indoor plant, I still thought of showing you a piece of this huge (really huge) flowering shrub I was gifted for my birthday last week! 🙏
Do you own any outdoor flowering shrubs? I would like to hear what you're growing! 🌿🌿
Indoor plant styling, featuring one of my fast growing Philodendron cordatum in a tiny glass on rail pot gifted to me by my better half 🌿💚
Snake plants!
Snake plants everywhere!
Is anyone else obsessed with them, and with the warm feeling they bring to any patio?
My snake-plant trio 🐍🌿 (a really small number from my Sansevieria / Dracaena collection).
And yes - I refuse to water these guys 🤣💚
One little Chilli pepper. 🌶️
It has been weeks since I've been posting regular plant updates, and this is mainly due to a very sad outcome. I've had a multitude of casualties over the past months, with temp highs of 38°+, exhausting most of them to death. ♨️🔥
It has been my toughest summer so far and the losses where countless and overwhelming. Bear with me plant parents. 😔😥
With that said, the most valuable lesson learnt was, to care for the ones I had rather than focusing on acquiring new plants.
Decorating with indoor plants is addicting and therapeutical...
Three new additions to our indoor plant collection! 🪴🌿
Meet Ruvei, my Monstera Peru.
I will keep it brief, and let you enjoy its very noticeable foliage! 💚🌿.
Swipe ➡️ for more!
My smallest Bonsai to date! 🌿💚
This Portulacaria afra was started from a cutting, and has been maintained using the 'Clip & Grow' m**hod. It's been recently readjusted to fit into a smaller ceramic pot.
Follow her journey on
Baby Snake Plants 🐍🌱🌿
These little guys have been separated from the mother plant around 10 days ago, and have been potted together until their root systems have well established.
Swipe ➡️ for close-up!
Spa Day 🌿🍃💦
A Portulacaria afra composition in a 3D-printed pot, started from cuttings and pruned to perfection.
It's just been watered and its leaves look so shiny! 🌿💚
Anything can be used as a decorative pot 😉
Neona, my Neon Pothos struggled so much earlier on in life, and after transitioning her to Leca, she's been growing steadily! 😍
Today is when I've decided to give it its own pot! 💚
It has been more than a month since I've posted last, and you're probably wondering if I've given up the hobby - the answer is no. I was simply focusing on other aspects in my life that needed the topmost priority at the time being.
Here is a picture of my Rapidophora tetrasperma, boasting her newest two leaves! 💚🌿
Hoya cumingiana in a crochet handmade sleeve. 🌿💚✔️
I fail to understand this plant, and all the other Hoyas I own for that matter.
Do you have a plant you fail to successfully communicate with?
My Propagation Box 🌿💚
All these cuttings have now developed roots, and have been pushing new Spring foliage (with the exception of the Orchids, that are only inside the box to soak moisture).
Who ever said you can't make a Bonsai out of a pretty, hardy Portulacaria afra? Surely not me! 🌿💚
Swipe ➡️ for a before pic!
My 3-leaf Monster 👾🌿💚
⚠️ Rootporn Alert! ⚠️
This is the result of growing plants in Semi-hydro setups. A Chlorophytum comosum, and it's sexy water roots after 4 months in Leca!
In all seriousness, Leca is definitely changing my ways of growing my indoor plants! 💚🌿
Do you guys have any Leca success stories? ♥️
Swipe ➡️ for more!
It's always so satisfying to watch a plant grow so vigorously, and this golden Pothos is no exception!
It's adapted so well to life in Leca!
Do you have any plants that are thriving so good in Semi-hydro setups? 💚🌿
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Green Freak posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company?
