Hi I lived in Miami for 12 1/2 years and had a sister in St Petersburg.( she is gone) I was member of Florida Nuseryman and grower associatin ( Dade county)and have runed own nusery for short time. I forgot many collect spelling of plants and trees of Florida. After I check plant name spelling, I will post it. What is your garden size will be? . If you can post photo of your plot it will help and tell me direction, north south and shade or full sun. if shaded, moring sun ? or afternoon sun ? how many hours of sun ? or no sun at all?. How far from salt water ? within 2 miles ? or water front? Do you know how to use growth regulator ? ............ Some time people don't want to answer to questions and I understand it. More you provide informations , you get more usefull sugestions............ yama

Hi all Asukaji/ Asuka temple have been moved few times. present location and building of Asuka ji is not original location. Many years ago, arcaeologists and other scientists escavateted original location of Askaji. They discovered foundation of stone lantern. we believe that the foundtion of stone lantern is the oldest we ( as Japn and Japanese)found so far.( In DC 600's) The olddst pond recored in Japanse history is built by Soganoumako who fought with Prence Shotoku to preserve Buddhism . Soganoumako who beleived to be decendant of Korea( may be chinese, somehow I believe he was Korean )was aslo nick named as "Minister of pond" [ shima no daijin in Japanese ] because he build garden with pond. Why he made pond in his garedn? To answer this question I have to explain Buddhism specialy history of pureland buddhism and chinese history and Korean history. I will explain/ point out later to who those have no time to read all of sutras. To find out simple question of "what is origin of Japanese garden?" also helped me to find many other questions I have had such as "why zen monk was also involeved to build/design Japanese garden". what is zen ?. why zen sects and pure land sects din't have much conflict between them ? Thanks to Edzard. He brought me many good questions which I could not answer when he asked me. I had to study my self to know about it. Japanese Pure land Buddhism such as Jodo shu ( shu means sect,beleaf denomination,religen) Jodoshin shu, Ji shu ) started Kamakura piriod. also same time Zen sect stared as new sect. Sutras of Jodo are transrated by kumarajiva in early 400's from snskrit to Chinese. Most of Japanese reading sutas of pureland are at least 1500 years old and not translated into Japanese. we Japanese are reading sutras in Chinese. Dogma of pureland Buddhism is much older than sect of Japanese pureland Buddhism so does zen. Zen is part of Buddhism ,not started as one of sect of Buddhism. Many people misunderstand it include most of Japanese. Jodo shu and any other sect of Buddism practice zen. Zen is not only prcticed by so called zen sect. all Buddhist practic zen. Honen shonin( shonin means saint) who founded Jodo shu, Shiran shonin who founded Jodoshin shu both studied at Tendaishu temple at Mt Hihei. Tendai shu is also zen sect but different line of Zen from Rinzai shu, soto shu and Oubaku shu. Shinran shonin was follower of Honen shonin. There are three main sutras of pureland buddhism. [Chinese Pureland buddhism add two other sutras( part of lotus sutra and other) as 5 main sutra of Pureland Buddism] "The sutra on the Buddhaamitayus" which is short sutra. Amida kyo in Japanese.( kyo means sutra in Japanese) "The sutra of visulization of the Buddha of infinite life" which is mid side sutra( lenght wise).kanmuryoju kyo in Japanese. The sutraonthe Buddha of eternal life which is large /long sutra . (Muryoju kyo in Japanese). If you read all three sutras above carefully then you can understand all about Japanese garden. why stone lanern is in J garden? and significant of it. what is zen garden. why pond in J garden ? you understand significant of three sets of Budda stones. (There are 3 sets of three Buddha stones in Japanese garden. I will explain it later.) Andrea Thanks for compliment and being sympathetic. ^^ Those who thinks that improper to post in J garden forum mentioning relegion. I am not trying preching nor using this forun as explaining Buddhism . To understand history of Japanese garden and Japanese garden , I have to mention Buddhism. If any foreigner who like to study American history and culture, He/she must to understand Christianity. It is same to Japanese garden. I know Some don't beleive that Buddhism has nothing to do with Japanese garden or not have much of significant meaning. Modern Japanese landscape may not use theme of Buddhism but even Japanese peoples who think himsel that don't believe Buddhism, Buddhism still have signicicant influence to his/her life without his /her recognition. Japanese who never been to Church nor read Bible thinks Christiany have nothing to do with his /her life, That is wrong too. In small scale, Christiany live in Japanese culture as well. Many Japanese don'd and can't think of it but it's there. Being Japanese konw everything about Japan ? I don't think so. Being Japanese gardenr, know everying about Japanese garden? I don't think so too. I know that many gardeners in Japan never read sutras of pureland nor Sutras of zen. But still they can talk about zen garden. Those who has different opinion. Please Don't use fake name nor some one's name to post here. why you have to hide yourself ?. If you think that you can damage someone reputation, Try it. But you have to stand up and say it loud so that every can hear. If my poor English bother you, I will write you in Japanese. Bring historical fact(s) and source of informations and play fair. mike y

Hi Henrik! I have never posted in this forum due to fear of being prosicuted for not complying with the strict Japanese Gardening "rules". I have read 5 books on Japanese gardening and have read almost every article I can find on the internet and have concluded a 100% Japanese Garden was not obtainable for me. My garden is more of an Asian Fusion, Although Japanese gardens are quite beautiful they do have a limited scope especially for people that have Non traditional needs. I have two Labs Boomer and Lucky who both love the water :) (reason for building a pond!) I also wanted to have a yard with some grass (not typical of Japanese gardening), the stones I used in building my pond are field stones the books all say to use naturally occouring materials (as filed stones) but say to make sure the stones are smooth to encourage tranquility, the filed stones are not necessarly smooth yet breaking another "rule". Your questions and your post have been quite bennificial to me as I was in the same situation as you. I too have a pond (35feet x 27 feet around 9-10 thousand gallons) that had a "neclace" of rocks around the pond. For Christmas I got two large rocks (2500lbs and 800lbs). You can see in this picture the difference the rocks have made to the pond. I did have one fairly large rock already in place and now the three large rocks form a triangle as required by Japanese Landscape rules. [Click any image to make larger] Before Pictures After Pictures (today) 2500 lb rock 800lb rock I wish I could have gotten the rocks closer or even in the water but due to their weight it was hard enought getting them to the location they are in. Oh yea,.. before anyone yells at me about the "Torri" gate,.. its not a torri gate,.. does not have a center key. I do appreciate all the wonderful Japanese and Japanese inspired gardens I have found in this forum =) Don

It is perfectly fine to use on any container planting.....I use it myself and it is a favored fertilizer (for a variety of reasons) of a lot of experienced container gardeners. But having said that, I do not use it with regularity on any of my trees grown in containers :-) For my containerized woodies - mostly JM's and dwarf conifers - I prefer to use a CRF (Osmocote Plus) that is a once and done spring application. But I have a lot of these and using a water soluble fertilizer that needs to be applied frequently is just more of a chore that I can eliminate with the CRF. But when I use the Foliage Pro for other containers, the woodies often are treated to any FP leftovers :-) For those that may not be aware, anything grown in a container will need routine, periodic fertilization. Potting media carries almost no nutrients on its own and the need for frequent watering of containers leaches out any lingering nutes and those must be replaced to ensure heathy growth. That's where the admonition to fertilize "weekly, weakly" comes into play. And the 3-1-2 ratio of the FP mirrors the way the vast majority of plants access these primary nutes, with N being the most consumed and P virtually none......K fits somewhere in between :-) Using a balanced fertilizer - all three numbers the same - is overkill for the P and K application. Plus, too few packaged ferts (like the balanced product referred to previously) have adequate levels of the necessary micronutrients, which both the FP and the Osmocote do. As does Miracle Gro as well.....in almost the same standard ratio. btw, since all container plantings should be watered thoroughly when they are watered - so that it runs freely out of the drainage holes - essentially flushing the media with every watering, there is minimal chance of any salt build up. But a very high chance of leaching any residual nutes with the watering and those must be replaced Use the FP and at either the maintenance or production rate depending on your fertilizing frequency and you and your trees will be fine!