(Part 3) Best fresh flowers & live indoor plants according to redditors

=)

Skills. I don't know if seeds or live starts would be a better option.

Depends how deep down the rabbit hole you want to go.

A complete set of tools includes shears, wire cutters (the japanese kind, not the kind from home depot), knob cutter, jin pliers, concave cutters, leaf cutters, wire in various sizes, root rake, broom, etc.

In practice, you can get away with just shears for a while. The tools you need are determined by the kind of tree you have & work you plan on doing. If you just have a starter bonsai and want to maintain it, a set of shears is really all you need (and you probably need to leave them in the drawer for at least the first six months!).

• If you plan on taking the plunge into nursery stock or collecting, you’ll find a lot of the other tools helpful. At a minimum, I would definitely add the wire cutters, and concave cutters & knob cutters are pretty handy too. If you're going to get concave or knob cutters, do some reading on ways to use them properly first. You can really damage your tree with them if you don't know what you're doing.
  
  
• A root rake is also cheap and handy when repotting.
  
  
• A long pair of bonsai tweezers is useful for all kinds of things. The good ones have a spatula on the end that's useful for things like scraping off cut paste.
  
  
• Cut paste: the liquid latex kind, and the clay-type. Both are japanese imports, and totally worth every penny. They last forever so you won't be buying them all that often.
  
  
• A cheap set of sieves is useful if you want to mix your own soil.
  
  
• A long wooden chopstick - useful for all kinds of things, but particularly useful when repotting. I never repot without having one handy.
  
  You definitely do get what you pay for with things like shears and cutters. I have Japanese tools that I've been using for 20 years and they still work like the day I got them. I have a cheap Chinese-made concave cutter that I got a couple seasons ago that I already want to get rid of.
  
  Like with anything, prices go all the way from dirt cheap to "how much money do you have?" Best thing is to buy the best you can afford, consider japanese tools if you can afford them, and avoid just getting the cheapest possible set you can find.
  

There are quite a few varieties of palm that can be grown as bonsai plants. The ponytail palm is one that is nontoxic to cats and dogs, though there are probably other kinds as well if you don't like the look.

Oh, yes! Sorry, I meant to post a link to the lava pebbles as well but forgot! I like the lava because it's porous and allows the soil underneath to "breath" and doesn't keep the soil wet for as long as regular pebbles do, for example. They also make the plant's colors really pop!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007P3X4XU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_xPupnIVrqdefu

A bonsai tree honestly seems like your best chance.

You could even start a new hobby with the bonsai. If you want to just purchase one right off, keep in mind the cheaper ones won't be the prettiest. It seems with bonsai, you really do get what you pay for. Here's a great and cheap one on ebay that looks like it might be great for the birdies

So ya, take a look online. Also look around local stores like nurseries and home improvement stores. I know most asian gift shops tend to have bonsai trees too, so you can even see exactly what you'd be getting in person.


Edits with some fun ideas for bonsai trees:

Here's a cool little tire swing! You could definitely put some toys on the tree, then
This tree seems great!

Same with this one

A little trimming, if you're brave enough, and this may be excellent

And another the parrots could hide in without harming the tree or being uncomfortable to your babies

Not to sound too selfish but I nominate myself =-) Plus the fact my mom passed away over 10 years ago I just gotta.

I am basically a single parent ( Have been living in a different Country from my husband for the last 2 years)

I recently May 28th 2011 had to start my life all over again. It took me several months to get settled into a new apartment in a new Country and get everything situated for my kids so that my husband could send them here to live. In a short period of time I have raised above so many challenges, got my kids to live here, bought a car, started a different job and as of very recently bought my first house ever and I basically did it all on my own. It has been challenging but what made it all worthwhile is knowing I was doing this alone for my kids.

I have 3 wonderful kids Patrick, Linux and Solaris. They are my everything. I am very happy to have gone trough what I have to see that family is all that matters. They didn’t care of the struggle they were just happy that we could be together.


I would really really love this bonsai tree It would be perfect in the new zen bathroom that I am building in my new house.


I heart Mom's!

Lucky Bamboo

My mother gave this to me years ago when I started uni. I still have it.

EDIT: Hold on, let me find the link on Amazon.

EDIT: I can't find any prime ones, but here's a good, not too bulky cheap one

Mischief Managed


I wanted to use things that were already on my list to make it a little more interesting...it was difficult and some of the things might be a reach, but it was definitely fun :)

1. I wonder if there's any wine out there that is made out of, or tastes similar to, Beetlejuice?
   
   
   
2. I'd imagine this cherry tree wouldn't require any rakes or brooms when dealing with the leaves.
   
   
   
3. Cowboy boots makes me think of cowboys and their hats. (They are also Christmas ornaments, which makes me think of Santa with his big red suit and hat)
   
   
   
4. I've always been a fan of picture books
   
   
   
5. I bet this metal detector could find so much stuff you'd need something huge to store it in, like a chest or a trunk or something.
   
   
   BONUS: I've just really always liked the way Cartman could pull off the cape look

fucking flowers

You're actually probably going to want some air purifying plants. A popular one is the Spider plant, that cleans the air of formaldehyde and xylene. You should get it.You can also find other air cleaning plants that have been studied by NASA on amazon, like the snake plant, english ivys, and peace lilies, among others.

I'd like this myself Christmas cactus

You are gorgeous <3

here it is!

This year, I want to find joy in all the little things, and this bird house would be such a nice addition to my house, so I can watch the little bird families. I also want to get into more hobbies this year, such as painting and caring for plants.

Happy New Year everyone!

OK - Let's see if I am doing this right. Tandem7 has told me to explain my answers here now. Here we go.. (oh god, I made this hard)

1. Something smells like pee is a great book for helping me appear much more sophisticated than I already am.
   
   
2. My beautiful new bamboo flower will brighten up my dorm room and might even help me with my horticulture class.
   
   
3. An iron would help me keep my uniform crisp
   
   
4. I'll get in good with my professors by babysitting their kids and reading them some good ol Muggle Seuss
   
   
5. Can't figure out my homework? No problem! I'll pay off my fellow students to do it for me with Martha Stewart cookies!
   
   
6. And yup... I'm gonna look smoking freaking HOT in a beautiful, flowing red cloak!

I love this dish.

The penned Rosa dish from noodles and company.

http://www.amazon.com/Bonsai-Boys-Monterey-Double-Trunk-Preserved/dp/B002C6DWP0 I found one of these at Target on clearance for $15 once. I have had it for 3 years and it still looks the same with zero maintenance other than occasionally blowing the dust off with canned air.

http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Elm-Bonsai-Tree-Medium/dp/B000XXZ01I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330656988&sr=8-2

Just googling.

Google protip:

>Sherry Baby

You have to spell it right. Google can only do so much with its "did you mean..." suggestions.

https://www.amazon.com/Sharry-Baby-Chocolate-Orchid-blooming/dp/B0054GEOX4

http://www.kaleialoha.com/store/cart.cgi?action=link&product=192&uid=68