Actually a form of lichen, these cute little moss balls are called Marimo in Japan and are often found in aquarium supply stores which is how we discovered them. We thought, “Forget the fish, we want the pet moss!” They exist in tap water and bright, indirect light. How’s that for an easy care houseplant?

But being Potted, we also had to make them very pretty so we spent a good amount of time experimenting with environments and realized that slag glass was the answer. It’s reflective and colorful and looks absolutely amazing in a window with light coming through. And so Mossquariums were born.

You really can put anything into them…shells, rocks, tiles. We have come up with a starter kit that we sell on line or in our store, but you can personalize yours with anything you’d like.

I’ve had mine in the North facing window of my kitchen for about 7 months and it’s doing fantastic. Makes me smile every time I do the dishes. And if you’re really crazy you can probably even add a fish (though I like the zen glass and moss).

So surprise your Valentine with a Mossquarium today. They’ll “lichen” you for it more than you’ll ever know.

Because I have seen so many amazing places on Apartment Therapy in the past, I really wanted to do a few special things so one thing I decided to do was make a Tillandsia Tree. I’ve been wanting to make one of these for a while and thought I’d share the process.

First off I got a bleached Manzanita branch. We sell them some times at the store, but they can also be purchased downtown at the flower mart at places like Wasabi Green. The Mart is open to the public on Saturday mornings. Any tree branch could work, however. Next you want to take the branch and cement it into a pot. You could also use sand if cement freaks you out. Gather your other items, plants…I used Tillandsia Stricta ‘grey leaf’ because I liked it’s poufy quality and it’s silvery color. Something to cover the top of the cement…I used reindeer moss and something to glue the plants to the branches.

There is an actual special waterproof glue made especially for gluing air plants but in case you can’t find any, hot glue will also work, just don’t let it get too hot. Also another good tip, keep the glue upright when you are working with it to keep it from getting too messy.

Drop a generous dollop of glue on the stem of the plant being careful not to completely smother the roots.

Try to use natural “forks” in the branches to help you support the plants as it takes a while for the glue to dry.

And presto, your very own Tillandsia Tree. I love the Dr Seuss quality, almost like a miniature Dracaena. For care you’re going to want to spray it heavily probably once a week. Normally I would soak any air plant I kept inside every 10-14 days but that won’t be possible done this way. You may want to take it outside once in a while and just hose it off. Tillandsias are very hearty outside.

Would love to see any trees you make.

Little Beastie with Aqua Circle Pot

We love to support local artists at Potted and Jen Kuroki’s cute, modern and slightly quirkyBeasties are just that perfect blend of kitch and design.

Beasties available at Potted

Jen E, born Jen Kuroki, has been a student and educator of ceramics for over 10 years, in LA and abroad. Three of those years she spent living in Yokohama and Tokyo, studying under and working besides two Japanese potters, Kawaide Hisao (Nagoya) and Funakoshi Tamotsu (Nagano). She was trained to throw on a banding wheel and to man an anagama (wood-burning kiln).

Her time in Japan allowed her to develop her whimsical style, incorporating the vernacular of contemporary visual culture with a sense of tradition and history. She is an enthusiast of the Japanese concept of shibui, which refers to a certain aesthetic of simple, subtle and subdued beauty.

Bruiser Beastie from Artist's Collection

In addition to being a potter, Jen E is also an art director and graphic designer. Her influences range well outside the world of ceramics which include Jaime Hayon, Mike Perry, Haruki Murakami, Olle Eksell, Isamu Noguchi, Sonia Delaunay, Cody Hudson, Mika Ninagawa, Lucie Rie. She tries to maintain a rotating reference pool of product designers, traditional craftspeople, textile designers, writers, video artists, architects, as well as other potters and many other art and design producers.

Planter Beastie from Artist's Collection

Jen E strives to make her work accessible. Each piece is handmade, using a variety of clays and glazes. No piece is like another and the imperfections become significant, highlighting the one-of-a-kind uniqueness. Her work is functional and it’s in their utilitarian capacity that art and craft become one.

On my fireplace.

So if you’re looking for a holiday gift that’s unique and locally crafted, please give Jen’s little Beastie’s a try. You won’t be sorry.

A few days ago Greg Tripi our “That’s So Potted…Terrarium” Grand Prize Winner contacted me. He was excited he had won the contest but also felt, especially at this time of year, that perhaps the gift could be used for more than just expanding his already full collection of succulents. And so he decided to generously give his $500 gift certificate to the Sante D’Or Foundation, a no-kill animal rescue, which we will provide as something they can raffle off to raise hopefully more than $500! The shelter saves animals that are in immediate danger of being euthanized and helps to find them permanent, loving homes. So far they have saved over 1400 animals in the Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Atwater area!

My rescue Amos.

So thank you, Greg. You drove all your friends crazy to vote for you and then you gave it all away. We’d be your friend any day.

And by the way, even if don’t have $500 to donate, Santa D’Or is doing a fundraiser on December 15th at The Vista Theatre where they will be showing Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and all proceeds will benefit Santa D’Or. So go! (all details are on their home page)

Greg T!!!

Congratulations, Greg. It’s was a battle down to the wire between you and Dan but in the end you and your extra-terrestrial brand of coffee took the honors. We look forward to seeing you in the store again and helping you spend your $500.

Thank you, everyone who participated. We wish you all could receive a prize because we really love seeing the entries come in each week. Please stay tuned for the Spring “That’s So Potted” Contest where we will return to our Potted roots and see what crazy concoctions you all come up with then.

Have a Happy Holiday and remember to shop local (or at least localish).

Drumroll please…

1. Dan L.

2. Claire

3. Greg T.

4. Timothy L.

5. Dana A.

Claire's Winning Entry

And here are your Week Five (and final) entries:

(Remember you can only vote once per day and voting ends Wednesday 11/23 at 6pm PST)

1. Amanda P.

2. Cricket W.

3. Dana A.

4. Ginger S.

5. Marie E.

6. Matti S.

7. Megan S.

8. Teresa B.

The final week to enter is Week Five so get your terrarium photos in to me by 6pm 11/17 (info@pottedstore.com)

Greg’s Winning Week Three Entry

Here are the entries for Week Four:

(remember, you can only vote once per day and voting ends at 6pm PST on Thursday 11/17)

1. Barbara S.

2. Michelle S.

3. Mahshed H.

4. Lori G.

5. Danielle T.

6. Claire

Here are the Week Three Entries… Vote away!

1. Allison C.

2. Rachael R.

3. Nancy L.

4. Mia S.

5. Lisa T.

6. Jenny T.

7. Greg T.

8. Diane F.

9. CorrieLee K.

10. Sylvia B.

Congratulations to Week One winner Timothy L. for his “deadly” terrarium.

And here’s the roundup for Week Two:

1. Stephanie S.

2. Jocelyn P.

3. Dan L.

4. Andrea N.

5. Rose S.

1. Cindy Y.

2. Timothy L.

3. Sandra M.

4. Michelle D.

5. Lupe C.

6. Josh S.

7. Izzie H.

8. Eve C.

9. Christina R.

10. Audrey P.

Anna helping to place plants for an attendee.

Goodies to decorate your terrarium.

Even Katie from Yelp got in on the action.

A lovely fishbowl terrarium.

But even if you couldn’t attend the event, we’re sharing the instructions here so you too can get busy making your own terrarium to enter the contest.

How to Make a Terrarium:

• Select a glass vessel. Different shapes and sizes lend themselves to different creative expression. Tall and thin is great for one striking tall plant; wide and squat is better for more of a diorama utilizing several plants and some “bling” (little decorative objects.) You can also choose a vessel with a lid or not. Using a lid limits your plant choices to ones that prefer a moist, humid environment but has the benefit of being more self-sufficient in that you don’t have to water a closed container very frequently. Make sure your vessel is clean and dry.

• Plant your terrarium. Here are the basic steps:
1. Put in a drainage layer of ½” to 1” of pebbles or lava rock (Note: this can be much deeper for creative effect or if you are trying to fill a very deep container.)
2. Lay in a thin layer of charcoal granules to prevent odors from developing. Charcoal can be found at home centers or pet stores.
3. Optional: put down a layer of Sphagnum Moss to keep soil from seeping into drainage layer.
4. Add potting soil deep enough for plants you are planning to use (ie, if you are using 2” plants, use 2”s or a tad more of potting soil)
5. Place plants as aesthetically desired in soil.
6. Top dress the soil with either live or dried moss or rocks or glass. Try colored sand (available from craft stores). Add “bling” for decoration. This can be anything—old keys, plastic toys, sea shells—you can have a lot of fun here but remember; organic “bling” can decompose and rot in the terrarium so if you see this happening, get it out immediately.

• Care for your terrarium. The terrarium can literally cook if placed in direct sunlight. Depending on what plants you’ve chosen, place your terrarium in the appropriate light and water sparingly. Closed terrariums will need less watering. A moisture meter is a very good tool to help you know if you need to water or not. Succulents and cactus, which don’t particularly like terrariums, will need even less water and a little more light and never put them in a closed container.

Clearly making terrariums will make you happy.

All the contest info is here. You could be winning a Circle Pot next week and have a chance to win a $500 shopping spree at Potted just in time for Christmas.

New Contest, Different Pot. “That’s So Potted…Terrariums.” We’ve seen the amazing potted creations you all came up with in our first contest, now we want to see what you can do with terrariums.

Baby Head Terrarium by Potted

Terrariums have really made a comeback of late from fine artists like Paula Hayes…

To DIY home sites like Poetic Home showing you how to make terrariums from anything…

With all the creative inspiration out there now with terrariums, we thought the time was right for this contest.

Here’s basically how the contest will work…
Each Friday starting October 21st, that week’s entries will be compiled into a posting where people can vote for their favorite entry. Popular vote wins the round. Each weekly round winner will win one of our fabulous Circle Pots and be eligible for the final round which determines the Grand Prize $500 gift certificate to Potted. There will be five rounds and the grand prize will be announced on December 2nd.

One Circle Pot for each Round Winner

Here are the specifics:

1. Take a photo of your most creative terrarium. You must have created the terrarium yourself and have the rights to submit any pictures. ONLY ONE SUBMISSION PER PERSON FOR THE ENTIRE CONTEST. No purchase is necessary to enter or win. This contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. By entering you agree to all rules and decisions of the contest as decided by Potted and agree to have your photo and name used in any promotions for this or future contests without claims to royalties or remunerations for such use.

2. Email your photo to info@pottedstore.com. THE FIRST WEEK DEADLINE IS OCT. 20TH. A medium resolution is preferred. No thumbnail photos. Potted reserves the right to choose not to run a photo in the contest for any reason and will not run more than 20 photos each week (which means entering in an earlier week is better since the amount of entries increases every week).

3. Send your friends to our blog to vote. ONLY ONE VOTE PER DAY PER IP ADDRESS CAN BE CAST. Anyone caught cheating or trying to rig votes will be disqualified. Voting begins at 8am PST each Friday morning and ENDS AT 6PM PST THE FOLLOWING THURSDAY (exception is round 5 which will cut off on Wed 11/23 at 6pm due to the Thanksgiving Holiday). Voting for the Grand Prize will end at 6pm PST on December 1st and be announced the next day.

4. You don’t need to live in the Los Angeles area to participate. We ship throughout the Continental United States and anyone who lives there is eligible to enter and win.

Lion Terrarium by Potted

So get planting now!!!!! And if you need some ideas, come into the store. We have containers, plants and lots of little “bling” that just might inspire you in your own terrarium. Good luck.

So happily we are friendly with the Bauer folks and recently got to go to their factory in Highland, California.

The factory is over 40,000 square feet. The floors are wood, the walls are tin…hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Ah the glamorous life of ceramic production.

In slip mold production, a pot or whatever piece is being produced starts off with, of course, a mold. Here is a pile of production molds waiting to be filled with clay.

Clay is mixed constantly throughout the day in this vat and pumped into the molds.

Then once the clay has set it’s removed from the mold, usually a few days depending on the weather. This piece has a rim that is attached separately otherwise it couldn’t release from the mold.

Here workers clean the “greenware” preparing it for the kiln. I never realized how much handling each piece requires.

Greenware amassing, waiting to fill a kiln. It takes a lot of room.

Cones they use inside the kilns that help determine how hot they are firing the clay.

Once fired, the pieces are now called “bisque.” They are rigid and could be used at this stage, but they’re also porous and would stain very easily.

Now comes the glazing. Here a worker is dipping a pot in a black glaze. Behind him is a spraying booth, another method for applying glazes.

These pieces are glazed black but I would never guess that’s what color they would be.

Once the glaze has been applied, it’s back into the kiln for a second firing. The pieces are stacked on the frame piece on the right which is then rolled into the kiln. I don’t know about you, but they didn’t have a kiln that size at my high school.

And here’s that black pot (okay, maybe not the exact same pot) as a finished product. Don’t even get me going about my love for black pots.

This tour really broadened my appreciation for how much goes into each and every one of these pieces. Every time I pick up one of mine I think I’m going to ask, “I wonder who cleaned this?” If you want some of your own, come in to Potted or visit us on line.

I really like how he’s combined our Egg Chairs and one of our tiled tables with the teak furniture. It’s a nice combo of soft and hard and plays up beautifully with the Dr Seuss quality of the Tree Aloes.

These large Snow Pole Cactus coming out of the sleek white cylindrical planters are my favorite. The glossiness of the glaze really sparkles in the bright sun and the garden is resplendent with this kind of geometric repetition.

And in case you were worried there was no color, this interior patio practically vibrates with these chartreuse and lemon planters filled with cactus and succulents.

On a lower section of the garden the vibe is more “Mediterranean Modern” with a wonderful pop of color from a Fermob Bistro Set paired with some rustic asian pots.

A Palo Verde Tree in an abundance of barrel cactus. Again, the repetition gives structure and interest to this sun drenched garden.

This fountain was created with a large cement bowl that we normally use as a fire pit (just in a larger size) that was made into a bubbler using a very large pump to get the height on the water. Weighing over 500 pounds it was not easy getting it into place, but the effect was well worth the effort.

The house and garden were truly remarkable and I hope you’ll get to see more of it soon when it is published. Until then, enjoy this little taste. We hope to bring you more “Potted Gardens” soon.

First of all, Chicago is fabulous. I stayed with a friend who lives in an historic building right near the Lake and it couldn’t have been more beautiful.

At the show which was held at the Merchandise Mart, the furniture was flowing. And while a good amount of the goods looked like all the other wicker, teak and cast aluminum fare I never need to see again, there were some nice surprises.

This cast concrete furniture is not what it appears. It’s actually a fiberglass/concrete mix that is pretty light and really beautiful. This company manufactures locally in Chicago and had a good selection of tables, chairs, side tables and benches and not as expensive as you might think.  We will definitely be carrying these as soon as possible.   They even have them kid sized!

These beauties I’m really excited about. They look like woven wool bean bags, but they’re actually woven recycled plastic (a bit like Woolly Pockets) meant to stay outside (though I would love to have them inside too). We will be carrying them in both colors in early Spring 2012 (but if you just can’t wait, we might be able to get them here sooner…just let us know). Super comfortable, this outdoor chair and ottoman will give you the nap of a lifetime.

And speaking of comfort, these quilted hammocks were incredible. They kind of had a vibe like those woven seatbelt hammocks that are totally cool and insanely expensive but not expensive and insanely comfortable. It’s hard to find hammocks that aren’t run-of-the-mill, but I think we have.

From the French company Lafuma (who started in the camping equipment world), these cool hoop chairs were really nice. Comfortable, lightweight and inexpensive, I really liked these. They also had some great deck chairs that would easily go to the beach or look handsome on your patio.

And speaking of French furniture…

Fermob revealed their newest table in the Luxembourg series. Finally they have a modern table that seats 8-10!

And the Steel Grey Luxembourg low chair and ottoman was really beautiful. We used to take vintage furniture, sandblast it, hand rub it and then powder coat it in clear to get the same effect. The Steel Grey is available in all the lines but I gotta say it looks super cool in the Luxembourg.

And don’t forget the kids. Fermob showed their diminutive furniture for tykes and it’s so cute. We might have to start carrying a few of these guys. I mean, why should the grownups get all the fun?

I think this show showed that outdoor furniture is really growing up. I mean, this set really looks like an outdoor living room. The floor lamp is absolutely gorgeous and designed to hold up outdoors and not blow over (and we’re gonna have ‘em). The first ones I’ve ever seen like this.

All in all, the Chicago Casual Furniture Show was well worth the price of admission (okay, it was free but still…)

A section of the old rail lines.

Starting in the meat packing district, Phase 1 of the park opened in June of 2009 where it ended on 20th St. Using a combination of wood and concrete pathways, garden designer Piet Oudolf as well as landscape architects James Corner Field Operations and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro have done a stunning job of creating a wild landscape in this very urban, modern environment.

Deconstructed landscaping.

Wood, concrete and plants...The perfect triangle.

But The High Line is not only about the landscape design, it’s also about the people who will be using the park…tourists and locals alike. Along the mile and a half path, there are various places to stop and reflect or just plain people watch.

Looking at the "10th Ave. Square."

Looking from "The Square" down onto 10th Ave.

Upper Chelsea Market area.

The new lawn area.

Phase 2 of the park opened in June of this year and nearly doubled it in size taking it all the way to 30th St. (the final phase will end at 34th St.). In addition to the picnic lawn area above, a bird habitat was created.

Bird houses along the path.

A wider shot of the bird habitat flanking both sides of the path.

No park would be complete without seating. In addition to Fermob Bistro Sets scattered around the Chelsea Market area (which can be purchased right here at Potted), the modern bench designs combining my three favorite elements, concrete, wood and steel, are really stunning.

Benches rising out of the wood.

Concrete blending into steel blending into wood...lovely.

So if you find yourself in New York, by all means do the usual tourist attractions and then do yourself a favor and stroll The High Line Park. Walking 30 feet in the air in wild flowers is really something everyone needs to experience at least once in their lives.

New construction floating out of the foliage.

Our trip started in one of my favorite cities…Berlin. It was raining almost the whole time we were there, but the Tiergarten was still lovely to walk in and this circular brick patio reminded me how much I love circular brick patios, especially when they’re wet.

This patio was also in the Tiergarten. I love the fountain focal point in the center and the way the slate was cut in angles to create the circle.

In what used to be East Berlin in an area called Mitte, there is an amazing artists’ community in an old bombed out factory called the Tacheles. This flooring was done by someone on one of the landings and I loved it. If you get to Berlin soon, you must go there…it’s suppose to be torn down within the year and it’s really a shame.

These were sad and lovely. As a memorial for the murdered Jewish families throughout Berlin, these Bronze tiles were laid into the cobblestones outside what was once their homes. They told you who had lived there and what happened to them. I hadn’t noticed them on previous trips but once I realized what they were, I saw them everywhere. There were far too many of them.

In Barcelona, Antonio Gaudi’s influence was everywhere. These tiles, designed by Gaudi, were used throughout the city as either interior or exterior flooring. The slightly embossed tiles were subtle but absolutely beautiful. Somebody needs to be making these.

In Gaudi’s house in Park Guell, all the rooms were “carpeted” in tile. I absolutely loved how the spaces were defined by the different tile. It gave me such great ideas for defining outdoor spaces in the same way.

These cobblestone streets in the ancient city of Toledo were really beautiful. I loved how spaces were defined by the stone bricks. I think it would work for either a modern or a more traditional garden.

Our trip ended in Lisbon where everything was cobblestone, even many of the main streets. Black and white stones were the most popular and used in all sorts of geometric patterns as seen in this square…

…or done into flowers like these. Even though when I think of European cities I think of walkways like these, they are very uncommon here and I would love to see them used more often. Lisbon was truly a remarkable city and I would recommend it highly.

While looking through a building material yard for another client, I came upon these cinderblocks. The ones with the circles were used for sewer lines and I thought they’d make amazing planters but then I saw the half emptied pallet of the other cinderblocks, ones that are usually used to build walls, and I knew I had it…something I’d never seen before!

And here is our cinderblock wall. A friend of the store, Laure Joliet, is an editor at Apartment Therapy and when I told her about the idea and how easy it would be for people to do themselves, she was excited and asked me to let her post it on the site. This blog post was reposted so many times it was incredible (and we were just a little bit proud.)

Here is a version in Texas from Pam Penick’s blog Digging.  In her wall she made it double sided which I thought was a great extra.  She also goes on to show how she did it which apparently involved chicken wire and landscape cloth.  I just filled mine with soil and it seemed to work just fine. Pam also used different cinderblock than I did which I think worked better for pulling them out without creating a void behind them. The larger blocks I used gave you more room for soil however which I think is a plus. I saw another reposting using these cinderblocks as well.

Here is Form LA’s booth at the recent Dwell on Design Show at the LA Convention Center and I was thrilled to see yet again the cinderblocks. I loved the addition of the bench and the black “grout” they used between the blocks (it was actually thin plywood painted black but I think for a permanent installation they would use actual grout…for our wall, we used liquid nails).

It’s a handsome planter. The possibilities are endless. If you’ve tried a version of the cinderblock wall, please send them to us. We’d love to see them all. And if you have any ideas for things no one has ever seen before, by all means please send those along too.

PS…as I was about to post this, the picture above came up on Urban Gardens Blog. Too funny.

PSS…If you are concerned about safety, you should reinforce any wall you build with rebar and mortar. The first one I did was only 4 blocks tall and stacked against another cinderblock wall. Use common sense…any freestanding wall should probably be reinforced.

Madame Ganna Walska began her garden in 1941 and continued working on it until 1984 when she died in her 90s (just goes to show you…gardening can prolong your life). Apparently she was still alive when I was in college trying to climb over the fence and from what I’ve learned about her eccentricity, I’m glad I never got caught.

Madame Walska was a pioneer in mass plantings. She valued plants for their structural aesthetic as can be seen with these giant spiraling Euphorbias that surrounded her front door.

Here are more examples of her mass plantings and eye for architectural botany…

A forest of Ponytail Palms.

Another forest of Dragon Trees in sizes I’ve never seen before.

The cactus garden that was actually donated by a fellow eccentric collector and delivered and installed plant by plant after Madame’s death. But Madame wasn’t only interested in succulents and cactus.

Here is an amazing example of a lemon arbor from a pre-existing section of the garden.

And here she’s filled in the original swimming pool and created a lotus pond.

But don’t worry, she did build another swimming pool (two actually) and made sure to outfit them in her own special style.

No where you go is there anything ordinary in this garden.

Here is the original front driveway showing a mass planting of agaves. The 37-acre property is split into approximately 18 different gardens with one of the jewels being her cycad garden. Ganna was a pioneer in realizing the beauty of these prehistoric plants and now has some of the few remaining specimens in the entire world.

These three beauties are known as The Bachelors as there are no surviving females of their species and once they die, that’s it.

To say this garden is worth visiting would be a gross understatement. I’ve left out so much in this posting that you just must go and see for yourself. The garden is in a residential neighborhood so reservations are required and a docent lead tour is highly recommended so you can get some more insight into the very interesting life of Madame Walska and how her garden came to be.

Lotusland. Santa Barbara, California. Reservations: (805)969-9990