It's a tree, not parsley!

[Saionji Shonagon]

Last July, I bought a bonsai, despite a dismal track record with most plants, from a man who was selling them by the roadside. Despite how this sounds, I was impressed with the specimens he had for sale and how knowledgeable he was about them. In short, he convinced me to take a chance on a four year old juniper.www.flickr.com/photos/70104978@N00/4831901355/in/set-72157624464878007

It's ensconced on the landing beneath the skylight, where it gets plenty of indirect light and a squirt with a mister every few days and, most importantly where I can see it and enjoy it. Once a week, I carefully process down the stairs with my beautiful four year old held gingerly in my hands, immerse the bowl in the bathroom sink until it stops producing bubbles, let the water drain, let it sit in the sink for another twenty minutes or so, then process back upstairs with it. Every 90 days it gets fertilizer. Eight months later it's still alive.

Today the following appeared in the online edition of the Chronicle. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/10/FDLO1IHRKA.DTL

[Suzuki Ken'ichi]

I have always been impressed by people who can make things look like other things, whether it's little trees looking like big ones, or food looking like landscapes, or even scale models.

Good on you for taking the chance with your juniper! It's almost five years old, now!

[Saionji Shonagon]

I might actually be impressed if the chef was actually making an illusion food bonsai. Who knows how many seedlings are going into the trash in the name of pretentiousness?

[Noriko]

I had a cute bonsai but unfortunately, the super of my building committed vegicide when repairing the building- it was knocked off its ledge and it was never really the same after that... I heard, however, that they really don't do well as house plants- that they should be outside exposed to the elements/temperature fluctuations- so perhaps it was all for the best.

If one wants a good houseplant, get yourself a Jade. They are said to "thrive on neglect" and mine is very good at telling me when it is sad (it'll drop one dried up leaf and I'll be like "oh no, poor baby!").