Wabi Sabi Pottery For Garden Succulents
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010Hand made and imperfect in the wabi sabi style has reached the American potter’s world. This odd philosophy derived from Japanese culture celebrates imperfection, impermanence and incompleteness. It can be considered a rebellion against the widespread perfection of mass market manufacturing. With so many excellent ceramics coming out of China, we are overwhelmed with them. So when a pot is created in wabi sabi rustic, it becomes a one of a kind, stand-out item. Match that with the perfect cactus or succulent and you have something truly unique that reflects your own personal style.
In the past I might have passed up this pot but now its look, much like that of a child’s project or a beginner’s odd piece, makes it incredibly appealing.
We’re not talking fancy glazes and symmetry here. This pot with its texture made by rope impressions offers a beautiful contrast to the symmetry of succulent plants.
Those hand made pinch pots on the top row are now hot stuff in the pottery world and surprisingly expensive. Though they may seem easy to make, this is far more difficult than you think. However, for everyone new to making pottery, finally there is a demand for all your weird, funky early work that is far from perfect. And all those starter pots that show up at yard sales are suddenly Wabi Sabi cool.
Learn more about wabi sabi at Wickipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi
The prickly pear, or what most folks call paddle cactus is among the largest and most common types of cultivated cactus. They root virtually anywhere and withstand the most brutal heat and drought. These cacti bear large sharp spines that are readily visible. But around the base of the big spines are near microscopic hair-like glochids. These look like benign soft fuzz but are by far the most devastating. Once they enter the skin these are nearly impossible to remove. Some cacti experts ban prickly pear from gardens because merely brushing against one can cause pain and dermatitis. Even gloves are not immune. Gloves can become infested with glochids, inadvertently introducing them into pockets and shoes. Particularly beware of the Mickey Mouse or Teddy bear types because their quaint looks mask a brutal nature. The bright red and very sweet prickly pear fruit can be attractive to dogs, leaving them with a mouth full of glochids as well.Firesticks, the darlings of florists and high end nurseries are red tinted varieties of the pencil tree euphorbia. The euphorbia plant contains a caustic white latex sap, and pencil tree is one of the most toxic species. Merely brush against it and the milk starts to flow. Recently a friend’s husband pruned a large pencil tree and was careful to wash hands and face after the job. But he didn’t change his tee shirt which was covered with latex splatter. That night he took his shirt off, it rubbed it against his face and the toxic sap entered his eye. That fellow spent the evening in the ER in excruciating pain! 
Be aware of how you discard all of these plants. Loose prickly pear cuttings in the garbage may bedevil a sanitation worker for weeks. Ditto fresh cut euphorbia. It’s best to wrap these sharp fellows with many layers of newspaper or carpet padding before you bag them up.If you’re digging succulents but have kids or pets, think twice about what sorts you bring into your yard. Whenever possible remove the tips of sharp thorns to render them less dangerous without disfiguring their beauty. Be careful where you plant so you don’t set up a hazardous situation to foot traffic. Avoid plants with glochids to prevent accidental infestation. And when it comes to euphorbias, know that all contain toxic latex. Fortunately these few problem children are only a small percentage of an enormous family of new and exciting garden plants. 
