It was Young Choe's absolute final last day at the Arboretum today so we had brownies and ice cream

And Young got her Arboretum mug. She said she wouldn't cry....

But stuff happens and a little crying isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Young first started as a volunteer in the Bonsai Penjing Museum. That was long ago, well anyway, it was before Amy worked in Bonsai. For the last year, Young has been our official propagator, and, seemingly largely self-taught, she has excelled to the point where we are overflowing with rooted cutting and small plants. That's not a bad problem to have!

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 It isn't a coincidence that Young seems most relaxed making adjustments to this kusamono. She loves plants and she is masterful with their arrangement. I marvel at her sense of line and balance and the total harmony that defines her designs There is an intuitive basis to her compositions that will be very difficult to duplicate.  We will all miss Young and her work.

Of course I will be able to visit her when I'm in Florida as she is moving to a spot an hour and a half south of the Florida garden. I hope she will come back and visit us but if she doesn't I'll see her in January!