Training a juniper takes a decade before the silhouette earns its first photograph. Pruning is a series of decisions you live with for years — a branch removed in October is settled by April.

Repotting follows the species, not the calendar: chinensis on a four-year interval, californica on three. The pot is chosen after the tree has told you what it is, which is usually the last decision and never the first.

Charleston is a return address, not a theme. The climate sets the schedule. The aesthetic is the species's own.