A Tale of Survival

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This is a tale of the life of a more than half-dead seedling to a beautiful work of living art. (well I think so).

The star of this blog is a Rockspray Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis).

Collected from a hardcore path next to a toxic skip. Drought in summer, waterlogged in winter, chances of survival – nil.

The seedling was four inches long including multiply tap roots and not much feeder roots. I planted it into a 3" pot of sharp sand for four months giving the feeder roots time to develop. I then I repotted it into a 3" tall and 1 1/2" wide mame bonsai pot. Potting it up in a semi-cascade bonsai style, it lived there for four years

being root pruned and repotted back into the same pot, until a strong wind blew it off its stand and broke the pot.

Replanted her into a 6" seed tray, binding her to a shelf on the rock. She lived there for the next four years, root pruned anually before being transplanted into the oval pot where she has lived since. Her age is estimated to be at least twenty six years old. She starts the year by attiring herself in a pale green dress in the Springtime,

by early Summer She has changed into an emerald green gown.
In June she covers her gown with masses of pink/white flowers
especially attractive to the honey makers.
Autumn sees her change into a scarlet evening gown
decorated with red baubles.
The feathered denizens love her.
Comes the Winter, She disrobes, removing everything except her baubles.
By late Winter She dispenses with her trinkets and sleeps naked
awaiting the warm kiss of early Spring,
causing her lifeblood to quicken, her buds to swell
and finally burst…
She awakens!

• 23 Jan, 2016
• 9 likes

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