Stick Figure

That tall skinny stick to the right of the electric meter is part of the Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) I removed from the other side of the garden earlier this year. I'd been unhappy with the shape of the tree for a long time and I wasn't thrilled about where I had it planted, either. So I whacked off the only remaining trunk and I planted the root ball, with nothing more than some sad little stubs attached, in a 30 gallon pot.

Because there were still some leaves attached to this particular piece, I dug a hole along this wall and stuck the trunk in there just to see what would happen. It had no roots attached and I really didn't expect it to do anything. I figured if nothing else one of the Clematis in that bed could use the trunk for support. But I clearly underestimated the Desert Willow's regenerative powers! I haven't dug around it to see what kind of root system it's developed. I'll wait till fall to check on that, though.


And the picture above? That's the root ball formerly known as Stubby. So for now I have two Desert Willows. We'll see how the one against the garage wall does as summer continues.