Monday, May 12, 2008

Hibiscus: Repotted

This story is for everyone who knows my history with plants:

I have a hibiscus that will not die. My daughter gave it to me four years ago, and it looked beautiful on the patio. I brought it in over the winter, at the end of which it looked like it was on its last leg. The plant came back to life when I returned it to the patio in the spring. The next winter it lived with my daughter where she was house-sitting. I told her to leave it there, hoping the owners wouldn't notice. They did. Not only that ~ they returned it to us after it spent a sunny summer day in their closed car. It looked like it was done for. Fooled again. Lots of water and summer breezes on the patio produced fresh leaves and flowers.

Then it survived another indoor winter, this time in the kitchen. When we moved I tried to leave it with my daughter. No luck. It sprouted sparsely-leaved limbs in every direction. I was ready to call it quits. A friend's mother said to cut it right back. I did and new leaves couldn't wait to burst forth. So I guess the plant is here to stay. In an effort to show my concession to its life force, I repotted the hibiscus this past week-end.

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