Mistaken identities and a willow rescue
Arthur is not who we thought, the Mysterions are willows, and the braided willow has been dug up to save it.
Leaf close-ups today, to settle some of the “likely” labels. Arthur is not an English oak: red leaf stalks and pointed lobes say red oak. Both Mysterions are willows, not cherries, and the seedling from the cherry’s pot is probably a hazel. Nobody was a weed.
The large cotoneaster looks like a late cotoneaster, the flowering cherry is confirmed Japanese, and the blackthorn remains a blackthorn, probably.
The braided willow did not enjoy the latest dry spell. Its leaves had gone brown and crisp, so it was lifted from the border bed. It is still green under the bark and has fresh white root tips, so it has been potted and stood in a tray of water. Fingers crossed.
The miniature rose is in bloom again, in October, unprompted.
The Portugal laurel has been repotted for winter. Roots healthy, nothing circling.
The berried holly was repotted too. Clearing the top of the rootball uncovered a thick, flared trunk base, so a little was left showing; more will be uncovered in spring. It arrived as a gnarled holly for a pound and is now a serious bonsai candidate.
All four had their pots and tops tidied and the dead wood pruned out.
The cherry laurel’s pot was suspiciously heavy, and now we know why: it was almost entirely clay, still dry in the middle after a three-hour soak. The clay came off from the bottom up until roots finally appeared, a good deal of them dead. Those were clipped back to live growth, two larger side roots were kept, and some clay was left round the core rather than going fully bare-root in October. It is back in a pot of compost and bark, about 80% lighter.
The tall holly came out of its pot for a look. Roots fine, so back in it went, minus a crop of weeds and one shrubby stowaway, now potted on its own and named The Passenger. A leaf check says tutsan, a shrubby St John’s wort that seeds itself wherever it likes, including other plants’ pots.
The pothos cuttings have all rooted and been potted up together, since they prefer a crowd. One left in a nice pot and a hanger woven by Kirsty, as a birthday present for a friend. The rest are on the sunny windowsill with the cacti.
Ned’s cuttings are budding, the big section included, with one small leaf open. Buds are not roots, so nobody is celebrating yet.
Roots checked: Braided willow → · Portugal laurel → · Holly (berried) → · Cherry laurel → · Holly (tall) → · The Passenger →
