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Like a Phoenix from the ashes, this plucky wee girl is making her transformational comeback.
This is Jasminum officinale (Jasmine). She may not currently look like much but she is already making huge efforts to rebirth herself. I often pick up plants which are on the brink of death from supermarkets and popular DIY stores with two letters in their name. With the demise of the majority of independent garden nurseries, these huge outlets are often the most accessible suppliers for most folks looking for plants. Many years ago I was fortunate enough to have spent the years of my horticulture and garden design study working in a small family run nursery, which was sadly pushed out of business by a developer who gave them no choice but to sell their land to build private houses. Plants in big centres and supermarkets are often so badly cared for - sitting in either glaring artificial light or direct sun, out in the frost and snow or in an airless aisle of a supermarket, weed invested or root bound, dehydrated or watered too much, and rarely tended. But there is no such thing as a lost cause and this little Jasmine is a great example of this. Originally, she had a few curled up leaves - which you can see the majority have turned brown and fallen - and damp, weed ridden soil, slowly dying. You may be able to see the plug around her base - often plants are grown in small plugs, forced on in huge warm polytunnels then whipped off to stores where the conditions are a shock to their system. She wasn't doing very well when I brought her home. But after a repot, a little care, some sunlight, kind words and loving energy she has dropped most of her original damaged leaves and sprouted some proud, healthy new growth. Now that she has the right conditions, she's beginning to flourish. In time she will grow strong new roots and graceful arching stems which will beckon you toward her simple, delicate and fleeting star-like summer flowers, captivating you with the magic of her heady fragrance. As always, my plant stories are heavy on the metaphors. Andrea 💗 #healgrowflourish Copyright 2019 ©Andrea Doran, Flourish