One of the tiniest, daintiest, cutest little creatures I get to deal with has a back story of incredible strength and resilience, having bounced back from the brink of death to literally be thriving.
I’m referring to our dwarf wattle, who is blooming brilliantly in what is proving to be a remarkable journey testifying to the power of nature.
The wattle, a miniature shrub version of the better-known acacia trees like the golden and silver wattle, was grown from seed that I brought back from Australia.
The dwarf wattle seeds initially sprouted extremely well, but I made the mistake of adding them to tiny terracotta pots that gave them virtually no room to move, then killed them by placing them in a hothouse in direct, early summer sunlight.
Weeks passed in the summer of 2023 before I noticed what I thought was a weed had sprouted in one of about eight pots in which I had planted dwarf wattle seedlings.
Upon closer inspection, I began to suspect that it was a dwarf wattle, so I began paying it a little more care.
As summer drew to a close, the dwarf wattle was getting bigger, so I took the risk of fatal transplant shock and moved it into a bigger pot while there still just enough time for it to settle before moving into dormancy for the winter.
And it hung on and kept growing.
Next thing we knew, it had blossomed!
And the dwarf wattle blossoms are glorious!
They’re a more vibrant gold than the wattle blossoms on the silver and gold blossoms. They’re also about double the length and thickness of their more famous counterparts.
It was such a delight to see these flowers, and even more so because it had been so unexpected and arose so suddenly.
It’s lovely something like this can be a highlight of the year so far.
It’s a sign of great joy to be able to gain pleasure through something so apparently meager.
Yet, it’s not a trifling matter.
That little plant has come from nowhere to thrive.
Oh, if only I was capable of doing the same!
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