My poor baby...

One of my greatest joys is my Fukien Tea. It's a beautiful bonsai tree that i've had now for about 7 years. It was a gift from my husband before we were married, celebrating an 'anniversary' of sorts for us. He and i "oooo'ed" and "ahhhh'ed" over the tree as we took it out of it's box where it was carefully packed. The tree was full of deep green leaves and little, tiny white flowers. I was so excited, i could barely stand it....i've always been fascinated by bonsai and now i finally, finally had a real bonsai tree!

That next few weeks, my new little tree promptly lost just about all of it's leaves. I was in a panic! How in the world could i have killed a tree, especially a tree that i have lusted over, so quickly?!?! After speaking to someone who is a long time bonsai lover, the shock of transport and had probably gotten the best of my little tree. My tree soon started growing new little leaves and, thankfully, my new little friend would recover.

And recover it did! I would pick old blooms off of my little tree, spritzing it with water (these trees love that!) daily, count the blooms, making sure that it got all of the sun it needed, talking to it and making sure i did everything right. My new little friend started growing into a bushy, bushy, happy plant with amazing, beautiful blooms.

I was a proud bonsai tree mama!

I even was able to show it at a Nashville Bonsai Club Show! I was so giddy!! My little tree next to all of those amazing trees! My little tree didn't place or win, but just the fact that it was actually IN this show was enough for me. Dave Brogan, a well known bonsai expert with many beautiful trees, was judging and he spoke to me about MY tree, telling me what he liked and what he thought i should do to train it. I floated out of the show with my little tree. It may not have won anything, but i was thrilled.

Of all the trees that encompass bonsai, this particular tree is by far, my favorite. Bonsai trees, especially the older ones, can be very, very, VERY expensive. A tree can be an investment if you are interested in an older tree. My little tree was only in it's mid-to late twenties, though. And besides, this tree, this tree was my favorite tree. Yes, the maples are beautiful trees, as are the elms and the junipers, but the Fukien Tea, to me, is the most beautiful. I love the tiny, white flowers that bloom on this tree, i love it's green, shiny leaves, i love the texture of it's bark. This beautiful tree, though, requires care. Cleaning up fallen leaves is important. Having a tray under the tree with rocks works as a humidifier that is also important. Making sure that you have the correct soil mix and fertilizer is important. But, watering, watering is SO very important to this tree's health...

Vacations have always proved to be a problem. You just can't leave a bonsai tree to fend for it's self while you're gone for a week or more. You just can't take your tree (many folks who love bonsai have more than one tree, often several) on to your vacation, especially if you're flying. Many folks don't understand the care that some of these trees need. Tales of people not taking vacations due to their trees, watering systems failing, or asking someone to water for them and their trees dying are common themes that you hear when talking to others who love bonsai. I was so very lucky that a next door neighbor where we use to live took such great care of my tree while we would take trips or vacations....

....but, my luck has ran out.

A few weeks ago, we went on a longer vacation than usual and i hired a neighborhood boy to water my plants. He had watered for me before and did a really great job, but for a much shorter time, so i wasn't really worried about my tree.

I should have worried.

I really should have worried.

All of my other plants did very well, including the ones outside that i had just recently planted. Even my orchid did beautifully and had more blooms on growing. Yes, i have a LOT of plants......i'm a tree/plant/flower hugger kinda gal, i'm afraid.

Robert was the first to notice my tree when we came home. I tried not to cry when i saw my tree as my sweet husband tried his best to convince me that my tree wasn't dead, but i knew better. Robert lost a very old bonsai quite a few years ago due to a watering system that failed, and i knew from talking to him and others that once a tree is stressed by non-watering enough, well, you can't change what will happen, no matter how much you try.

My tree, my beautiful tree, is dying, bit by bit.

I can't even bear to take a photo of my tree in the shape it's in now.

I tried to clean him up, get rid of the leaves that had already fallen and water him the best i could. I've been extra attentive since we've been home, but i can see what the outcome will be for my little tree. I'm sad as this tree, this beautiful little tree has been such a joy the past 7, almost 8 years. It hurts to see my beautiful little tree die...

I'm sure that i'll get another tree eventually. And i'm sure that it will be a Fukien Tea. But this time, i'll be sure to hire a professional plant care person to water and baby my tree and plants.

Otherwise, by golly, i'll be the weird lady on the plane, holding her bonsai tree in her lap, going on vacation with her bonsai tree....