Second Anniversary-December 17th, 2012

Two full years have passed... Time is said to heal all wounds. That may be true for some wounds, but those that are deep and vast beyond limits are hidden in the deepest recesses but never erased from memory. These wounds awaken to reignite the pain that has long faded but forever remains to last an eternity... “No truth can cure the sorrow we feel from losing a loved one. No truth, no sincerity, no strength, no kindness can cure that sorrow. All we can do is see it through to the end and learn something from it, but what we learn will be no help in facing the next sorrow that comes to us without warning.” Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

Monthly Progress # 19

It's going to be a full two year... and this is how the Ficus religiosa looks today. The red ants are gone after an aggressive treatment. Weekly monitoring is planned to deal with future returns of these pests.

Monthly Progress # 18

A year and a half after planting, the Ficus religiosa is looking fine. Red ants seem to like building nests around this young tree and a new colony was established again at the base near the tree trunk. An aggressive treatment was promptly administered and the problem was eliminated.

Monthly Progress # 17

The Ficus religiosa is now a handsome young tree full of life. It has new growths that effectively doubled the original height. Here it is at the beginning of the 17th month after planting at this location.

Monthly Progress # 16

It can be safely stated that this Ficus religiosa has "taken root." This young tree is putting out new growths that classically pattern the familiar growth of a sacred ficus tree: Branches bifurcate early from a low level of a robust trunk so that the mature tree is very broad while it can also get to be very tall. There are many new stems with sustained rapid growth that is expected to continue from now onward. Here is a new panoramic view showing the Bo tree in its now familiar surrounding. Click on the photo to enlarge.

High School Reunion Special Visit

The Bồ Đề tree is beginning to put out new growth vigorously. A new mulch was added a few days ago to keep the weeds at bay. On July 18th, which is today, a special visit to the tree was organized by a group of old classmates from Lân's high school days. They came to pay tribute to the spouse of a long time classmate. A heartfelt thanks to Dr. Patrick Griffith, Ph. D., Executive Director of the Montgomery Botanical Center who provided a private guided tour and golf cart transportation. Special thanks go to all who came to visit Maryse's tree, and to all those who could not be present, but were here in spirit.

In Memory of

The Ficus religiosa lives in the Montgomery Botanical Center (MBC) among peacocks, ibis, and other wild life species of fauna and flora. In MBC's Spring/Summer 2012 newsletter, Volume 20, Number 1, it acknowledged a generous contribution in memory of Maryse by the Foster Family Foundation. Thank you! Your kind gesture is deeply appreciated.

Monthly Progress # 14

At fourteenth month after planting, the F. religiosa is doing well. New growth continues to sprout from the lower trunk, slowly but steady. It still gets watered once weekly but the occasional downpours keep the surrounding moist most of the time. A new mulching is planned during the first week of July.

Monthly Progress #13

Here is today's look of the F. religiosa, thirteenth month at its home. Most of the new growth is concentrated around the lower trunk. With the frequent afternoon rain storms, growth surrounding the tree has progressed rapidly but the ficus is now expected to require much less care and it is expected to do well on its own. New photo will be posted again on June 17th next month.

Monthly Progress #12 - Year One

Exactly one year ago, on April 17th, 2011, the Ficus religiosa was planted here. After a year at its home, this sacred ficus tree is quietly growing. Most of the growth has been in the main tree trunk that has increased six fold in size. New branching is predominantly concentrated near the base and this tree is doing well as expected.

Favorite Tunes

Monthly Progress # 11

The Ficus religiosa is growing slowly but steadily. Work of expansion at MBC goes on around the tree and it requires very little care. Weekly, the water is turned on for about 15 minutes just to make sure the soil is not too dry. It is expected to have accelerated growth when more rain will arrive starting April this year.

Monthly Progress # 10

Growth continues steadily and the tree is doing very well. This is the tenth month after planting. All's well. Robin and Susan Shelley came to visit the tree on Valentine's Day, on Feb 14th. Thank you, Susan and Robin.

Monthly Progress # 9

The Ficus religiosa, after nine months at its home, has begun to show signs of being well established. Several new growths have branched from the top and the tree looks very healthy. As time goes by, the threat of ant invasion has lessened considerably. It is watered once weekly without any other special care. Once a month, new photos will be added so its growth can be monitored.