Progress Report # 122-123

Covid-19 is still lingering around and now we are already in 2021. This area is again ovewhelmed by the widly growing weed brought on by a very wet start of hurricane season 2021. It rains on and off for many weeks, and the weed is knee high! The Ficus religiosa is doing well and hopefully the maintenance crew will get to this area soon.

Progress Report # 117-121

The world wide pandemic Covid-19 has created havoc around the world. I only come to visit this tree sporadically. Fortunately, work around the Montgomery Botanical Center continues and care is given to this Ficus religiosa regularly. It is doing well and looks very healthy. Thank you, Joel. I came here today and gave this precious tree a well deserved watering for a good 30 minutes... It is hard to believe that this tree is here since Arpil 17th, 2011, 10 years and 1 month ago. As Marcel Proust eloquently said: "À la recherche du temps perdu." Where did the time go?

Progress report #113-116

The Covid-19 has been brutal and it is still hanging around the world uninvited. People are getting tired and want to live again, especially in the US. I can feel the frustration in the air, mixed with the invisible viral menace. However, life must go on and a new order for work to resume finally comes with a sigh of relief and consternation. This area has seen marked improvements and the weeds have been dealt a good setback. It is obvious that the Ficus religiosa has been given a hefty dose of tender loving care. The shading canopy seen in August has been lifted and a mesh is surrounding the tree to guard against any animal marauder from intruding. A heartfelt thank you to Joel and all others who keep a watching eye for the welfare of this tree. This tree looks beautiful today, December 17th, 2020, and is truly fit for a special 10th anniversary of a special event in my life.

Monthly Progress #112

This area is looking like a tiny jungle today. Grass is really knee high as Covid-19 continues disrupting normal scheduled maintenance throughout this center. The ficus has been given TLC as a burlap shade was erected to give more protection from the scorching summer sun. There are new leaves pushing out over the entire tree and it looks fine among the overgrown weed. Thank you Joel, and Patrick for all the care you are providing to the welfare of this Ficus religiosa.

Monthly Progress #107-111

Since February of this year 2020, the world was hit with the highly contagious Corona Virus, designated as Covid-19 (for Corona Virus Disease 2019.) That has immensely disturbed every one's way of life and confinement has prevented me to come reporting on the monthly status of this ficus tree. Today is the first time I can come to snap this photo. The area is again overtaken by wild growth of weed and grass is knee high. But this tree is continuously given tender loving care as seen by the stake and wire to keep it straight from the constant northerly wind year round. It is very strange and I have observed that none of the fruit trees in Miami have borne fruits this summer... no mangoes, no longans, no lychees... no fruits! Is this virus that potent and the cause of this? Hmmm... But life goes on...The ficus is putting out many new growths, too small to be seen easily but can be seen at close inspection in this photo... so it is growing... slowly but surely... It is still quite dire for us to deal with this covid-19 today, and the future is uncertain until we ( the human species) can figure out how to vanquish these invisible tiny spherically deadly evils (pun intended... it is spherically deadly because it is deadly at any angle you look at it.) But I am sure this will pass.

Monthly Progress #106

After almost 10 years here, I still cannot figure out if this Ficus religiosa is deciduous, semi-deciduous or not. This month, it has lost all of its leaves and many new growths have started to sprout. It looks bare, but if you click on the photo to see the high resolution image, you will see the new and healthy looking growths. Take your time to grow... we can wait.

Monthly Progress #105

Since the start of the new center's tree curator Joel working here, things have been looking up. The ficus tree has got special attention and it is being cared for lovingly. As can be seen today, many new growths respond well accordingly. Hopefully this Ficus religiosa will grow faster than it has been doing the past 10 years. Thank you, Joel.

Monthly Progress #104

Today is the ninth anniversary. Time marches on...and this photo was taken this morning. Last month's problem seen on the new growth resulted from Joel, worrying about some unseen insects that were eating away the new leaves, sprayed this ficus tree with insecticide. That has now passed. December is about to end bringing the colder months of January and February. Then March and April will come... Time does march on relentlessly...

Monthly Progress #103

There is a change in personel, and Christina, who was caring for this ficus has retired after many years of service. She is replaced by Joel, the new curator. After the weed was cleared in this area, the Ficus religiosa received some new tender loving care, as seen by the aluminum wrapping to protect the trunk at the bottom. But... The many new growths are not well. All newly sprouted leaves turn brown and wilting away. We need to find the cause of this new challenge... Stay tuned.

Monthly Progress #102

Finally, free at last! This area finally got a good clean up and all the overgrown weeds have been cleared, freeing all resident plants, including the ficus tree. There are many new branches and hopefully some of them will be able to help make this tree grow taller. This slow growth may be attributable to the intrusion of brackish water from Biscayne bay only about 1.5 miles away. Ficus can weather this condition... it only takes time to adapt. Let's wait.

Monthly Progress #101

Well... What can I say? This looks almost like a jungle here! The ficus tree is barely visible in front of some very aggressive Brazilian pepper trees... If it is any consolation, may be the ficus will thrive in this very competitve environment? Patience!

Monthly Progress #100

We are overwhelmed! It has been raining and raining and raining everyday in Miami. That is the reason this month's blog is late. Storms gather daily and rain has been pouring daily for many weeks. The consequences? Look at this photo, this area is hopelessly covered with growth and the ficus is barely seen. Because of the incessant We will have to wait until things calm down a little bit more and hopefully the weed will be cleared out, eventually... But... we are keeping watch on a tropical storm named Dorian. She is forecast to become a hurricane in a few more days. Hopefully, she will not pay a visit to Miami... then we will be inundated!

Monthly Progress #99

This area is totally overwhelmed by the wild growth of weed... and it looks like we can't keep it cleared... yet. With much rain lately, it's no wonder. The ficus is dropping leaves on the top and is growing many new branches on its lower half. That seems to be the way it prefers to grow. We'll just wait.

Monthly Progress #98

Compare this photo to the one of the previous month of May! Rainy season is HERE! The weed is growing wild, and it is very costly to keep it in check. Eventually the workers will get to this area for a "haircut." This ficus tree definitely does not want to grow taller... yet. It really prefers to put out new growths in the bottom area. Who are we to say otherwise? We will let it be. There are many new growths but obscured by the weed in this photo, but they are there. Oh well!

Monthly Progress #97

Here is a different view of the ficus tree. It has many new growths but too small on the trunk to be seen yet. Come back often to see this tree grow.

Monthly Progress #96

8 Years ago today, this Ficus religiosa tree was planted here. Now it is a handsome though still small tree. 8 years... only a blink...

Monthly Progress #95

It was exactly 8 years ago, when this tree was planted here. The growth has been very slow, but it has begun to finally making progress. A resident tree expert has suggested to me that she wants to trim all the lower growths away to force the ficus to grow more vigorously on the top. I agreed and she will probably begin soon. The rain will be here next month so that change may make a big difference.

Monthly Progress #94

It is becoming increasingly difficult to have a good photo of the ficus tree because of the vegetation growing wild around this area. The growth has slowed down in the "colder" months... Hopefully growth will resume in a few more months. Tick tock...

Monthly Progress #93

Unbelievably, we are in the year 2019, meaning another year has retreated into the past! Here is the ficus, welcoming the month of January of the new year. Because of the new plants in this area, the ficus can only be shown from a few vantage points. This photo is looking due North, silhouetting a very handsome shape, proving that Ficus religiosa is not deciduous after all, probably thanks to the warmer surroundings afforded by the many new plants around it. I am not sure about you, but I think it is very handsome. In this blog, some of the photos are displayed sideways. I am not sure why that is... that has something to do with the Xs and the Ys... I will figure this out eventually...

Monthly Progress #92 - 8th Year Anniversary

As an arrow, time can fly, fast, very fast, and unlike arrows, never stopping. Today marks the 8th anniversary of that fateful day of December 17th, 2010. My hair has greyed here and there and everywhere. This faithful Ficus religiosa is standing here today, taking advantage of the passing of time to grow taller, greener, seemingly unstoppable. Only time can tell of its fate... while the seasons glide past our daily routine. Ficus religiosa are reputed to outlive the ephemeral 100-year of the human species, ten fold and beyond. With some luck, this ficus will still be here in 2,000, 3,000 years. Eight years eye blink seems to be just yesterday!

Monthly Progress #91

The ficus looks unchanged from last month, but in close inspection, it has many new growths on various locations on the trunk that hopefully will become new branches yet. I can't wait to see how it will fare in the incoming colder months of January and February of the year 2019... Already?

Monthly Progress #90

Look at the ficus now. Does it look good? I think it does... 7 and a half year after planting. The growth seems to decide to proceed upwards and less concentrated in the lower part of the trunk. Very handsome tree indeed. The weed has been cleared as well. Things are looking up!

Monthly Progress #89

As can be seen, the weed is again king here. They grow just fantastically in the summer months and it is hard to keep this unfair fight because labor is intensive and there is too much work in this botanical center. But they will be trimmed down certainly in the near future. The hurricane season is at its peak in September and we hope none will come our way. Just last Thursday, the Carolinas were battered by hurricane Florence, a category 2 storm. I know what a cat 2 can do because we had a cat 1 last year, and it was not nice. The ficus is still taking its time to grow. A closer look will reveal new leaves pushing out on the branches. Take your time... Tic toc...

Monthly Progress #88

The weed is again growing wild in this area... The ficus is essentially unchanged but it has new growths and mostly bottom heavy. It is really hot and this tree is enjoying a copious amount of water today so it must be happy.

Monthly Progress #87

Summertime... and it is hot today. The ficus tree looks unchanged from last month, but in closer inspection, the branches are denser in the bottom part of the tree. This tree is really sloooowwww... growing. But it is growing...

Monthly Progress #86

It has been wet in Miami during the past few weeks from much rain, and the grass are growing strong everywhere. The ficus is growing vigorously. Curiously, the growth is concentrated in the lower part of its trunk, and it is not growing much taller. To each its own, I guess. I am happy it does look very healthy.

Monthly Progress #85

Here comes the rain... But the ficus tree needs time to soak up the new water. We need to be patient with this very slowly growing tree. But... what's the rush? It has been raining more often, and more copious as the hurricane season is fast approaching. New cycads are being planted around this area as can be seen in this photo. They will rapidly change the view from this vantage.

Monthly Progress #84

Here is the Ficus religiosa, exactly 7 years from the date of its planting on April 17th, 2011. It's incredible how time flows through one's life. 100 years is nothing at all... This area is finally liberated from the weeds that aggressively took over since hurricane Irma. This ficus tree is really taking its time to grow big. It looks like the growth wants to concentrate on the bottom. Trees can do that, taking time to grow, especially this species. It can outlive many of us, mere humans. My goal is to see this tree 10 years from now... Let's plan on that.

Monthly Progress #83

Weeds are still king here. It is simply just too much work and not enough manpower... eventually though... The ficus tree is putting out many new growths that hopefully will be able to take advantage of the new spring coming next month... when rain is expected...

Monthly Progress Report #82

The ficus is still in its dormant state, looking quite lethargic, but at closeup, new growths are trying to emerge from the trunk and smaller branches. One got to be patient for growth to take its sweet time... Spring is coming in a few months and rain will come in due time. For the first time in months, some cleaning up are beginning in this area, but it is still "a jungle out there!"

Monthly Progress #81

Here is a photo of the Ficus religiosa taken today. This area is still immersed in the aftermath of hurricane Irma. The work to clean up this botanical center is overwhelming and it is progressing very slowly and very expensively. It will be a while before the workers can clear weeds away from this area. The ficus looks bare again at this time and is expected to resume its slow growth (at least for now) in the early spring.

Monthly Progress #80

It has been a full 7 years... Today is the 7th anniversary of December 17th, 2010. Time has a way to travel faster than one can imagine. You look away, and one year has silently gone by... year after year, month after month, week after week, day after day, hour after hour... a new year has arrived. Here we are at the waning days of 2017. A new year is dawning in just 2 weeks. The ficus tree is dormant, putting out still young growths just to prove that it is full of life inside its trunk and branches. Seven years? Consider this: "The oldest verified age for an angiosperm tree is 2293 years for the Sri Maha Bodhi Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa) planted in 288 BC at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka; this is also the oldest human-planted tree with a known planting date." Ref.: "http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=1181." So, our infant tree here has a lot to look up to and we certainly will not be around to see how it will fare about 23 centuries in the future, in the year of 4,310!.

Monthly Progress #79

Two months after hurricane Irma hit the Miami area, creating havoc felt today and beyond. The ficus survived and life goes on... It is in the familiar dormant stage this time of the year, but many new growths have already sprouted, however slowly. Work around here is overwhelming and the tall grass has been tamed somewhat... but lots more work is awaiting.

Monthly Progress #78

Here is the ficus tree today. It has survived hurricane Irma as well as can be expected. It does look bare but that is usually the case at the end of the year. The Montgomery botanical center has suffered quite a bit from the winds of Irma and many large trees were uprooted, including the heart breaking death of the state of FLorida champion tree, the Cananga odorata. Work to recover is hard and time consuming. This particular area is waiting for its turn... and the grass is knee high as seen in this photo. we are happy the hurricane season is nearing its end.

Monthly Progress #77

September is the most active month for hurricanes in Miami. This year, we had the visit of hurricane Irma! Miami was very lucky when Irma, a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane could have come and hit it directly. Instead, Irma hit the Florida keys with full force, while Miami only suffered from her fringes, with wind force equivalent to a category 1 hurricane. We lost power for about 2 weeks, and many, many trees were down. Fortunately, the Ficus religiosa escaped and is still standing. Sadly, a Cananga odorata, our state champion, and my favorite tree here was down!

Monthly Progress #76

The ficus tree continues its growth now that it is established. This area is hot and humid today and well populated with mosquitoes hungry for blood. Weed is growing wild as maintenance is lagging due to aggressive growth of grass and anything else. One can see the explosive growth of weed by comparing this photo with the photo of last month.

Monthly Progress #75

At three months in addition to a grueling 6 years of struggle, this Ficus religiosa is finally established. It's about time. Now, this tree looks very healthy and many new growths are rounding its shape nicely. Ficus trees are long living and this tree has many more years to grow to a large shade tree at this location in the future.

Monthly Progress #74

Look at this ficus tree today. It looks magnificent. We had copious amount of rain for the past few weeks... and the tree has received some extra tender loving care in form of welcome nutrient supplement... Thank you, Christine!

Monthly Progress #73

This is the first month of the 7th year. Time goes on like clockwork and no one can stop it... This tree has never looked as good as it does today. New growths came out in force as predicted last month when the tree was bare. It does look very good, and I am happy!

Monthly Progress #72

This is Monthly Progress #72! That is 12 x 6! It has been 6 years since this tree was planted at this location. Year in, year out, this tree has struggled to grow ever so slowly. But it is here to stay. Decidedly, this Ficus religiosa is semi deciduous. All the leaves on the upper branches have fallen. The bottom is growing, not vigorously but patiently. New leaves should start any day now... The seventh year has begun counting...

Monthly Progress #70 & #71

The clock ticks on, and it is again time to rest for this ficus tree. Growth has slowed to a crawl and last month's report was skipped. Now, the tree still looks dormant and it is definitely semi-deciduous in nature because many leaves have fallen off. This tree is taking its time to grow...

Monthly Progress #69

This is the beginning of a new year, January of 2017. We are in the dry season of the year in Miami and trees will need to wait until April for the rain to come... This ficus tree is pampered and it gets some water once weekly. Although it has sprouted many small branches in the bottom of its trunk, new growth probably will have to wait until April to make further progress. What's a few months... Let's wait.

Monthly Progress #68

Time waits for no one! It has been six years... and at times, it seems only like yesterday. Memory is a mysterious thing that will never be understood... It lingers... It outlasts... even time...

Monthly Progress #67

This area must have had quite a bit of rain a few days ago. It is quite soaked. In this view, the ficus tree is seen in the direction of the newly planted (over a year ago) Alstonia scholaris, showing that it is still quite inundated. This tree needs adapting to this low lying area prone to flooding before it can grow and catch up with the other two planted in locations with higher elevations in this center. The ficus has now adapted because it was planted almost 6 years ago, and because its location is not as low as that of the Alstonia.

Monthly Progress #66

Here is the ficus tree, at about 10 feet tall as of today. I now think I understand why this tree took so long to get established: that is because of its being in the area prone to intruding salt water from Biscayne bay. I could have chosen a different location at higher ground, but this place is secluded, which I like better. There is another ficus tree ( I am not sure its species name) nearby that is thriving so hopefully this tree will perform as well. 5 years down, many more to count...

Monthly Progress #65

Everyone around here is surprised this ficus took so long to finally decide to move on, five years and five months if you count the months as I do. In this area, there is no limit to how large it can get. Let's wait and see.

Monthly Progress #64

With the rain falling almost every day, the ficus is happy happy happy, and it grows to show. The weeds in this are have finally been dealt with and all the cycads are liberated. But today... mosquitoes, mosquitoes everywhere and I had to run for cover.

Monthly Progress #63

The ficus tree is now growing vigorously. In about a month, the main branch has grown to about 10 feet. Several other branches also are competing for the show. It looks great. I can't say the same for the weeds surrounding this area. Compare to last month to see how much the weeds have taken over... All the poor cycads have been swamped and must be suffocating underneath. This area is begging for some trimming... Hopefully it will be done soon. Return to see how this ficus tree fares from now on.

Monthly Progress #62

I was absent and missed progress report #61 for May 2016. Progress report #62 for June is late, and it is posted today... After about six weeks of irregular but copious rain, the ficus tree responded in kind and it looks vigorous, about 8 feet tall with several new branches from the base. I'd say it is now well established.

Five Years and Counting...

Here is Ficus religiosa exactly five years after it was planted here. After several years of slow growth and a few recent broken branches from animals and strong wind, this tree is displaying many new strong growths starting from its base. It's looking good...