Weeping Dwarf Crape Myrtle "Sacramento". This is what it looks like now.

It's time to talk about my special tree. The Weeping Dwarf Crape Myrtle Sacramento. I bought it from a local nursery last year. It was purchased not because it was weeping or dwarf or a crape myrtle. I had plans to make it into a bonsai. Now as you can tell it did not work. The trunk overlaps so it can't work for a bonsai unless I cut one off. I just don't feel comfortable doing that right now. It may never become a bonsai but it'll still be my mini tree.

What it looked like the day I bought it.

When I purchased the crape myrtle it looked beautiful. It was in bloom with great foliage. The nursery helper had told me it gets about 2-3ft. Now I had plans to keep it the size it was which is about 14 inches tall. I believe this was the first plant I got or one of the first. Being so inexperienced I didn't acclimate it to my blazing grill of a balcony. I went and purchased a wooden planter because I wanted something rectangular but not thin rectangular. The wooden planter was the only one I found that wasn't so slim. Then I went and found a stand/table to put it on. I even bought stain for the planter because I didn't like the color. All those items were bought the day after I bought the crape myrtle. Then I stained and waiting for it to dry. I thin mixed my own soil. Which it wasn't what is recommended but thankfully I mixed and didn't just use the plan potting soil I had or the tree might be dead by now. So here is what I mixed...please do laugh at me. It was some potting soil and orchid mix...yep orchid mix. Orchid mix really is still good because it's just a bunch of chips and charcoal with other stuff. I had a good mix even though I wasn't potting an orchid.

No more leaves.

Soon afterwards, probably a few weeks, all the leaves went goodbye. Now it wasn't time for that because all the other crape myrtles around me still had leaves and flowers. I didn't think much of it and just assumed oh transplant shock it should come back soon. It was bear for many many months, about half a year with no sign of life. I hung on to my crape myrtle and still watered it in hopes it was alive but just sleeping.

Signs of Life.

At the beginning of march all my waiting paid off. I was wishing and hoping that it would still be alive. Around me I was paying attention to the other crape myrtles that were starting to get buds. I hadn't seen any on mine yet. They appeared soon, the signs of life. Some great buds popped out all over the tree. I was beyond excited as you can imagine. I had killed quite a few other plants on my balcony. To not have killed one of my first purchases is a miracle.

Crape Myrtle now

It's now going strong and growing like crazy. I can't wait to see the flowers again.