As I do around the beginning of every new year, I dutifully trundle our Christmas tree to the city’s treecycling station set up at the L.A. Zoo where I drop it off (along with however many other curb-side discards I can pile into the bed of my truck, which in regards to this year was seven — a record) and am subsequently rewarded with coupons for free mulch, a low-energy light bulb and a baby tree of some sort.

Last year two twiglings in the form of an Afghan pine and a Carolina cherry came home with me and those are doing very well in their respective pots. This year my option was limited to some species of ash tree, and I have to say when looking upon the motley collection of saplings it was not love at first sight, particularly because the individuals were basically three feet tall and entirely devoid of leaves. They looked like dead branches somewhat had jabbed into pots of soil.

img_8636.jpg“Those are alive?” I asked the attending worker, and he chuckled telling me they were dormant. Somewhat reluctantly and randomly I chose one and transported it home where I put it in the backyard among our avocado babies for company.

Three months later, as can be seen by the clickable thumbnail at right the ash has awakened nicely and so I graduated it yesterday afternoon out of the confines of its six-inch plastic container into a clay one.