Day 316: After struggling for five years to find an effective method for rooting a slip from my contorted filbert, I discovered this last spring that I had succeeded with one soil-layering out of a dozen. I potted it up and buried the pot up to its rim in the front flower bed where I could keep a close eye on my baby. I watched as it put on buds, and as they matured into leaves, I was convinced I'd succeeded at long last. And then I committed an egregious sin: I forgot all about it. We went through a blistering hot spell with temperatures over 100 degrees. I watered, but did I check to see if it needed special protection? No. In fact, I didn't think about the poor little thing until a few days ago, and then only as an afterthought when I was pulling weeds. Hidden behind other foliage, it almost escaped my notice even then. It's had all summer to develop a strong root system, and given what it's been through, it seems determined to survive. Next spring, I'll plant it in its permanent location. And I'll check on the next dozen who will have had their joints pinned under the soil for a year.
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