Oops!

Once upon a time there was a beautiful Jade plant (capitalized because her name is Jade, even though that sounds like an exotic dancer, and she is quite exotic, now that I mention it), over three feet in height, with trunk diameter (not circumference) of about 3 inches.  She was a bit unruly, rather wild and free, tending to lean precariously this way and that.  She loved the east window where she lived since she came to live in her current home, donated by a friend.  But because she was exceedingly heavy in her Italian terra cotta pot, she didn't get turned frequently, and was therefore quite lopsided.  One day Jade's mother decided that a move to another window was in order.  Mom was beginning to rearrange her office, and really wanted that window space clear.  She knew that Jade would adjust to her new spot, and perhaps even grow some foliage on her rather bare backside (blush)!

One evening, Jade took a big topple.  Jade looks very flexy and bendy, but she's actually not so much.  After a bit of cleanup and recovery (ok, quite a bit of cleanup and attempted recovery), poor Ms. Jade looks like this:

Notice the (not quite) bloody stumps where huge branches broke off.  Her mother's heart is broken, of course.  Jade looks positively amputated, and her mother can only blame herself for placing her precious Jade in such a tippy, precarious position.

The back porch fountain has become a holding area for fragments awaiting transplant (thank God for transplant technology!):

And the back porch itself has become a small nursery area to see whether any of these fragments might actually root and grow:

All of these, including the much truncated original Jade, will be pruned into a much shaplier form, once the initial trauma has fully passed.  No more lopsided for Miss Jade nor her hapless (hopeful) offspring!  Now, please don't tell Jade's mother what a bad mom she has been; she's fully aware of that.  Please just send along condolences and best wishes for successful transplants.  I hope it will be a long, mild autumn during which these babies can get themselves rooted.  The original Miss Jade doesn't seem unhappy (only a bit awkward-looking), and seems as though she will probably survive nicely.  Shed a few tears for the demise of one humongous, beautiful plant, and say a prayer for the success of these ill-conceived offspring!

Comments

[Fran aka Redondowriter]

Yikes, Ann. I have jade all over the place in my patio garden and a HUGE one in a pot at my front door. The Chinese believe the jade plant brings good fortune. I have found that ALL jade starts will indeed start; they are like rabbits.