Hello everyone! Welcome back from Thanksgiving Break! I hope everyone had a wonderful time and (hopefully) lots of rest! If this is your first time reading, my name is Wesley and I am a second-year Pre-Med Biochemistry major and a student researcher under the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) at UT Austin. In my previous post, I talked about my happy and thriving Ming Fern! This time, however, I am going to be discussing one plant that constantly keeps me on my toes…
The Snow Rose, otherwise known as the Serissa Foetida, is an evergreen tree that is highly valued by bonsai enthusiasts for its appearance including its lovely white blooms. However, it is a particularly picky plant, demanding growing conditions that are constant and unchanging. Any sudden or even minor changes in its location or temperature will result in the plant throwing a fit and shedding its leaves. It has been recommended that experienced bonsai growers pick up this plant due to its fussy nature. However, I did not learn of this until after I had bought the plant…
I got my Snow Rose bonsai mid-October following another pleasant visit to my favorite plant nursery The Great Outdoors. I had just left my 10AM-2PM Biochemistry lab and felt like going back, so I hopped onto a bus and went straight there! Originally, I was searching for a plant called the Ficus Benjamina, or the Weeping Fig, since I was attracted to its appearance when I first saw it in a plant video. Unfortunately for me, an employee I asked explained that they were fresh out of the plant and would restock them next year. With my original plan shot, I sought out another plant that caught my eye. While walking around the bonsai section, I noticed the Snow Rose and was immediately attracted by its cute little leaves and the possibility that it could flower. It was then I decided to take it home with me!
When I got back to my dorm, I carefully repotted the plant and placed it next to my window. That was when the problems began. After a day of living in my dorm, the Snow Rose started shedding leaves, a sign I expected after moving it from the warm outdoors to the cooler confines of my dorm room. However, a couple of the leaves started browning as well, which was a clear sign of overwatering (I quickly remedied this by reducing the amount of times I watered the plant). At this point, I believed the plant has never been satisfied with my care as it has been dropping leaves ever since I brought the Snow Rose back. But then the plant surprisingly started producing blooms! The tiny flowers were beautiful, but the fact that they appeared certainly perplexed me.
Unfortunately, I was unable to bring my Snow Rose back for Thanksgiving Break, so it remained in my room for about a week. I came back to a very distressed and unhappy plant whose leaves were mostly shriveled up and dry. The only solution I could come up with was to cut off all its leaves and hope for a miracle come spring. It is a mystery if my Snow Rose will survive, but we shall see!
That’s it for my final post of the semester! Good luck to everyone on their finals!