This tree has been in training for about three years now, and has been repotted more times than I can remember. It is one of my favorite trees, and especially now that it is bloom. Very fragrant tree that is easy to care for.
I realized over the past week that the pot that I had planted my Wrightia religiosa was too big. The color wasn’t bad, but the large wide pot make the trunk look small. This tree has a rather large trunk and I needed a smaller pot to emphasize it. As for the color, I was told that a light blue glazed pot works well with the leaf color and the small white flowers that bloom during the year.
Well the flowers on my Wrightia religiosa didn’t last very long. It has pretty much been raining here in Florida for the past 4 weeks, and the flowers just didn’t get a break. However since the flowers were gone I got a chance to make a few changes to this tree. First thing was to remove the red glazed bonsai pot that it was in. It was a temporary pot until I found something more suitable.
Wrightia religiosa - new pot
I have had this bonsai pot for years, but never found the right tree to put in it. If you review my posts your see that I had a Ficus Too Little, A winged Elm, and probably a few other potted in it. However I like the match up with this tree and this pot.
After repotting, I had to wire out the tree a bit. I wanted to open it up and expose the large trunk a bit. Remember when this tree blooms, they hang down past the bottom of the branches so I want the rows to be stright and well defined.
Lastly, while attending one of Boon’s intensive training classes he said that when you repot a tree you should put it in a different pot. I like this idea because the pot will bring on a all new look altogether. That’s the kind of thing that really motivates me.
Orlando has been so dry and hot this year, and my poor trees have been struggling. However through all the draught they still try their best to put out some wonderful surprises. This past week end I notice how loaded my Wrightia religiosa (Water Jasmine) was, but it hadn’t bloomed yet. Well today the heavens opened and we had a huge cloud burst. It wasn’t an hour later and I notice that the Water Jasmine lived up to its name.
Wrightia religiosa in Bloom
Along with the incredible blooms is a very strong sweet smell of the Jasmine flowers. In case you have never seen one of these up close here are the flowers. They either hang in single or in pairs.
Wrightia religiosa Blooms
These trees have very aggressive roots, and new shoots tend to grow straight up from the trunk and base. It is a challenge to keep in in control, and this one needs a bit of work. However I think I’ll wait for the flowers to fade before I do anything. Times like these I just like to appreciate the best that the tree has to offer and remember why I fell in love with Bonsai in the first place.
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