If you've spent any time working with bonsai, you know that trees have a way of teaching lessons you weren't expecting to learn. Sometimes those lessons come through patience. Sometimes through persistence. And sometimes... through a mistake.
This crepe myrtle has been growing in my backyard for about three years. "Growing" might not even be the right word. It never really took off. In fact, I think it actually got smaller over time.
Most people probably would have replaced it with something else. But I couldn't.
I fell in love with this particular variety because of its deep burgundy leaves and brilliant red blooms. When a crepe myrtle is covered in flowers, it's one of the most beautiful trees you can have in the garden. I kept hoping that one day it would finally settle in and explode with growth.
It never did.
A New Plan
Eventually, I decided maybe this tree wasn't meant to be a landscape tree.
Maybe it was meant to be a bonsai.
So I carefully dug it out of the ground and planted it in a bonsai pot, excited about giving it a completely different future.
That's when things went sideways.
The Moment I Thought I Lost It
Like many bonsai enthusiasts, I couldn't resist trying to add some movement to the trunk.
I bent it.
A little too much.
Snap.
The trunk broke completely in half.
For a few seconds I just stared at it. Three years of waiting... and in one careless moment I thought I had killed the tree.
Instead of giving up, I made a clean cut on both pieces and hoped for the best.
Two Trees Instead of One
The lower half—the section with the roots—is shown on the left in the photo above.
After trimming the broken trunk cleanly, I simply gave it plenty of care, water, and time.
A few days later something amazing happened.
Tiny buds began appearing.
Then small branches.
The tree was alive.
Seeing those first new shoots was one of those moments every gardener loves. Life has an incredible way of surprising us when we think all hope is gone.
Taking a Chance on the Top Half
I wasn't ready to throw away the upper portion of the tree either.
After making another clean cut, I applied rooting hormone to the base and planted it in Miracle-Gro potting soil formulated to encourage rapid root development.
Ten days later...
It's still alive.
The leaves remain healthy, and the cutting continues to show every sign that it wants to survive.
I'm cautiously optimistic that it will eventually develop its own root system.
If it does, what started as one struggling crepe myrtle will become two future bonsai trees.
The Journey Is Just Beginning
For now, patience is the name of the game.
The lower tree will continue developing new branches before I begin styling it.
The upper tree needs time to establish strong roots before I even think about wiring or shaping it.
Bonsai isn't about rushing the process. It's about working with the tree, not against it.
Ironically, my biggest mistake may have created an even more rewarding project.
Sometimes Trees Teach Us More Than We Teach Them
One of the reasons I enjoy bonsai so much is that every tree has a story.
This crepe myrtle's story could have ended the moment the trunk snapped.
Instead, it became a story about resilience.
Sometimes the setbacks we think are disasters become opportunities we never expected. Trees have an incredible will to live, and if we're patient enough, they often reward us with a second chance.
I'll continue documenting the progress of both trees as they develop over the coming months.
Who knows?
One day, I may look back at that broken trunk and realize it was the best thing that ever happened to this little crepe myrtle.