Alley-collected Privet progression

[butlern]

I dug this weed from the alley behind our old house in the spring of 2017. The base had a nice curve and a major branch was ripped away, straight down, creating in interesting scar.

Basically had no roots when collected. I cut off a large leader, really big, straight, taper-less side branch, stuck it in a little plastic training pot and hoped for the best.

After collection March 2017:



April 2017:



May 2017:

 

[butlern]

Grew well the rest of that year.

Spring 2018 I re-potted, tried to check and adjust roots, and let to grow again all year:



I only watered and fed it in 2019, and then was so disinterested in the tree that I over-wintered it outside sitting atop the ground in the shallow training pot along the side of the house.

Amazingly, in the spring of 2020 it woke up.

 

[butlern]

I have a new-found respect for the heartiness of the privet.

In March 2020, I pruned, wired it out and re-potted into a little production oval. Had a good show of flowers this spring.

Here it is in June 2020. The plan moving forward will be to carve out the massive scar on the front where the branch was removed, and tied that carving into the scar down the front left to accentuate that feature and open it back up. Also will continue to let the leader run until some semblance of taper is achieved and then I can start building a canopy.



Noah