At Long Last

Three and a half years ago I planted a mimosa tree in my yard. There are several of them in my neighborhood and I love the feathery pink blossoms. The first summer that I had the tree it grew from about 4 feet to about 6 feet but it didn't bloom. The next spring I waited in anticipation for it to do something but it never did. April and May passed by without any sign of it putting forth leaves and by June I admitted that it wasn't just a late bloomer, it was dead. I decided to cut the tree down before I dug up the root ball. When I unwrapped the tape at the base of the trunk I found several tiny green shoots growing out of it. I decided that since the tree was trying to live I would give it a chance. I cut it down to about 6 inches from the ground and I watched it grow. It grew really fast, about 5 or 6 feet that summer, so I was hoping that it would make it. The next spring I found that it had died down to about 3 feet, so I trimmed it back and decided to give it another chance. It grew several feet again last summer, but it never bloomed. This spring I found that it had again died back somewhat, but not nearly as much as it had in the past. Still, I was getting really irritated with the tree. I told it that it had better do something besides look weedy this year or I was done with it. Again, it has grown quite a bit this summer, but there have been no blossoms until I went out yesterday to mow the lawn and found six blossoms. Today there are nine. My poor little weedy tree is finally starting to look like a real mimosa, so I guess I will keep it around.