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The idea had rattled around in my mind for about 20 years: A dead tree covered with living blossoms. I had figured out the details long before I had the opportunity to try out my scheme. After having moved about the country frequently during my young adulthood, I now had a house of my own on half an acre in a village. The only other prerequisite, the dead tree, came with the house.

The project would require patience, but although that is not my strong suit, I would not be just sitting and waiting for it to be complete.

In the spring of the first summer after I came to my lovely old home, I sought out and found some Virginia creeper, a plant that will happily climb a brick or stone wall... Or a tree. I planted some rooted pieces at the base of the dead tree and made sure they got enough water. Throughout that summer I checked now and then to make sure the vines were going up the tree and not just wandering across the ground or climbing something else. The next summer, and the one after that, I continued to encourage the vine to grow as high as possible and to cover as many of the branches as it could.

By the end of the fourth summer, I was able to anticipate the next step. I cut the vines off at ground level, and the next spring I planted morning glories in a variety of colors all around the tree. After the planting, I pruned back branches of nearby trees to provide as much sunlight as possible. (This would have to be repeated as spring turned into summer.) Then I turned to other projects, to absorb my eagerness for this one to fulfill my expectations of it.

Morning glory seeds are notoriously slow to germinate, but once the tiny plants with their heart-shaped leaves sprouted it didn't take long for them to reach up and grab onto the dead Virginia creeper vines. Almost like Jack's beanstalk, they climbed at a rate that often measured several inches in a single day. They grew 10 feet up the trunk of the tree, and then 20 feet. In spite of the limitation suggested on the seed packet, they didn't stop there. Up they went, and out onto the branches that the Virginia creeper had covered. They had begun to bloom by the time they had reached a height of 5 feet, and they kept on putting out new blossoms every day. Although they didn't reach the ends of the longest branches or climb to the very top of the tree, and the shady side was a little scant, their performance was more than I could have imagined. By August I had my miracle: A dead tree covered with flowers!

Learn more about this author, Angelica Weathersby.
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