The “one more spring” saying in bonsai is often heard when a special plant is under threat of not surviving and it is one of my personal favorite bonsai sayings.

In August 2018 I dug a very different looking trident maple from the garden and I had great hope that I could turn it into something distinct and unusual. This is it when I dug it out.

In retrospect I should have removed all the branching that was on the tree but I didn’t bother as it was a trident maple and should have burst many buds in a couple of weeks. Well, a month passed and no leaves, two months passed and still no leaves, then when three months passed and still no leaves I was starting to get really worried, and then the famous words started when anyone looked at it – one more spring.

It was very late December 2018 when I was doing the watering I noticed a bit of green popping on the branches and within a couple of days I had signs of life – it lives. I was most relieved that after four months of waiting the tree was finally on the road to where I had expected it in September. The photos are not that good but you get the idea.

It will be a year or two before I do anything with this tree now, but I am just thankful that it has finally given me a few leaves.