My mother was an expert in preparing a jasmine sapling from the mother plant. I never watched how she did it but she always had couple of Jasmine plant in the garden.
She uses the flower as an offering for the Lord Buddha.
After along sojourn abroad I returned home and moved to a different location where the house was built on a rock base and the lawn was void of any flowering plant.
I asked my mother for a sapling and within three months she gave me one and I planted it in a location where I could look after it.
And it grew quickly and started flowering but only a few. Since it was planted near a rock in the dry season rock get heated up and the plant could not bear the intense heat and dry condition I had to water it to keep it alive. Once or twice I tried to make a sapling to replant it in the shade away from the rock and all my attempts failed.
Then I went out again and when I returned after little over one year I could not find even a trace of the plant and of course lot of other plants which I planted were also missing. There had been a long dry spell and even drinking water was problem during my absence.
I lost interest on gardening for a long spell and when my mother fell ill, I thought I will try it again.
During the period she was ill she gave up gardening and when I looked for the Jasmine plant it was also missing.
One day in Nugegoda when I was looking for some Linux CDs (I knew of a guy / vendor who used to go to Singapore and bring Linux CDs) I happen to see a woman selling plants and she had three varieties of Jasmine and I bought one each thinking only one would survive that also the common but rugged variety.
It is now over three years all three plants survived in spite of many dry spells.
Then I re-potted them into larger containers and thought I will try making some saplings.
Months went by but the exercise was not successful but I kept on trying and the last try was a success.
Both local varieties I could prepare two new saplings but the Indian variety was resistant.
I had another go with the Indian variety and today when I examined both mother plants still connected to the daughter saplings were not in good condition. Daughter plants were sapping everything from the mother plant
I quickly severed the connections and repotted the mother plant in a bigger pot
Then I decided to have a look at the Indian variety and severed the connection to the mother plant and pulled out the branch for repotting.
To my amazement even after 4 months there were two tiny roots.
That's all.
I have severed the connection and I cannot now go back.
This mother plant for some reason won't let daughter plant get established.
This is the fourth time.
I do not know why but I will keep trying and find a way to fool the mother plant.
