Caroline – The Plant That Never Got Her Chance

 

When Caroline arrived in early February, she was beautiful — a tall, healthy 5ft (£80) Cordyline Australis, carefully wrapped in fleece. 

She came in a tall, thin box. I assumed the fleece was just packaging so they could actually get her through the front door — otherwise she'd have been in a 5ft x 5ft box and I’d have had to hire a crane and have her lifted over the roof!

I left her in the conservatory, still protected, unsure what do with her...so I did the next best thing and waited for Tom.Tom took her outside at the beginning of February and planted her straight into the cold ground. He asked if he should take the fleece off and, not knowing any better, I said yes. He said: “She’ll be fine, cordylines are fully hardy and very resilient.”She looked so dramatic and lovely standing free in all her glory. I trusted that he knew what he was doing as the professional gardener. He never suggested she should stay sheltered indoors for another month or so, or that it was still too cold to remove the fleece.
She looked absolutely stunning for that first week.Since then, she has slowly declined. Many leaves have died, and she now stands with just one tired, upright leaf. She looks sad and tired, and I feel genuinely sorry for her.I know the kindest thing will eventually be to let her go to the compost heap when the time comes. But I will feel sad when that day arrives. She deserved so much better than the short, struggling life she was given.She was meant to be the dramatic evergreen centrepiece I had hoped for. Instead, she became a quiet reminder that good intentions aren’t always enough — and that expert advice really does matter.Rest gently, Caroline.
You tried your best with the hand you were dealt.