Esperanza
The First Stone
Persea americana
It began around five years ago with an avocado stone and a little curiosity.
Her botanical world
According to Kew's Plants of the World Online, Persea americana is a tree whose native range reaches from Central Mexico to Costa Rica. It grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.
Where the adventure began
I wondered whether I could grow a tree from something that would ordinarily have been discarded.
And so Esperanza began.
She spent her early days in the garden room before moving into the sunny, south-facing front garden, where she flourished. Over the following years, she grew into a magnificent tree, reaching more than five feet tall.
But with a harsh winter forecast, I decided to bring her indoors. This meant digging her up and settling her into a pot, something she did not appreciate at all.
One by one, her leaves fell until nothing remained but a bare trunk.
I continued caring for her, hoping she might recover. Through the following summer she stood on the patio, still showing signs of life, although dark patches were slowly spreading down her trunk.
I began to fear I would lose her.
Then, in late September 2026, something extraordinary happened.
A tiny white nodule appeared on the trunk.
It was barely anything at all, but every day I watched it, wondering whether this might be the beginning of new growth. Slowly it rose, and after several weeks the smallest fleck of green appeared.
Then came her first leaf.
By October, Esperanza was back indoors, and new stems and leaves were beginning to flourish around her old trunk.
Today she is growing again, and although she looks rather different from the magnificent tree she once was, I wouldn't change her.
Her old trunk remains, a reminder of everything she has survived.
Esperanza means hope, and I cannot imagine a more fitting name.
She was my first avocado tree, grown from a stone, and the beginning of a curiosity that has since become a whole collection of tropical plants.
Every adventure begins somewhere. Ours began with Esperanza.
Growing journal
Healthy new stems and leaves
Esperanza is producing healthy-looking green leaves on several strong new stems emerging from the lower trunk. The original upper trunk remains bare and appears to have suffered dieback. For now, it will be left undisturbed while her recovery continues.
Future observations will be added as her growth develops.