There’s one sound no plant lover wants to hear. It’s when a leaf drops from an indoor tree and lands on the floor. It’s the quietest thud to be so alarming.

Sometimes, it’s normal because the leaf has aged to the point of letting go, but more often than not it means they’re not happy where they are. That was the case with Rumi. The only place he’s ever fully thrived was in my writing room and I can relate.

In early summer, I moved Rumi outside and he’s on a wheeled plant trolly, but planted in a thick pot made of clay. That was mishap #1, placing him in something pretty instead of practical, but you know that’s how I live my life! Given time I usually see when practical would have been better as is the case with Rumi. He’ll be repotted into a lightweight planter before returning inside for winter.

I love to propagate cuttings from other plants and you’ll have an abundance of plants by propagating what you already have. Once rooted and planted in good soil, they grow and resemble the original plant, but take on a life of their own. I sat the leaf on the counter in a glass jar of water, placed it on the kitchen window sill and left it alone.

It grew roots and once the roots filled the jar, I planted it in proper soil. It was the funniest looking thing ever, just one, large leaf standing in a pot of dirt, but it grew as you can see here. This summer, I repotted it and sat it outside, just to see what it would do. Obviously, spending time outdoors is good for growth.

Here’s a photo of what that one leaf looks like today.

From dirt to tip it’s almost 3 ft. tall and has grown into it’s own version of an Asian Council tree. We’re leaves from the family tree to produce our own roots and grow right where we are. In the right environment, we become our own version of the one who dropped a leaf.