Mama was born in Scarborough, Ontario in in the summer of 1992. She started as a clipping from her own mama, who was also a behemoth much like Mama herself turned out to be eventually. Early on Mama proved herself to be a tough girl, with the ability to withstand the neglectful care of a busy woman in her mid twenties. As time went on, they moved around togethe
r from home to home throughout the greater Toronto area and Mama found herself having to adapt to one new environment after another. Lucky for her, she was adept at being able to survive in a multitude of conditions. Sometimes she would be thrown outside to fend for herself, but her owner always showed up in the nick of time with a big drink of water. When her owner decided to move to Edmonton, Alberta, Mama was certainly a bit nervous about this. She didn’t know whether she would be included in the moving plans or not, but she was overjoyed to find herself a reasonably sturdy home in the bathtub of her owner’s motorhome for the duration of the two month journey that ended them up in Edmonton. Occasionally, when her owner set up camp for a few days in the same spot, Mama was allowed to sit outside in the sun and those were some of her favorite times. It was great to get lots of showers but it was a bit dark in there for Mama’s liking. Eventually they made it to Edmonton where Mama lived for thirteen years. Mama grew substantially during this time and it was there that she found her new home in her favorite terra cotta pot that gives her feet lots of room to grow. Eventually word came down that a move to Vancouver was imminent. This was another cause for concern as Mama was well aware she would no longer fit through the motorhome door due to her extraordinary girth, and once again she found herself wondering if she would be included in the move or abandoned. She had become quite attached to her owner and did not want to be left behind. Besides, she had heard discussion about Vancouver and it sounded to her like a place she might like a lot better. Lo and behold, one day she was packed up in the back of her owner’s little red pick up truck with a few of her step siblings and covered with a tarp. The next two days were terrifying for Mama as she hurtled through the Rocky Mountains at about 120 Kmh, bouncing and vibrating with wind whipping her branches so hard many of them broke off. Mama was seriously regretting her decision to travel to Vancouver at that point, as she suffered much damage, pain and angst during the journey. As promised however, once settled in and calmed down, Mama very much loved the climate of the west coast, and soon her broken branches were nothing but a distant memory. She grew and grew, and spent her first fall outside in her entire life. She was so happy that she bloomed that year for the first time in her life. She bloomed again, seven years later in 2021. She now lives happily in Vancouver and grows several feet every year.
