Incredibley hardy desert rose

by Mike Wood
(Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

We bought a small plant from a nursery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Our gardener over watered the plant and it developed root rot. The main stem above the root area became dark and very unhealthy looking. After some time the stem fell over and separated from the root. We took the pot to our balcony with the intention to replace it with something else. It lay in the sun, without water for more than 9 months. I went to the balcony for something else and noticed that a tiny bud was growing on the old dry stem. We took the entire old stem and re potted it. It is now two years later and it is developing a very good caudex and is blooming frequently. We were shocked that the plant could survive in the heat of Saudi Arabia without water for so long and still recover so well. These are truly hardy plants so don't give up on them.