I have been loving on my Swan for about four years now- nurturing and watering and trying to get it past the Ugly Duckling stage.

This spring it had plenty of size and sturdy old wood to support itself and I thought for sure that this would be the year I could take photos and proclaim it mature and beautiful.

Then came the 100 degree heat and the drought.

No matter how much or how often I water this thing it droops- twice a day deeply isn't enough. It is just this side of blooming right now and I can't even get a decent photo- even if I leave water trickling overnight the thing is still droopy in the am.

It is in a perfect spot with sun all morning, dappled sun towards noon, and dapply shade in the afternoon.

Maybe a tad to close to a mature hickory that is probably hogging the water, but I have mature trees everywhere so there's really no escaping them. I do not feed it other than HollyTone that I toss around each year so it's not like I am pushing growth or anything.

I think next year I will prune it back a bit more than I have in the past- usually I just shape it up a bit. Maybe if I do that it will be able to move water sufficiently.

So one or two more years of waiting.

I remain hopeful about an eventual payoff, but shazzam it is taking forever.

Who else has one and how is yours looking?