by Christie Purifoy | Jun 9, 2020
(Part 1 of this post, all about rooting cuttings in water, can be found here)
Rooting plant cuttings in water may be the easiest way to propagate new plants, but I think plunging that cutting in soil is a close second.
Certainly, both methods can fail. Some cuttings refuse, for reasons unknown, to grow roots. Sometimes a cutting loses too much water through its leaves before a significant root system develops. Sometimes a cutting rots. But taking cuttings is so easy, even if our success rate is low, we are likely to create a surprising number of new plants for our gardens.
These baby plants will be smaller than the plants we typically see at our garden centers, and will need more care and attention than a plant with a larger root system. But most likely we will be surprised at just how quickly these new plants establish and grow.
Here is a helpful tutorial with instructions for three different methods of growing new shrubs from cuttings.
Boxwoods are a popular landscape plant that are especially easy to grow from cuttings. Forget that jar of water on your countertop: simply stick the bare stems of a six-inch stem into fertile soil.
Here is a blogger who shows us just how easy this can be.
Finally, here are some of the terms you are likely to encounter as you research propagation methods and plants you might consider propagating:
Softwood Cuttings: these are cuttings of fresh, new growth.
- aster
- butterfly bush
- salvia
- rose
Greenwood (or Herbaceous) Cuttings: these cuttings come from plants without woody stems
Semi-Ripe / Semi-Hardwood Cuttings:
Hardwood Cuttings:
- deciduous shrubs
- vines
- fruit plants
- trees
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by Christie Purifoy | Jun 8, 2020
I think if we realized just how easy it is to propagate some plants, we’d begin to see our scissors and clippers as our most important garden tool.
If I were to plant an apple seed, I would not grow a tree with similar apples. If I want to grow the same kind of apples, I need to clone my tree. If that sounds like a practice best left to scientists in their labs, it’s actually something home gardeners have always done in order to increase their plant numbers or to create plants for giving away.
To clone a plant, we simply cut off a stem tip of fresh, green growth and encourage it to grow roots of its own. That rooted cutting can then be planted out. This means we will have two plants with the same genes.
Cuttings from some plants need to grow new roots in soil, but some happily grow new root systems entirely in water. This means you can keep a few cuttings in jars of water on your countertop, watch those roots grow, and then plant them out in a container or right into the garden.
It’s convenient, yes, but why else should we consider rooting new plants in water? Plants growing in water are less prone to fungal problems or pests like gnats.
Here are some of the plants that are able to root in water:
Herbs
Herbs like mint, lavender, sage, basil, thyme, oregano, and lemon verbena do well in water. Best of all, even if you aren’t sure if your herb will root in water, this is a painless experiment to try.
Make sure that you strip the bottom stem of its leaves so they don’t rot and pollute the water. I aim for stems that are about 6 inches long, and I strip the bottom 4 inches of leaves. If you are using herbs from the grocery store, you will want to give the bottom of your stem a fresh cut.
Tropical Houseplants
Familiar houseplants like pathos, African violet, creeping fig, begonia, and many others can be rooted in water.
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by Christie Purifoy | Jun 2, 2020
Plant propagation. It sounds like something from a science textbook, doesn’t it?
Now many gardeners approach their practice from a scientific point-of-view. They love soil tests and precise formulas and would never “wing it” when it comes to feeding their plants or filling their raised beds.
I am not one of those gardeners.
Which I think is why it took me years to accept that even non-technical, non-scientific me should be making new plants from the plants I already have.
One of the easiest ways to do this is through division.
Hostas, daylilies, and iris are common garden plants that are also very easy to divide. Division simply means to dig them up and then, sometimes gently, sometimes with the force of a sharp spade, the gardener splits her big plant into smaller ones before replanting them out in her space.
I divide my hostas and daylilies in early spring when they are just beginning to grow. I divide my iris after it blooms. A quick internet search can help you on the details of when and how for your particular plant, but most perennials can be divided in spring or fall.
Even easier than division is taking cuttings and rooting them.
This, too, sounds more technical than it is. “Take a cutting” by snipping off a stem of fresh, green growth. Strip the leaves from the bottom of the stem and then, depending on the particular needs of the plant, either plunge it in a glass of water and leave to grow roots, or plunge it into a small pot to do the same.
While some plants root more easily than others, it’s worth trying with most of our garden perennials like phlox or mums.
When I feel self-doubt or feelings of inadequacy holding me back, I remind myself to simply try. What’s the worst that could happen? Chances are that hosta will bounce back just fine, even if we do it “wrong.”
Gardens are forgiving places. They want to grow.
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by Christie Purifoy | May 19, 2020
Watering the garden. It’s a chore, right?
It certainly can be. A lack of equipment, the wrong equipment, the wrong attitude … any of those things can make tending your plants by meeting their need for water a real chore.
Equipment
It might surprise you, but the very first tool I recommend isn’t a watering can or a garden hose: it’s a rain gauge. Knowing exactly how much rainfall your garden is already getting will save you from unnecessary watering and could nudge you out the door when your plants are thirsty. I use a simple plastic rain collector like this one that I pop right into my raised bed.
I’ve learned the hard way that a light-weight hose is the way to go. Lugging super heavy hoses around my yard is certainly a chore.
A watering can with a rose attachment like this one is a must for seedlings and other, more delicate, plants. I have also found that the long neck style is particularly well balanced, meaning it’s easy to carry and easy to pour.
Drip hoses or soaker hoses are available at large hardware stores and are fairly simple to set up in raised beds or borders. This is an efficient way to water, as less water is lost to evaporation or runoff, and may feel like a necessity for the gardener working in more arid conditions.
Because I live in a rainy place, my own garden doesn’t need constant watering. I have used drip hoses in the past, but after slicing them with my spade one time too many, I have realized I much prefer using a sprinkler for occasional watering. I can see with my own eyes what my garden is receiving, and sprinklers are easy to move around. I love this one (it rotates and is secured in the lawn or soil with a spike) because I can jab it right into the middle of a border crowded with plants.
Tips
Water more deeply but less often. This encourages plants to send their roots down deep.
Water early in the day or late for less evaporation.
As much as possible, water the soil, not the leaves of your plant.
A blast of water from the hose is also the first line of defense against many bugs and pests.
Attitude
This may sound strange at first, but I have found that if I think of watering as a chore, it will feel like a chore. In other words, if it’s simply something to check off in the garden, something to finish as quickly as possible, then I tend to resent the time I spend doing it and I am always wondering if I’m doing it wrong: perhaps I should invest in some fancy irrigation system?
But if I think of watering as tending, if I acknowledge how pleasant it is to give thirsty plants a drink, then I can appreciate the way that watering re-introduces me to every plant growing in my garden. Watering becomes one of the most important ways I greet my garden.
Time spent appreciating the beauty of our gardens with a hose in our hand can never be wasted time. If it is a chore, it’s one that’s teaching me how to be still, how to be quiet, and how to pay attention.
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by Christie Purifoy | May 15, 2020
Know Your Zone
Every gardener should know the zone in which she gardens.
I write that out with confidence now, but I admit that I gardened for a decade in Chicago without knowing my zone, and I gardened for two years in Florida, where I knew my zone but didn’t know why it mattered.
Pictured above is an image for U.S. gardeners (who can find their zone right here), but Canadian and European gardeners have zones as well. Begin with a google search and then confirm by asking a gardener in your area.
The lower the zone number, the colder your winter temperatures.
Use Your Knowledge
Your zone is your first guide for which plants will be “hardy” in your garden. In other words, your zone tells you–with reasonable accuracy–which plants will still be there in your garden after a typical winter for your area.
When I am shopping for roses, in particular, I look for information about their hardiness. If research or a plant label tells me that a rose is only hardy to zone 7 or 8, I won’t bring it home to my zone 6 garden.
If I find an inexpensive flower or vine that isn’t hardy in my zone, I may grow it as an annual, tossing it onto the compost heap when cold weather comes.
If I’m interested in a plant, and the label says its hardy to zone 4, then I know that this plant can handle bitter winters, and I won’t bother with extra winter protection.
Set Your Knowledge Aside
Fortunately, there are no garden zone police! And you are welcome–invited, even–to experiment with plants outside your hardiness zone.
For instance, if I really want to grow a camellia that is only hardy to zone 7, I will choose a very protected spot, and I will research the details of camellia care. If I can give that camellia ideal conditions and a little additional care, there’s a good chance it will thrive.
A Few Additional Thoughts
Growing zones aren’t a perfect guide, and they work more effectively in some areas than in others.
For instance, the growing zones are based on temperature, not precipitation. An insulating layer of snow can protect plants from extreme cold, and frequent freeze/thaw cycles, of the kind I often have in my Pennsylvania garden, can devastate certain plants that should be hardy.
Summer heat, humidity, precipitation levels: all these must also be taken into account, but a garden’s growing zone is a good place to begin the privileged task of knowing your own place well.
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