Happy Fall Y'all !

Happy Fall Ya'll

It's that time of year in the garden. The weather is cooling, the plants are setting buds and seeds and there is much to be done. We are even getting some desperately needed rain! This has been an incredibly hot dry summer here on the coast. The tropical storms that we usually have early in the season didn't show up this year. I am not complaining though, I don't  ever  wish damage or destruction on anyone, but we sure needed the rain. The plants that are still alive are true survivors. ( note to self, plant more survivors for next year)
If you grow Camellia Sasanqua, or Camellia Japonica, now is the time to collect seeds. The pods are beginning to split and drop their seeds and these are best planted immediately. Try planting some as you would winter sow other seeds and see what surprises you get in the spring. It will take 3-5 years from seed to bloom, but you never know what you get may just be a beautiful new variety.
Propagation done now is also ideal. Things that you root now have a better chance of getting established without the stresses of heat and longer day times.
Try cutting some of your flowering shrubs and sticking  them in a forsythe pot. See this post..
I am also trying some cuttings in a propagator and some in water. I read an interesting article the other day about rooting clematis in water. Needless to say...

                            I FEEL AN EXPERIMENT COMING ON!
Have a great weekend, get outside and enjoy a fabulous fall!

If you cut it.... Will it grow?

This early part of spring has been just gorgeous in my little garden by the sea. My camellias have really bloomed a lot thanks in no small part to being snowed on twice this year. They are blooming their little hearts out as we "speak".

I love to cut and root things. It is like an obsession for me. I have no more room in my yard, but I still can't quit. Sometimes I trade plants with other botanically obsessed people, sometimes I list a few for sale, but mostly I just grow them because I cannot not do it. I know that is very strange, but it is like when you know you were born to teach, or be a nurse etc. I was just born to root and grow........... ( that is what I tell myself anyway.)

This week since my camellias are blooming I thought I would post about propagating them. The absolute best time of year is July and August, after the new growth has firmed up a little. I have rooted some through the winter, but it does seem to take much longer that way. I guess the winter makes everything seem to take longer.....( really it does though, most plants go dormant or semi-dormant when the temperatures fall into the 40's).

I cut 2 of my camellias the other day because I wanted to take a few pictures of my method. As usual there are zilliions of different methods, but this one works for me.

Camellia Japonica

1) Take a cutting of firm new growth with a growth bud and about 4 or 6 leaf nodes.  Make sure the cutting has a growth bud on the end. 

2). Remove all but 2 leaves and then cut those 2 in half. This will leave the cutting a reason to put out roots ( it has to feed the leaves) and removing much of the excess will reduce the stress on the cutting and lower the moisture loss due to transpiration. 

3) Dip the end in a rooting hormone ( like root tone or fast root or clone-x) and stick in a prepared pot with at least 2 or three of the leaf nodes under the potting media. 

Cover the cutting with a plastic bag, or recycled cut soda bottle ( ie. ghetto greenhouse) this will help to reduce the moisture loss and keep the humidity high enough for the cutting not to be stressed to it's shriveling point.

Set it in a shaded place where you will keep it watered. I have watched my grandmother do this with a mason jar, but I am using plastic soda bottles and fitting them to the top of the flower pot.

Camellia Sasanqua:

This is basically the same method. The biggest difference is that the leaves on the sasanqua are smaller and the sasanqua can tolerate more sun and tend to be fall blooming instead of spring blooming varieties. Sasanquas also have growth buds all along the stem instead of just at the ends like the Japonicas.

Here is the hardest part. Camellias are not in a hurry to grow or root or flower. Rooting can take as much as 6 months to a year and after they root, they still don't hurry to grow. Thankfully they are very long lived shrubs and once established with provide you with gorgeous flowers in early spring when most other things are just beginning to wake up from a long winter's nap.

Happy Growing!

Rooting Sasanqua

I should be in the Garden but...

There are so many things to do this time of year in the Garden, but I have yet to begin. I can find all kinds of excuses, (i.e it's too hot to breathe outside, the bugs are so bad and I hate being bitten, I will do the cuttings tomorrow etc.)
July is the best time of year to make cuttings and propagate new plants. By this time, the new spring growth has toughened up a little and there is still plenty of warmth to help the cuttings get off to a good start.
One of the best ideas I have come across for doing a lot of cuttings in a small space is called a Forsythe Pot. I don't have a clue who came up with this method, but it is incredible. Some claim it is almost foolproof.
The way to construct it is simple. I use a large 10-14 inch pot and fill it to within about an inch of the top with a very light propagating mixture. Some use plain vermiculite, others regular potting soil, but you really need something that is well aerated and lightweight. Next, use a small ( 4-6") terra cotta clay pot that hasn't been glazed in any way. Place a cork in the drainage hole of the small pot and settle it in the center of the larger pot. Keep the small pot full of water and stick the cuttings between the two pots. The water will seep through the sides of the small pot and maintain the moisture level of your rooting medium. Make sure to leave enough space between your cuttings to allow good airflow and then set the whole system in a shady spot where you can keep an eye on it and make sure the inner pot is full of water. Depending on the plant type you are propagating, you should have rooted plants within 6-8 weeks. I have been successful rooting Camellia, Azalea, Althea, Bottlebrush and a host of other plants this way as well.
Here is a tutorial I found that you may also find helpful.
I'm off to cut some chocolate vines and banana shrub and maybe some brugmansia too. If i get too hot, I'll come back inside and make some earrings I have been thinking about.
Happy Rooting.