Thursday, January 6, 2022

Can't Let Summer Go Cuttings

Today is January 6, the one year anniversary of a grim event in Washington, DC.  There will be many speeches today and words written about it.  But this is not a political blog, and I want to concentrate on some natural beauty today.

Have you ever wished (if you live in climates where frost sensitive plants can not grow year round) to be able to take cuttings and make summer last a few more months?

It sure is tempting.  It's also a hope for the New Year, and my word for this year is "hope".  I hope these will survive and thrive in next year's garden.


Every fall, I take some cuttings a couple of weeks before the expected frost date and attempt to root them. Impatiens are the easiest.  I have two small pots and both are thriving right now under lights.

Cuphea - I took three cuttings, used a rooting hormone called Rootone, and one of the cuttings survived.  This is a picture from late November.  My plant isn't blooming anymore, but it's alive.

Although I rooted Vietnamese coriander last year and brought it through the winter successfully, these cuttings (photograph from December) didn't make it for some reason.

Lemongrass (not pictured) - dug some up, potted last year.  It survived, and this winter, what we dug up is doing well, too.

We brought in our pot of Zaatar marjoram and so far, it is surviving.  Ditto with rosemary, which is not hardy in our climate.  And, one of my geranium pots is inside, also, for the third year.

So, all we can hope is that all goes well, that we don't kill anything, and we'll get a head start on spring.

Do any other of my readers do this?

9 comments:

  1. My planting period begins in later January and I am so excited for it!

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  2. ...you are more dedicated than I am.

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  3. No, if something can't survive on its own, too bad!

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  4. I've also had success and failure with cuttings. I guess it's a miracle of nature when they survive and grow. I like mysteries and miracles in life. It seems to me that life itself is a mystery and a miracle. Thanks for sharing your cuttings and hope - we all need HOPE.

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  5. We only have about five minutes of frost here, so many of my plants winter over. I'm grateful for that.

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  6. I am inspired! Will try this next summer!

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  7. Good luck. (We don't really frost here, so if I were a gardener, I wouldn't need to. I don't think.)

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  8. Have never tried to do cuttings. Hmmm.

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