All the Dirt on Gardening

Willow Tree Cutting Every year around this time I take cuttings of plants that I want to have more of next year, including Coleus, Brown Turkey Fig, Pineapple Sage, Nepeta Walkers Low and Forsythia. Plus, I take cuttings of plants that have done well over the last few mild winters but may not thrive in a colder year. That list includes Lavender, culinary Sage, Rosemary and Flowering Quince. This year I want to try Viburnum because the variety we have is loaded with flowers and pollinators in the spring. Growing plants from stem cuttings is the most common propagation method and the steps are not complicated. You will need sharp cutting tools, such as pruners, that have been cleaned with 10 percent bleach solution or rubbing alcohol. Fill clean planting containers with planting medium such as sand, vermiculite, perlite and/or potting soil. Water and allow it to drain. Forsythia shrub cuttings  To make a flower pot greenhouse, insert chopsticks into the soil and cover...

September is a busy month for gardeners. Here is a checklist of things to do. Avoid spraying plants where butterfly caterpillars are feeding. Walk around the garden with pruners and insecticidal soap in hand. Check for insects and diseases, taking care of things as you see them. Watch for butterfly caterpillars and avoid spraying insecticide on plants where they are feeding. Collect seeds of butterfly weed, zinnias, vining black-eyed Susan, marigold, morning glory, 4-O’Clocks, peppers, tomatoes, coriander, basil, coreopsis, Rudbeckias, sunflowers, rue, etc. Harvest herbs to dry, freeze and make into products. Pick fall fruit in the evening to avoid insects such as wasps. Identify perennials to divide when the weather cools, including: Daylilies, Asiatic lilies, peony, tall garden phlox, iris, lily of the valley, dahlias, ornamental grass, etc. Take stem cuttings of tender plants that you want to put out again next year. This list includes coleus, lave...

Mexican Sage is one of those incredible plants that returns each year in our zone 7 even though it is not supposed to (it's cold hardy to zone 8 but shhh it doesn't know). And, we are grateful. It isn't much of a show-off plant here as it is in other climates but the hummingbirds love it just the same.   It's actually native to Central America as well as Mexico. Some call it Velvet Sage because the leaves are velvety to touch.   Easy to grow, easy to propagate and easy to root divide, it is a total winner! The white flowers emerge from the lavender calyx. Hummingbirds seek it out as a food source.    Mexican Bush Sage grows 3-5 feet by 3-4 feet, tall and wide in full sun. Afternoon shade is provided here. Hardy in Sunset Zones 12-24, H1, H2. It is advised that you cut it back to the ground in the fall. After pruning, mulch it against heaving freezes (hardy to 15-degrees).   Pot those cuttings to make more plants!   There ...