The real gardener, that true enthusiast who is never happy unless he or she is outside digging the dirt, feels a great sense of frustration during the winter months when the garden is dormant. There is little to do indoors other than tend a few houseplants. Other than that you can peruse the seed catalogs or just wait. Peter Bowden writing on the Times Union website has found his answer in rooting cuttings which he demonstrates in this article.
Cutting class
Although these are some of the shortest days of the year, to the gardener, they seem the longest. In midsummer, when days are long, the hours fly by as we enjoy our gardens, yards and outdoor living. Now, the bright green world of summer seems an impossible dream. While daylight is short, we spend most of our time indoors. There are books to catch up on (just finished ?The Familiar??what a strange read that was), creating art for me, the intertubes, and TV. There?s not a lot of gardening to do other than browse the seed catalogs that roll in this time of year. However, there is one project I can enjoy now to get ready for spring?I can root some cuttings.
Seasonal survivors
Over the years, a few ?annuals? have wormed their way into the house in the fall. In the case of my miniature geranium ?Bird Dancer?, this has been going on since about 1988.
It all started with one plant in a 4? pot. The original plant is long gone but, by rooting cuttings I?ve been able to share and enjoy hundreds of its descendants?many of which get quite large. It has been a mutually enjoyable relationship.
This fall we rescued our gloxinia vine. This was a plant that astounded us. From a seedling purchased in a 4? pot, it grew to great height and was covered with lovely flowers.
The gloxinia vine is the one on the far right devouring the bar.
Gloxinia vine flowers?.just a few of the hundreds it produced over summer.
Since we?d planted it in the ground we weren?t able to rescue the whole thing so we took some cuttings before frost. We had nothing to lose. Lo and behold, they rooted quickly. It will be fun to have a few to play with in spring considering how large just one grew last summer.
See more at Times Union
