Propagation

The cloner needs to be cleaned. I've got two rooted cuttings that can be potted up. The rest of the material still inside will be dealt with. Four oakleaf hydrangea cuttings have developed white bumps on their stems beneath the papery bark. I'll be potting them into soil today even though they have no true roots yet. It's how I managed to make this work last year, so I'm giving it another go.

Once clean, I'll be walking around the yard looking for things to mangle. I don't ask a plant if it has a patent or not. I just play with what I have in my own yard. Salvia caradonna has lovely deep purple stems that play well against the foliage. I've never tried this salvia before. We'll see what happens.



Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' will also be stuck. I tried this earlier in the spring when I was pinching these plants, but the cuttings died. I think I need to increase the 'off' cycle on the air pump. Salvias tend to rot if exposed to too much water.



I would consider trying this blue Salvia farinacea "Blue Bedder". But it reseeds so easily, I don't think taking cuttings is worth the effort.



The long view. Standing at the top of the first set of stairs, this is the area known as the Perennial Bed. It's almost 2 years old at this point. I started adding plants in the summer of 2008. Right now, the majority of blooms are in the blue and pink families. Reds, yellows, and oranges will arrive in summer. There's a lot of foliage in there right now.



It's 64 degrees. The high today will reach almost 90. Starting Friday, there's a chance of rain in the forecast for the next 5 days. No chance today. The soil is already dry again. I'll be watering the potager this morning, as well as the seedlings I planted out yesterday.

10:10am - The cloner is clean and new cuttings have been stuck. I used 24 styrofoam cups to pot up the several rooted cuttings and the oakleaf hydrangeas. I hope they root. I have a pending trade with a gardener in Texas for some purple irises if I can succeed. The mother plant is slowly coming back from the roots, again.

I also stuck several types of sedums from the upright to the groundcovers. I want to turn the area around the yellow yucca into a succulent bed. It seems to be the one thing I'm missing in my garden. Hot and dry all summer, the area should be perfect for sedums. I've got a nice range of plants thanks to Jim and Jason as well as a couple of purchases last year.

It's 77 degrees and muggy.

New blooms.

The red clover in the meadow is nearly done. The wind and rain has trampled it down pretty good. The seeds are forming. I'm tempted to rip out most of the plants, but I want to let this area do its thing. Cosmos are up and growing even without rain. I'm watering once a week with the sprinkler.

New larkspur blooms are open in the perennial bed.





Blue Bedder salvia, grown from seed last spring and overwintered, is budding.



The roses along the front bed parallel to the driveway look great. These are knockouts. Sunny Knockout is growing faster than the pink or reds.



At the base of the dead oak tree, a new fungus appeared last night. I didn't notice it yesterday as I walked around the yard watering new plantings.



It's 59 degrees. The humidity stands at 93%. The high today will reach the low 90s. No rain in the 10 day forecast, again.