I've been waiting...

patiently. No, for real. I don't do patient very well. I want it now, exactly the way I want it. And there's no time for dillydally. But...there have been instances of patience in the garden. Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished is not just a phrase I include on my header images. It's what I needed to learn through gardening. On rare occasions, it's possible to see results.

A fig tree. My first ever grown from cuttings taken late one night just after Halloween. I call it the 6th St Fig. Beside it is a one year old hibiscus that's trying to over take it.



The figs have begun to ripen. I've eaten over a dozen so far, picked from the bush and barely chewed.



They really are delicious.



The story of this fig tree is not one of daily checking for roots. This one, I stuck in a wooden frame filled with sand. I put a few other things in there like honeysuckle, grapes, redtwig dogwoods, and a few other things I can't recall. The forsythia rooted. And so did this fig. I ignored it for a few months. I would water them if I remembered once every few weeks. I just didn't pay any attention to them. I was busy wintersowing and planting out that first year. I didn't have time to think about a few sticks. I kept myself and my mind busy, and nature was accomplished. Eventually I potted it up into a one gallon container. Last spring, when I created the Shrub Island, I planted it there. It's going to stay in that spot, even when the bed around it disappears. This winter, I'll take new cuttings to take with me.

Just across the path, I've got a Confederate Rose that has been in the same spot since the day it was planted. Yeah, amazing, I know. I wintersowed these fuzzy, ugly seeds one day in early 2008. I didn't think they were what I was looking for. But it is. Now if it will only bloom this year. It's over 7' tall already and still growing. I didn't water it this summer. I doubt the returning Camellia sasanqua next to it is doing it much good either. But there she is.



It all started by playing with plastic containers and dirt in the basement on cold winter nights. What I didn't know, I learned by doing, asking, and reading. At the store, my bevy of "old ladies" gave me some wonderful knowledge and plants from their gardens. Online, other gracious gardeners shared wisdom and inspired me. I've learned a lot here. I've learned a lot about me, too. I'm still learning patience. It ain't easy.

It's 72 degrees and cloudy. There is a certain chill in the air this morning. The still unmowed grass is wet with dew. The high today will only reach the low 80s. It's time to turn off the A/C and open the windows. Finally.

A Broken Record.

Remember when music came on large round sheets of vinyl? Remember when one of those black discs got a scratch and repeated the same couple seconds of music over and over? That's what the 10 day forecast reminds me of. More of the same, over and over. Somebody bump the jukebox, please.



In the basement, the cloner cuttings have responded well to fresh water.





The Confederate Rose cuttings taken from Carla's neighbor's yard are leafing out, finally. I wasn't sure they would make it. Seems they might actually be rooting after all.



It's 25 degrees and clear. The hoophouse dropped to 27 overnight. The sun has finally topped the trees out back. We're up to 28 already. I'm thinking I need to hit the thrift stores this week looking for a couple of old quilts. A little extra nighttime protection wouldn't hurt. I might even install some Christmas lights. I bet the neighbors will love that, a big green glowing tunnel in the backyard.

More firewood will be split before work today. At 6pm, it was 69 degrees upstairs with no electric heat being used. It's currently 64.

12:06pm - It's 39 degrees and windy, again. The hoophouse is at 77 and still rising. By 2pm, a little shade will fall across the surface causing the temperature to reverse and fall.

Regarding the cloner.

It's been nearly a year since I built my homemade cloner. I've learned a few things. Green, new growth from almost any plant will root in a matter of weeks. Hardwood cuttings fail. Always.

The last time I cleaned the cloner, I nearly filled it up with late fall cuttings of buddleia, knockout roses, salvias, and lantana. A few cuttings turned brown and died, probably due to lack of sterility than the method overall. Many more rooted and have been potted up into small containers destined to spend the winter under lights in the basement. The lantana previously known as Miss Huff has done the best. It's actively growing under lights. Cotoneaster and buddleia are just sitting there. If they survive til spring, they should become strong, healthy plants with a little care in hardening them off.

I've still got a few things that need to be potted, mostly lantana taken just before the hard, killing frost.



As a test for rooting roses, I took several Knockout rose cuttings. I don't plan to keep these cuttings as I don't need more of these plants. I just wanted to see if the cloner would help to root them. I seem to lose more rose cuttings than anything else using soil. Again, the sterility of the medium is my biggest obstacle. The knockouts have formed large calluses. No roots are visible yet. I'll give them another week to impress me.



Overall, I've been fairly successful with this contraption. In a few weeks, I'll trim the tender new growth from the overwintering brugmansias. It roots in only two weeks in the cloner. I'm also going to try Confederate Rose. The cuttings I rooted in water have been potted up for a few weeks. They've put out some firm growth, but are getting too large under the lights. Pruning them back will keep them in check for the next 3 months.

But before that, I'll need to sterilize everything again. I use a 1:10 bleach solution. The rollers soak overnight in the same mixture. The foam often has algae in the cells after a successful cutting is done. I wish I had a closed cell foam to use for the holders. Maybe I'll take another trip to the dollar store this weekend.

It's currently 27 degrees with a heavy frost covering the yard. The forecast calls for a high of 54. It's 66 degrees in the basement and rising slowly. When I went to bed, it was 81. Upstairs, it was 68 with no electric heat. I'm pleased.

12:02pm - 46 degrees and sunny. It doesn't feel that warm out, even in the sun. There's a definite chill in the air. I've got an hour before I leave for work. I've sorted and printed my wintersowing labels for the first round. I have 116 varieties I'm planning to sow next week. I need 20 more two-liter containers prepared by then.

It is raining like crazy.

So I've been in the basement most of the day. It's 55 degrees and pouring.

I had a couple bags of TopSoil. It's not the best stuff in the world to use, especially with indoor container plants. It compacts, has a lot of wood chips, and no nutrients.



So, like you do, I screened it.



Then added some perlite.



I've got a 5 gallon bucket of mulch now.



I repotted a lot of the brugs. The soil I used for those just wasn't re-wetting when I watered. I lost a few cuttings. I still have at least 16 of the yellow and white. I've got 6 nicely rooted pink cuttings. One is struggling.



I also potted the Confederate Rose. It's pouting.



There's lavender that rooted in the cloner. I'll move it out to the hoophouse when I put it up next month.



All told, I've only lost 6-8 cuttings so far. Everything is growing like nuts. I'm going to have to prune some things soon. It's so hard to toss the cuttings. I just know I'll stick them in the cloner and need another light rack by New Year's.



The larger brug cuttings are doing well too.



And because I was bored, and had the concrete, I've made a small birdbath that I'll bury in one of the beds in a few weeks. I topped it with sand and used an old light fixture shade to make the depression. The large bowl is smooth and I'm hoping the concrete slides right out when hardened.



It's almost time to eat now. It's been a fantastic day. Good music, good coffee, good plants, it's almost as nice as working in the garden itself.

I forgot. I also sowed seeds of Winterberry, collected on Thanksgiving day from a tree near my parents' house. I sowed more Cornus florida too. And then I sowed Frasier fir seeds collected from the Christmas trees at the store. And finally, Japanese Maples. I had them inside in a baggie. In just a week, I've had some mold develop. I hope they'll survive. Sorry Kris, I'll have to send you seedlings instead.

Flash floods, roots, and snow?

Last night, the National Weather Service issued flash flood watches for most of NC. They'll be in effect until the last band of storms pass through around 9pm this evening. It was supposed to rain all day today, but it appears the first storms didn't form until they were well north of us. Virginia is getting hammered right now. It's misting rain here.

While checking the weather last night, I noticed something odd.



Snow. Yep. If it happens, it'll be the earliest snowfall I can remember in 36 years. Last year, we had an early January snowfall that got all the meteorologists in a tizzy around here. It's too early! they all screamed. Global warming! they said. Weather patterns are changing for sure. Anyone that reads the Farmer's Almanac already knew that snow was being forecast for us in early December. We'll see if it holds true. Today's high should reach the mid 60s.

My to-do list today is short. My back, better yesterday, is bothering me a little this morning. I've got some things that need to be potted in the cloner. The first roots have appeared overnight on the Honeycomb buddleia cuttings. I'm very happy about that. More should appear over the next week. Lavender, cotoneaster, and other buddleia are ready to be potted and placed under lights.



In water for more than a month, the Confederate Rose is rooting nicely too. Top growth has been dramatic over the past week. The wood heater warms the basement to the mid 80s when the fire is really roaring. I'm sure that has something to do with it.



I've also got a few seed packs to sort and label. I need to take a quick trip to the Post Office. And there's coffee to drink. Lots of coffee. It's cloudy and 43 degrees.

Soggy

It's still raining. Overnight, the rain gauge collected 1.25". The ground, already squishy from Ida's 7 inches, is now soggy. The thermometer stands at 48 degrees.

Some plants just don't know when to quit.



In the cloner, the best rooters this round are butterfly bush and cotoneaster.



The high today should be in the 50s. Rain clearing out overnight but clouds remain through Tuesday night. It's warm and dry inside with a fire roaring in the basement.

3:56pm - I started working on the kitchen after running a couple errands. While out, I picked up two large pieces of Confederate rose from Carla's neighbor. She has several that start out white and turn pink. I chopped them to a foot each and put them in water to root. There's more than a dozen cuttings from those two branches. The purple queen was stuck yesterday. It'll root quickly in water.



In the kitchen, I used the heat gun to remove the paint from the window and I started on the door into the mudroom. I made a new windowsill from leftover pine boards. When I went to the router to ease the bottom edge, I rounded over the wrong edge on about 6" of it. I chopped that off and replaced it with a new piece. It's glued and clamped. In the morning I'll finish it once the glue is dry and I can sand it smooth.

Lovely view, eh? Hanging on that old clothesline is a rug that I assume is from the apartment on the left. Its been hanging there since the spring. I'm thinking it might just get gone one late night this week. Obviously, I would never do such a thing, but I know people.





I got the last three pieces of beadboard installed as well. The outlet that was giving me trouble fit once the 3/8" plywood was added to the wall. The box is attached to the concrete block behind the plaster.



It's still moist out. The temperature is 50 degrees and holding. The basement is 79 degrees. Upstairs, it's 64. I wonder if heavy drapes would help with the heat loss? This evening, I'll sort more seeds. Back to work tomorrow.

7:47pm - I finished the windowsill. The scraped frame needs sanding. Bondo was used on some really bad spots.



Ya'll are funny. I don't take any vitamins. I drink about 4 cups of coffee and put on some music.

Problem Child

Under the dining room window, on the front of the house, there's a bed that gets little sun. Any rain that falls runs off the soil and into the "lawn" area in the front yard. This bed is a very dry, shady spot where little grows well. Not even the privet seedlings can take hold here.

Last winter, I amended the soil with leaf mulch and wood bark from the landfill. This morning, I mulched around my two rooted gardenias, the single rooted Aucuba, and the tea olive I planted. Nandinas have always (and will forever) be here. The camellia was one I chopped down in the spring of 2008, as I didn't know what it was then. It's been recovering since then, but it's being slow. It's a sasanqua, I believe.



I still need to do something with the front steps.



The coleus and impatiens were getting ragged. The cold mornings have taken their toll. They came out. I need two more bags of mulch for this bed. The tiny hostas I wintersowed and planted out in July are still very small. I don't expect them to come back next year, but I have been wrong before, once.





With rain in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, I raked and collected another sack of leaves for the upper potager. I'll spread horse manure over this bed on Thursday if the rain stops by then. If not, it will be another week or more before I have a chance to get out there.



I've already started spreading wood ashes on the lower potager. There'll be lots more over the winter for all the beds. I noticed last year that I had fewer slugs where I had spread ashes too.



I resprayed the periwinkle on the front slope.



Much of it seems to be dying.



Not a foot away, other plants are rebounding happily.



In the basement, the confederate rose cuttings are doing well. The brugs are doing better. I'll pot the brugs sometime this week. The CR will remain in water a bit longer.



Lots of leaves still to fall in the backyard. I think I want the fence to be purple, like the shutters and doors.



It's 63 degrees and overcast. The high today should be in the mid 70s again. Wednesday, we'll be lucky to break the 50s. Three more wheelbarrows of wood have been moved into the basement. I need to spend some time very soon splitting more of the cut pieces for the rest of the winter. The low last night was 39 according to AccuWeather.com.

This is the end...

The killer awoke before dawn. He put his boots on.







The basement smells great this morning.



The Ecuador white that was supposed to be a yellow is now the subject of a test. I plan to leave it to the elements to see what happens. I have plenty of white cuttings and will take more from the new growth over the winter.



I cut down Kongmansia. This one was a purchased plant and has done nothing all year. Spider mites have attacked it since the day I planted it.



It's alone in the living room window to see if it will root. I want to keep it isolated even though I treated it yesterday. I need to clean my windows too.



The largest stalk of the Confederate Rose was cut down too. I've never successfully rooted these, so we'll see what happens. I was able to grow two of these from seed this year. They were wintersown in late March. The other one has performed poorly in the perennial bed, being planted out not long after I injured my leg.



They are supposed to root easily in water. I stuck one in the cloner, the other three are being treated like brugs. White bumps should form and grow into roots.



I took cuttings of white lantana, Miss Huff lantana (she has thorns!), Provence lavender, and rosemary. Again, lots of trial and error here. My fingers smell of rosemary.



It's 50 degrees up from a low of 37 last night. Tonight, mid 30s and probably a light frost will settle. I've got a few more things to do before work this morning. Most notably, I want to move more of the firewood into the basement.



11:03am - Three wheelbarrows of wood have been transported to the basement. Lots more left out there. I got bored with that pretty quick and decided to do something more destructive. I set the two outer posts for my backyard "gate".





On Thursday, the concrete should be set well enough to attach the two fence panels I bought this summer for $1 each. Still not sure about the color they'll be painted.



Between the two center posts, copper pipe, removed from the basement a few weeks ago when all new plumbing was installed, will be used as a trellis for some scrambling annual vine. I'm thinking morning glories.



Only a little pineapple sage is left. I had to chop down 6 plants to make room for the posts.



I didn't bother taking cuttings. I did collect another batch of seed.



Having a late breakfast of bagel and cream cheese. Working late again this evening. I have another hour I could spend in the yard, but there's very little I can do right now.