Category: Cuttings

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Growth in rainbow beds during rain – July 1

This rain barrel normally catches rain during light storms but Thursday afternoon’s downpour was too much.
This barrel’s gutter downspout is often very aggressive and sure enough it hit the rain barrel perfectly.
After the downpour (and after work), I got bits of sedum to press into the mud. Hopefully they can root since it’s supposed to be in 80s for a few days longer at least.
If you zoom in, you can see I put two rows around each of the rainbow beds on the side slope.
You may also note that the zinnias are doing well!!
The back bed got smoothed down more by rain. See my previous post for how I continued shaping it on the next day (Friday). So glad I’m almost done with the major earth moving.
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More fresh babies

Some in front yard, some in back yard!

Cilantro seeded last fall in herb bed.

I forgot to take a picture of the seedling radishes in the front yard before it got dark. They were ones I planted before the big freeze, on Feb. 5.

Daily field trip continues for veggies and the wildflowers are doing well staying out all night too (n = 1 night).
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Field trip for veggies and new home for flowers

It’s warm and sunny in the day and cool but not hard freezes at night. I decided it’s time for plants to see the world!

The evening primroses, Rudbeckia fulgida, and Salvia greggii in their new home. I brought the veggies out for the day but forgot to take a picture before I brought them inside this evening.
Gram is too busy being cozy to worry about the new space opened up in the plant window.
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Insulation power of snow

We only made it to -8°F (-22°C — I only really comprehend cold in celsius because of my time in Canada being the previously only time I experienced cold this low) when I got up this morning around 7am.

The gallon jugs in the makeshift faucet boxes were both very cold but unfrozen so I have hope for the pipes in the adjacent walls.

I was really fascinated to see the frost on the window this morning. There’s frost right down until the snow that’s piled on the sill. That snow is only an inch or two thick because of the depth of the window sill outside. Gives me hope for the strawberries buried under the snow! (At least if the cold before the snow didn’t kill them.)
I left the plant window completely open to the house this morning: no curtains or cat shield plexiglass. It only got to 50°F but ice still on bottom metal and on lower glass surfaces.
Amazingly, yesterday’s affected eggplant and peppers have not died. I wonder if it was just ice at the very bottom of the pots, where it touched the metal? Fingers crossed they will continue to recover. The Salvia cuttings also seem hopeful.
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Unexpected freeze

One corner of the plant window froze!

The Salvia greggii cuttings and one set of seedlings got frozen. You can see how the dirt is expanded out! Seedlings lost were eggplants, bullnose pepper, and Craig’s grande jalapeño. You can see the plants just to the right appear to be fine with no frozen soil.
Juncos getting this morning’s sunflower seeds.
This one junco hopped around with snow on its back, presumably from overnight.
The heated bird bath is holding up well!
Several outside window sills show this neat layering from each round of snow yesterday.
The inside of several windows frosted. The blinds did a good job insulating in both directions! It all melts after I open the blinds.
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Window rearranging

Some guest plants are departing, so the Salvia greggii cuttings are moving into the plant window where it’s safer from the cat.

The extremely innocent young cat who definitely did not nibble and step on several seedlings causing the current fortification of the plant window and abandonment of the table as a plant staging area.
It looks like two or three of the five cuttings have “taken”, based on the new growth.
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Rooting Salvia greggii from cuttings in late winter

One of my front yard Salvia greggii got dug up or knocked over by something last year so I took a few cuttings on Jan. 9. As of Jan. 21 I saw some new growth. Today you can see which ones appear to be surviving. I did multiple because I am not always successful, even though I only need one.

The various jugs and containers are to keep Supervisor Gram out of my plants. You can see which of the cuttings are bright green and growing.
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Sedums for terrible rocky pile of old roots

These are not native or edible, but they sure will be useful to keep other plants out and shade the soil for my nearby strawberries and mealy blue sage. I planted some out near the curb last fall and today finally planted some rooted stems in a nook by our porch. There was a big sweetgum tree there lifting the foundation that we had to remove. This has left a weird combination of rotting roots, and probably several past owners’ worth of decorative pebbles AND wood mulch. A real great growing environment as you might guess.

That long silver thing is my stainless steel coated hose. This is necessary because the dog is so obsessed with the water hose that she punctured several heavy duty rubber ones while attempting to get them to be fun again. Thank you to Judy for these beautiful sedums!