Notes on Preparing the Garden for Winter, Part 2: Taking Cuttings

From Marion's Collection of Fuchsia

We are nearing the end of October and the days of working comfortably outdoors are numbered.

We have had a few lovely, sun-shiny days of late, but after a few hours in the garden the damp cold sneaks inside your shoes and numbs the tips of your fingers. Thankfully the warmth of the kitchen and a mug of steaming hot coffee are an easy remedy for getting chilled outdoors.

There is still lots to do: end-of-season bulbs bought at a discount yet to plant, leaves to rake and last minute projects to wrap up and complete.

As well as the usual chores, I have been experimenting with new ways to keep non-hardy plants going.

The Entrance to Marion Jarvie's Garden

A good part of the inspiration for these experiments comes from watching the video series with Carol Klein at work in her garden and Marion Jarvie's class on preparing the garden for winter.

Marion's collection of container plants

On the flag stone patio at the back her house, Marion has a pair of decorative urns and 

a very nice collection of plants in pots.

Marion's collection of container plants

Some pots contain annuals, but the majority are plants that spend the summer months vacationing on the patio and the winter months indoors or in the greenhouse that she has at the side of her home.

Marion's collection of container plants

Marion's fuchsias above and below

Fuchsia plants are not at all hardy here. In the past I have always bought new plants each spring, but this can get expensive. 

I was inspired to learn that Marion keeps her fuchsia plants going by taking cuttings and storing a few of her favourites in her greenhouse. 

Now I don't have a greenhouse, but I am able to take cuttings.

As well as taking cuttings from my fuchsias, I have also been experimenting with rosemary and coleus. 

I have learned that is best to take cuttings in the morning when the mother plant has the most moisture. When working with rosemary, I snipped off two inch segments from the tips of each of the plants in my herb garden and placed them in a glass of water while I continued to work. 

Then I took each cutting and removed all the leaves on the lower half of each shoot. 

At this point you can dip the end of each cutting in rooting hormone to help the cutting to root faster, but I skipped this step, and simply inserted each of my cuttings directly into moist potting soil (In each of my pots I used potting soil overtop an inch or so of fine gravel). 

Now I know I have hopelessly crowded the cuttings into a single pot, but in a month or two when the cuttings have rooted, I will repot them as needed. 

I put the potted cuttings in a bright window (avoid direct sun) and have been keeping an eye on them to insure the soil does not dry out. 

So far so good. 

The coleus cuttings which I did about a month ago seem to be showing fresh signs of growth. 

Fingers crossed I will have good sized plants come spring and will saved myself the expense of buying new ones.