Time for Cuttings

To a gardener, fall is time to think of spring.

Both Maria and I have been collecting seeds for next year and it will soon be time to start taking cuttings for over-wintering.

The double pink impatiens is a plant I have nursed through the seasons for about a decade now. The original plant came from Municipal Parking Lot 6, where it was discarded by workers. I saved it and since have produced hundreds of new plants with the help of Mother Nature.

Last winter, the plants were doing well on my enclosed porch, but an invasion of white flies nearly did them in as the weather warmed up. I was sure my run of luck with this plant was over.

But the sickly survivors soon recovered after being set outside. It took a while for them to start blooming, but once they did, they became the stars of a small garden by the front entrance of our building. Non-gardeners mistake the lush blooms for roses. Here they are combined with white sweet alyssum and black mondo grass (a relative of turf lily) to set off their bright pink color.

If you haven't tried taking cuttings of impatiens, coleus or other easily-rooted annuals, give it a try. Make three-inch cuttings and strip off lower leaves. Set the cuttings in moist vermiculite or just plain water and wait for roots to develop. Once there is good root growth, pot the cuttings in Miracle-Gro or other potting soil. You can start with just a few, then take cuttings from those plants as they develop. With care and some luck, you can take your indoor crop through the winter and early spring. After the last frost, take them outside to a sheltered spot to get used to the outdoors.

Once you see new growth, put them where you want them (impatiens like some shade) and enjoy the results of your efforts all summer!

--Bernice Paglia