The benefit of propagating my own plants carries over into the garden design area too. When people talk about garden design one particular concept always stands out: repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, echo...echo...echo. Short of spending thousands of dollars to repeat similar plant purchases I can root them at home. And again the money aspect pops in!
The other reason is insurance. Just consider plant propagation as a life insurance policy for the perennials. If you make a few copies of the original you have a backup in case one gets damaged by the cold weather, was planted in a bad spot, or gets devoured by deer (which has happened more than once to me!). I tend to plant my back-up plants in different areas of the yard which helps to increase the odds of survival. If one plant goes to plant heaven I just don't have to worry about finding a new one or spending any more money. It's funny how it all comes back to money!
Here are the cuttings I've taken so far this week:
- 'Husker's Red' Penstemon 4
- Salvia coccinea 'Texas sage' 3
- River Birch (Betula nigra) 4
- Kerria japonica 2
- Hydrangea 2
- Butterfly Bush 3
- Solidago (Golden rod) 2
- Heuchera 3 (this is an experiment to see how easily heucheras root from a leaf cutting with a little bit of the root crown attached. I tried this once last year and managed to root one heuchera but let it die due to negligence!)
I also potted up 7 'Walker's Low' Catmint rooted cuttings and 3 Monarda cuttings. It's a busy time of year but I love it!