Creating roses from cuttings is a good and cheap way to stock up the roses in your garden. The ‘junior roses” will have the same attributes as the respective parent plant (as it is a genetic clone of the parent), so you can easily multiply roses of the type you like best.

Create roses from cuttings. An How to.

It’s best to create cuttings a bit later in the year (early to late summer), as a dormant rose will not form roots and new leaves, thus being vulnerable to mold. For doing so, cut of branches about ten to fifteen inches long from the old plant and stick them deeply into the soil – circa half of the complete branch should be covered by soil. You best cut large leaves off or cut them in half, as they would consume a large amount of energy that your new rose may not be able to supply.

I found it handy to cover the cutting with a preserving glass put on top of the cutting so that moisture is retained inside and the plant is protected from harsh weather and pests. The soil should, however, not be too moist, as cuttings are easily attacked by fungi. If everything goes alright, new buds will form in between one week and one month!

By the way, you don’t necessarily have to cut of branches from your own roses, but may take those from cut flowers etc.

For all of you who want to start plants from seeds and later transplant them into your garden (or larger pots): A great way to start seeds is to use biodegradable containers. They have the advantage that you’ll avoid harming the roots when you would normally pull them from the soil and plant them at their new spot – you can instead just move the whole container, which will in time decompose. Voilà!

I found a great video on youtube that also offers a d.i.y. approach for creating your own containers:

If you think that it’s a bit over-complicated to fold the containers by yourself, you could also use egg cartons instead.

Chrysanthemums (or “mums”) are among the most attractive shrubs you can have in your garden. Not only do they feature large, colorful blossoms – their blooming period is also quite late in the year (usually from September to October in ), so they are a perfect addition for the later months in the year when other plants already begin to fade. As chrysanthemums are rather unappearing when they’re not blooming, you should try to combine them with other shrubs that have earlier blooming periods (i.e. roses).

Although chrysanthemums originally stem from the warmer climates of southern China, modern varietes are cold-hardy enough to be kept outdoors (although there are some special exhibition varieties for which this does not apply). They’re generally quite tough when it comes to climate, nutrient levels and pH. The modern varieties differ greatly in blossom shape, color and height. Mums are often classified by their blossom shape, which may for example be of the “anemon”-type with centers (disk florets) covered in shorter, darker petals or of the “button”-type, where the outer florets form a rather short, tight ball of many curling petals. Your choice may be limited by the supply kept be gardening centres; you’ll need to order plants if you want a special type.

When and how should I plant new chrysanthemums?

You should wait with purchasing and planting chrysanthemums until April, at least (most chrysanthemums sold in gardening centres come from heated greenhouses and are in no shape for cold weather). On the other hand, I’dd advise you to buy them not later than two months before September, so you may still enjoy the blooms once the plant got used to its new spot.

When planting, you should be careful to place the rootball a bit higher than usual and to fill the hole you dug with enough loose organic matter for good drainage.

Of course, buying whole plants is not the only option. On the one hand, you may sow seeds (which can be started indoors and be transplanted outside after about one month); on the other, you can propagate them by cuttings or plant division. For cutting, choose branches that are about five inches long, place them in water and plant them afterwards in moist peat (best with support of wires); for plant division, you should dig out the plants before spring, pull or cut them apart and choose the healthy divisions for new spots. Remember to pinch the new plants early to ensure a bushy and tight appearance.

How to care for my?

Light:

Chrysanthemums need a lot of sun (at least half a day), so try not to plant your flowers in the shadow of trees or buildings. If sunlight is limited in your garden, I’dd advise you to pick other flowers – it’s just discouraging if your mums don’t get the growth and look you wished for. As ‘mums bloom once the sunhours are getting less, it’s possible that the availability of light at night (for example from streetlamps) may irritate them – I can, however, not confirm this from my own experience.

Water:

The plants are easily hurt by mildew if they’re too wet. Try to plant them in higher places where water may easily run of (f.e. a raised bed).

Soil:

Soil with large portions of clay keeps water from running of, which is harmful to the chrysanthemums. You should try to add as much organic matter as possible to your soil in this case.

[You can measure the level of sand/clay amounts if you grab a handful of medium-dry soil and see what happens if you form a ball from it in your hand – if it falls apart at once, your soil is sandy; if it retains its form, it contains much clay.]

PH:

Chrysanthemums have no special needs when it comes to soil acidity– a pH between 6 and 6.5 should work just fine, but they also accept slightly alkaline soil.

Nutrients and fertilizer:

I’ve made the experience that concerning soil nutrient levels, chrysanthemums are rather undemanding. The usual portion of compost – one bucketful per square meter applied to your soil in spring – actually suffices (unless nutrients are easily washed away in your soil because it’s sandy or the weather is extremely rainy). If you wish for a long blooming phase it’s helpful to support them with extra liquid fertilizer.

Winter care:

Although most varieties are frost-hardy, you can help them coming through the winter by letting the old foliage remain on the branches, covering them with a bit of straw and the soil around them with enough mulch to keep the worst cold out. You can also pot them and put them inside or in protected areas of your garden.

Pests:

Chrysanthemums are prone to be attacked by insects (especially by plant bugs, aphids and also leaf-spot). You should check for insects and mould carefully and take prompt measures. Applying organic insect spray in spring – while they’re still dormant – is advisable at least.

Pruning:

If you prefer bushy, tight shrubs, you should start to prune your chrysanthemums in spring (before their buds swell) and continue to do so until mid-summer, but not later – you should do so even though your plants may still be rather small.

By the way, ‘mums are also used as ingredients for flower tea (combined with green tea) or wine in Asian countries such as China, Korea and Japan, which is a little extra feature you can try if you’re growing chrysanthemums. I’m looking forward to your comments – I’m especially curious if any of you had any problems with insects or mould?

March is the in-between of gardening months: While spring is just one step away, it can still be cold and frosty – in general, the weather is changing a lot. Depending on where you live, soils can still be hard so it’s no fun to turn vegetable beds over and to dig holes for new plants.

But there are still some important tasks than can and should be done right now. Today, I’ve compiled 13 tasks that will help you to start a successful gardening year 2012 right now!

1. Wait until the time is ready
   While a sunny day may tempt you to pull-through all the tasks you set for yourself in 2012: Keep patient! Especially the planting of blooming bulbs depends on the climate – you could start now if you live in northern California or even warmer climates, but gardeners from colder regions should wait for at least another month.
2. Test and amend your soil
   Tests of pHand nutrient levels can be underdone, as you should have applied fertilizer in late autumn and want to test the results (so you can see if further amendments are necessary). Check for your pH – which should be between 6 and 7.5 unless you need acidic or alkaloid soil for special plants – and the level of nutrients; if nitrogen, phosphorous or potassium are lacking, your only choice is to use artificial fertilizer (as it takes some time for organic matter to dissolve in the soil).
3. Tidy up your garden
   Performing the “boring” tasks such as tidying up your garden now will help you to save time you’ll need in the coming months. Remove remaining dead leaves and debris and fertilize your soil with about one standard-bucketful of compost per square meter and apply a new (thin) layer of mulch. You should generally only remove mulch step by step to get your plants used to the warmer temperature (otherwise the cold temperatures still possible in march may harm them).
4. Mind your indoor plants
   March is the right time to seed, repot and feed your indoor plants; the increasing temperature and longer sun cycles causes them to sprout, so you should try to optimize the preconditions for a good growth. You should also worry about the plants you eventually kept in a greenhouse such as chrysanthemums or geraniums. Prune them carefully and repot them in time.
5. Outdoor plants can be started inside
   You can start the seeds for warmth-loving vegetables such as potatoes, peppers or cucumbers on your windowsill or in a greenhouse. For ornamental flowers, consider the fact that some annuals take up to 3 months to bloom (such as snapdragons or petunias). You can start them indoors and later transplant them to your garden.
6. Start growing vegetables
   If you want to have an early harvest of your self-grown vegetables or plan to have two harvests this year, you can start the following perennials and annuals at the end of this month: Cauliflower, Leek, Radish, Asparagus, Rhubarb and Artichokes. If you live in a warmer climate, cabbage and potatoes are an option around the end of march.
7. Start your compost
   Due to the low temperatures in winter, the activity in your compost (if you have one) will be on hold. Try turning your compost pile over to get it to heat up – this allows you to earlier add compost as organic matter to your soil (i.e. a raised vegetable bed). You can also start a compost pile now – there will be plenty of dead material such as twigs you’ll be able to find in your garden.
8. Planting new shrubs
   Depending on your climate (and therefore the hardness of your soil) you can already plant still-dormant shrubs like roses or peonies. The time is also perfect for dividing clumps of perennials that have grown too thick during the last year (only if the buds haven’t swelled). While you’re at it, remove plants that no longer fit your garden plan.
9. Control for pests
   You may control for pests by spraying lime sulphur while your plants are still dormant. Be careful to choose warm and rather windless days; cold temperatures will freeze the sulphur, thus harming your plants, and windy days will make it harder to apply it at the right spots. Lime sulphur os organic and will be a good protection for your plants (especially roses).
10. Worry about slugs
    Slugs usually start to appear in march – if you have bulbs or other perennial plants in your soil, protect them by taking the slugs away by hand and/or applying repellent.
11. Look after your bulbs
    You can feed bulbs with special bulb fertilizer or bone meal once their leaves first push out of the ground – this will help them to bloom better next year. By the way, cutting of the blooms of bulbs will make them save their energy for next year; you could do so for some of your perennials to make sure you’ll get fine plants next year.
12. Kill weeds early
    When the first weeds start to appear, pull them out or spot-kill them with a flame gun. It’s much better to perform this task now than later in the year, when most weeds will already have rooted (or seeded) and taken precious nutrients from your plants.
13. Repair your lawn
    If there are damaged areas in your lawn, you should rake the soil and add a spring feeding of either well-composted manure or all-appliance fertilizer (depending on whether you prefer organic gardening). You should over-seed the damaged areas after the fertilizer has had time to soak in.

Performing these tasks will give your plants a good head-start into the garden season. Of course, one other thing (and perhaps the most interesting) you can do this early in the year is to make a plan of the changes you’d like to make during this year.

For me it’s always inspiring to have a look at photos of gardens posted by others online. Stay tuned until next time!

Are there more important or interesting things to do this month? Or do you want to read more about one point? – Please leave a comment.

I know, its written on most packaging of the seed, but I often got e-mails from friends and readers asking, wehen they should plant or seed their vegetables. Here I’ll give you some quick advices:

thevegetablegarden.info offers a great guide to at (approximately) what time you can start to plant which crops: planting schedule ( click here ). For example for me (in Indiana) this would be from late march to april, or even later for less frost-hardy crops like cucumber. This information is particularly important if you want to have maximum yields on your vegetable patch and plan to grow two times (in spring and in autumn).

If you’re living in a rather cold zone but still want to harvest more than once per year, I recommend to plant annuals like peas, carrots or lettuce in seed starter boxes inside your house and to set them outside once the weather is turning towards summer(the same can be done with fast-growing but tender perannials like tomatoes). This method not only allows for an earlier planting season – you can also grow more plants in your patch as you only replant the healthy plants.

This website should be a community, where everybody can share his experience. So, when do you seed/plant? please leave a comment