Archive for March, 2006
I really want to set up a pond in my yard. This is something that I’ve been yearning to do for years. I’ve got the perfect spot picked out. It’s under a weeping cheery, nestled between 2 large surface roots. Ahh…
From the book Your Plants:
CHAPTER XIV.
AQUATICS — WATER LILIES.
The native Water Lilies that abound in many of our lakes, ponds, and rivers, are more or less familiar to all. They grow up year after year through the placid waters, unfolding their blossoms of spotless purity to the silent stars, and after a short while, disappear, to return at another favorable season. The American Water Lily, Nymphæa odorata, has flowers of a yellowish-white, and an odor that is peculiar and pleasant. The size of the flowers averages three to four inches across.
Now for a look at this advanced method of plant propagation. Of course, it applies to the woody plants:
CHAPTER XII.
GRAFTING.
Grafting is a simple art, that both old and young should become acquainted with and be able to perform. In my garden there had stood, for a number of years, away in a corner by itself, a wild apple tree, which had sprung up from the seed; it always bore fruit, but of a worthless character, so sour and insipid that even the swine refused to devour it when it was thrown to them. I became tired of seeing this tree, and resolved to change its nature.
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I love hanging baskets. Today’s reading provides a great listing of plants that do wonderfully in baskets:
CHAPTER XIII.
HANGING BASKETS.— WARDIAN CASES AND JARDINIERES.
Hanging Baskets for plants are made of different materials, and in a great variety of forms. Some are made of wire, others of clay, and ornamented with fancy mouldings, etc. Very pretty baskets in rustic style are made by covering the outside of a wooden bowl with fantastic knots and roots; this makes a pleasing basket, but we know of none so desirable as the old style semi-globular wire basket, when properly filled.
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Plant lovers know that there are 2 plant propagation methods: Sexual Propagation and Asexual Progation. The former method involves the seeding or sporing process. In this post, we’ll focus on the asexual progation techniques.
Common techniques include stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, division of bulbs, corms, tubers, roots and stems), layering (air and ground), root cuttings, leaf bud cuttings and cane sections.
More advanced techniques include grafting, budding, and tissue culture.
Let’s take a peek at how layering was done in the 1800s:
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