Propagation heaven

Especially when it's Autumn.

I've been propagating everything in sight!

The cuttings are all tucked away in their plastic houses lined up along the potting shed veranda.
I have resisted peeking inside, thinking that while there are water droplets they must be okay.

This little batch were successful and grew roots. I have potted them up and they are now holidaying in the...........

......magnificent mini glass house!
 They are sharing accommodation with the potted lemon seedlings, twelve red carpet rose cuttings and 26 Royal Dumble red salvia cuttings.

Bill made it out of bits and pieces from his stash including the piece of glass, so the box was really made to fit the glass.
And then while he was on a roll, he made this.....

.....a potting table made from pallets.
It couldn't be more perfect.


Prior to the building frenzy, Bill had been out gathering horse poo from our paddocks which he then put through the mulcher. We will use it everywhere. It's a great soil conditioner.

I dug a clump of daffodil bulbs from the roundabout bed and planted them en masse around our Frog Pond Farm sign.  There were 84 of them altogether all growing on top of each other. Once again that would have originally been just five bulbs many years ago.

More multiplying..... this time a plant called Phlomis russeliana.

(The photo is from Lambley nursery. )
The stems grow to 100 cms tall and are covered in  gorgeous pale lemon flowers.
I planted one in Spring 2011 and today I dug it up to separate. Now I have 20 plants! I will let them grow on in the pots and plant them out in Spring  en masse.

This is Artemisia absinthium. Also known as True wormwood. 
It has created a perfect grey leafed plant in the rose garden.

I took lots of cuttings from it and planted them straight in the ground here at the back of the bed.

It's always a struggle to get anything to grow here at this end of the house.

This year I will keep it simple........
               * Red flowering carpet rose ( already there and does fairly well but have taken lots of cuttings to plant en masse)

                *Lavender ( will be different)
                *Wormwood ( will be different)
...and this exceptionally tough ground cover called                   *Marrubium ( already there so dug up bits with roots and repeat planted)

Grey, lavender and red...en masse.


I adore liliums.
 They are quite expensive to buy as bulbs and I wanted to try propagating them this year.

I hadn't been game enough to dig them up before, so held my breath as I dug in......

It was very exciting to see what had been going on down there!

 The little bulblets were everywhere. 
I couldn't believe my eyes.
They all got planted back in the ground en masse.
Can you just imagine the display if they all grow!!!!

I had researched growing the scales from around the bulb ( they peel away just like an onion). It said to put them in damp vermiculite in a ziplock bag. They start growing roots apparently.
So I did!

They have gone into the mini hothouse.

Darling little boy. He keeps sending Bill text messages with scary faces!