In a Vase on Monday – the accidental propagator

This won't be your typical "In a Vase on Monday" post, I have no vase creation to share. What I do have however are plants – new plants, baby plants – it's all quite magical! You see I'm no propagation expert, in fact I'd say my skills are subpar, but through putting together Monday vase creations I've discovered many plants are quite easily rooted in water.

Above is my Ludisia discolor, below is a cutting included in a vase creation last February.

And that same cutting now...rooted! This was actually my second go at rooting a piece of this orchid, I'd discovered quite by mistake (when I broke a piece and stuck it in water) how easy they are to root and had purposely taken these cuttings to give to a friend.

These Begonia leaves remain looking good...

From this arrangement done mid-March.

I finally pulled them out of the vase to have a look-see and whad'ya know? Roots!

This Lysimachia paridiformis var. stenophylla leaf...

Which was part of an arrangement back in early January.

Is now a plant. When I dismantled the arrangement I noticed one of the leaves had started to form roots. Instead of tossing it I stuck in the soil of one of the stock tank containers just outside the back door. I gently tugged on it ever so often and it seemed to be strongly planting itself. The other day I potted it up and discovered indeed, it's got two new shoots.

Here's what mamma looks like now...

And what she'll look like this summer when she blooms.

Stachyurus salicifolius

From a Poinsettia Challenge display in December.

Yep it also formed roots and is now potted up and looking for a home (I've got a plant swap coming up next weekend with friends, no doubt I'll have a taker). Here's the mama plant...

Are you getting bored? Sorry. It's just so darn exciting to me that new plants are making themselves while in my care. There's only a couple more, I promise.

This trio was from early March.

The rest of the bunch is long since composted, but the Brachyglottis greyi just kept on looking good.

Yep...

This bit of Passiflora rovirosae never made it into an actual arrangement, it (and a couple of others) was just tucked into a vase that sat on top of the fridge for awhile. It rooted and I potted it up over the winter...

Now we'll see if I can get it to grow up and through this Trachycarpus wagneriensis, won't that be pretty if when it blooms?

My friend Peter has had great luck rooting Begonia luxurians in water...and now I've finally had success...

Lastly I've got a nice crop of χ Fatshedera lizei ‘Annemieke’ ready to be planted out.

They'd been rooting in a vase since Mother Nature broke the top off this plant in a windstorm last winter.

So that's my no vase Monday "In a Vase" post. For those participating with an actual arrangement visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. And Cathy...thanks for inspiring many of these propagation accidents!

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Porch, where shelter and nature converge

Last December, after we visited Seaside Gardens, we stopped at a little shop in Carpinteria called Porch. I've got a soft spot for retail establishments that mix interior and garden and remembered this place from a quick stop in 2009. But they tricked me and had moved!

No worries though, their new space is just as cool.

Only in Southern California would you find this sitting outside on December 23rd...

Inside there was just the slightest bit of Christmas cheer (note the "antler" vases).

All very natural, not overly played.

Andrew made a beeline for the gallery corner.

I really wanted this vase...

But we both found ourselves outside in quick time.

Excellent fluted containers...

I saw this at Potted just a day or so earlier, still haven't seen one up here in Portland.

The wind had tossed their taller plants around.

And some parts looked like the move had been recent, and the displays not fully thought out.

I've never really liked these pebble mats indoors – but outside with pea gravel they're pretty fabulous.

Oh California...you do Aeoniums so well...

Fun shop!

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Garden walk with me...

Portland just wrapped up a streak of sunny days in the (record breaking) high 80's. Weather like that means morning garden walks are mandatory. Care to join me?...

First flower of the year on the Grevillea x gaudichaudii!

With the Paulownia tomentosa cut back the Acacia dealbata reigns supreme.

But not for long, Pauley is making a come back...

The corner Loquat is putting on lots of new growth too, all the better to hide that annoying multi-colored garage (= thorn in my side).

Are you sensing a tree theme here? I don't know what got into me...I guess I was just tree-focused this morning. Maybe because I had just read that my friend Kate has planted 35 trees on her standard Portland lot and this got me thinking I should count how many I've planted. Or not. I could be like counting containers, somethings are better left unknown.

Anyway...here's another: Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida’ (Cutleaf Emperor Oak). I can't believe how much it grew last summer!

There are still a couple sprigs of pink foliage just emerging.

But for the most part it's all leafed out.

Remember the emergency surgery I performed on this Agave ovatifolia? It's all better now and you can hardy see the wound.

It's a Podophyllum peltatum explosion!

Some of you might remember I decided the Clematis tibetana var. vernayi had to go (just too vigorous). Sadly I never got around to that...

And now there's just to much going on to attempt a dig. I guess that's a project for fall.

The new growth on Pyrrosia sheareri is so fuzzy...

For some reason I had it in my head Epimedium wushanense turned that fabulous red/brown when temperatures cooled over the winter, and thus I was sad when it didn't happen. It must be the new growth that puts on the color show!

I thought we were going to get the "greenhouse" walls taken down last weekend. It didn't happen.

My over-wintered Anigozanthos are starting to push out flowers, yay!

I shared a similar photo of the Grevillea juniperina ‘Molonglo’ on Bloomday, but it's even more floriferous now.

The focus of this photo was supposed to be the Sonchus canariensis on the lower left (zig-zag leaves), its gonna bloom it's dandelion-on-steroids blooms!

The heat pushed every single bud on the second Magnolia laevifolia open, luckily they're holding up pretty well.

Clifford (Magnolia macrophylla) is at that awkward stage where the leaves are still growing and he looks so gangly...

Last month's favorite post was all about the plants that I suspected might be dead. I'm thrilled to say they've woken up since then, well all but the Colutea, it's still just a stick.

The Embothrium coccineum is covered with buds. Too bad they're all about 10 feet up in the sky where it's hard to see them.

Lots and lots of seed pods forming on the Grevillea victoriae 'Murray Queen'...G. ‘Poorinda Leane’ has been blooming just feet away. I wonder if they've mixed things up? (and don't these look like tiny bananas?)

It's time to clear out the holding tanks (aka the veggie stock tanks) and get these babies in the ground so I can start scheming on this year's vegetable garden. That's Aesculus hippocastanum 'Laciniata' (cut-leaf Chestnut) in the front.

First Brugmansia flower of the year! (almost)

The Bocconia frutescens (tree poppy) was getting so leggy that I took a chance and hacked it way back to bare wood. It's not bare any longer!

This is going to be fabulous!

Okay...that's enough garden goodness don't you think? I'll leave you with some darling Lewisia flowers. I hope you've been able to get out and explore your garden...

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.