The Trouble With Tribbles

When I first planted Artemesia versicolor (the seafoam sage) it looked so good that I wanted more. I took a number of cuttings, but none rooted. I tried several times that summer, only to watch after several weeks, the cuttings turn black. Seeing adventitious roots near the bottoms of the stems, I took cuttings low down, and failed again. I ended up purchasing a couple more plants. The following year, in early spring as I was cutting the plants down for the spring cleanup, I realized that the plants spread, and in doing so, rooted at the base of the stems. I discovered that division was easy. So easy in fact, that now I have more of the plant than I know what to do with. I had to throw away a bunch of divisions (gasp!) as the plants aged, needed to be divided and old woody centers discarded. This is when I discovered the trouble with tribbles. What to do with all those healthy divisions? You can only give away so much. Then there’s the compost pile. Ah well.

Propagating plants is one of the most joyous things that I do. Finding that first root coming out of the bottom of a pot of cuttings, or that first seed sprouting is as exciting as seeing that first bloom, and sometimes, dare I say it, even more thrilling. It is more satisfying than making divisions, the results of which seem a foregone conclusion though producing a more uniform appearance in the garden since with cuttings the mother plant is large and the cuttings are small. But dividing plants seems to be much more limited in the numbers possible to produce (not that I need numbers).

Of course, because taking cuttings is a chancy effort, more so in some plants than others, I take many more cuttings than I’ll actually need. Then there’s the problem of what to do with the extras once they are rooted. It’s better to have more success than hoped for than less, since less leaves gaps in the plan. But it is overwhelmingly heartbreaking to throw out the rooted cuttings. After all, I had watched them for weeks, sometimes months, attending to their every need and begging, BEGGING, them to put down roots. Then, when they do, how can I throw them out? Ingrate.

Recently I’ve been experimenting with rooting cuttings of desert willow (Chilopsis linearis). I’ve had trouble with these for years, but this year I’ve discovered a method that is nearly foolproof. Now, in just a few months, I have a dozen tiny trees, and room for...none.

So I’ve been thinking about the idea given limited funds, what plants I would choose for a garden that I could produce with a few plants and the ability to grow cutting, seed, or division. Obviously, the cuttings would be from plants that are too variable from seed. The plants that I find most satisfying to grow from cuttings would have to include Salvia greggii - it is so fast that given a single four-inch pot, there can be dozens of good-sized plants by the end of a single summer. Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’ is a joy to throw cuttings from (and although I believe “throw” is the proper term, in this case it is almost literally true), since roots form within a week and plants grow quickly. One year I had a storm and it knocked a branch off. I found two completely wilted pieces in the sun the next day. I put them in a glass of water and a few hours later they perked up. They both rooted. Unfortunately, since I have limited room, and plants grow quite large (four feet tall and wide) there is room only for one. I was pleased to discover that the turkish speedwell,Veronica tauricula, is quick to produce roots from cuttings taken in the spring. I also discovered that Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ seems to produce roots faster than it takes the potting mix to settle in the pot. Rosemary is surprisingly easy from cuttings, though some cultivars are more difficult than others. It takes a few weeks for these to produce roots.

More challenging (but because of this, more satisfying) plants, include the lavenders. The first year I took cuttings, it took several months to see the first roots, and by then it was late fall and I had to coddle the tiny plants indoors over the winter. Penstemon linarioides takes a while from cuttings, dividing the plants is more reasonable, and this year I had an overwhelming crop of self sown seedlings. Penstemon heterophyllus has a high rate of success, although it takes some months. I’ve had variable success with Euphorbia characias and the hybrid ‘Red Wing’. I think I might be doing better this year, as the excitement of the day was a root peeking out of the drain hole of a pot of cuttings (see above).

For many plants, of course, cuttings won’t work. Grasses for example. Fortunately most grasses are easy to divide. Trees. Many trees are impossible to propagate from cuttings. These would need to be purchased.

Growing plants from cuttings is so satisfying that it’s making me think about doing it as a business. But that would take the joy out of it, and put the pressure on. So, maybe not an option.