i love free plants

We have lots of plants in our yard that I am quite fond of.  But, if I'm honest, I have a special love for the ones that were free. 

If you were around here last spring, you may remember that I rooted a bunch of plant cuttings.  I had previous experience with rooting geraniums, so I did lots of those, but I also tried some new plants- hydrangeas, Russian sage, and mums. 

They all worked!  I couldn't believe my luck at the end of the summer when I had pots and pots of new plants on the porch! 

But then came the real test- could they survive the winter outside?  I planted them all securely in the herb garden where they could huddle next to the huge oregano for warmth and hoped for the best. 

I am happy to report that when things started popping up out of the ground this spring, all the newly rooted plants popped up too!  I needed the space in the herb garden for- you guessed it- herbs, so I had to find new homes for everyone. 

Steve was kind (and strong) enough to dig a new bed for me along the side of our house.  It is about 12 feet long and ranges from one foot to three feet deep.  We did not buy a single plant for the new bed- we just filled it up with a few that needed to be moved from other spots in the yard and a bunch of the rooted cuttings. 

And now I'm hooked.  This spring, I am going to try to root a little of everything.  We don't even need more plants, it's just so much fun to make a whole new plant out of one small clipping!

Lest you think that the plant rooting around here stops at ornamentals, I will also tell you that we have a pineapple top growing roots in a jar of water on the kitchen windowsill.  It looks just as weird as it sounds- I'll share some pictures next week.

ps- Would you be a pal and vote for me in the Handmade Olympics today? My summer tote is a finalist in Event 1 and I'd just love to win!