Kerria Japonica

     This is a very interesting shrub I actually bought through a mail order catalog 8 years ago and all they sent me was a twig. My first reaction was "are you for real?".  Let me tell you that the word "invasive" should have been included with its description but it has become one of my favorite early spring flowering plants.

     Both pictures I have on this post were taken in the last week of April. They are both about 3-4 feet in diameter with plenty of sucker offshoots from around the base. I dig these up and transplant somewhere else to take over. New offshoots will grow quickly so make sure to plant it in a place where it has plenty of room to expand. These plants do well in shade or sun, the top picture is in a shady spot and I find that better. After the flowers have faded I give it a hard prune back to about one third its original size.

If anyone is interested in some offshoots and lives in the Westchester, NY or Norwich, CT area, feel free to comment and leave an address or email where I can arrange a drop off or ship some of  these plants so you can enjoy them as well. 

Kahlua hanging in the Four o'clock patch

Caught red handed in the garden.

Then Its Nappy Time

Butterfly Weed Seeds

     I forgot to mention in my last post about the thousands of seeds I have from last years crop.  If anyone if interested in some seeds I will send them to you at no cost. Just include an address and they are yours.

Butterfly Weed-Volume 1

     Butterfly weed is low maintenance and does not like an area that is too moist and thrives in full sun. The root system is a deep tap root so once established rarely needs watering or care.

This hands down is the easiest perennial I have found to grow from seed and a great starting plant for novice growers. I start all of my seeds in pots, anywhere from the early spring to late summer/early fall. When starting seeds, place them in a pot and lightly cover them with a starting mix of soil. My seeds have at times flowered on the same year after germination. When you are ready to plant seedlings pick out a spot where you want your butterfly weed to stay for many years to come, as it does not transplant well after a year or two due to its deep tap roots (although I have done it when needed with care.)   

Collect seed pods when barely opened in early fall for next years seed planting.

Forcing Forsythia blooms

     Here is a quick and easy way to fool mother nature and to add some early spring color to your home. Right about now the forsythia buds are coming out in my hometown in Westchester County, New York. Take a few stems, cutting about two to four feet in length from the top of some longer branches. This will ensure that you don't make much of an impact to the overall structure of the shrub. Take a nice vase, glass container or a water-tight decorative pot filled with water and put the newly cut stems in with cut part down in water and before you know it you will have a nice floral arrangement of yellow flowers in full bloom.

Propagation of Dracaena

The calendar may say that it's winter but in my area of the Northeast,  we have had an unseasonably warm winter which gives me the gardening itch! The last month of winter is a great time to start thinking about the goals I have for my garden as well as decide what new plants I want to try out come spring time.

    

In the mean time, if you are looking for something to fill the gardening void during the winter months and add some color to your house, the Dracaena plant is a great indoor plant that doesn't require a lot of light and is low-maintenance. 

Dracaena "Lemon Lime" plant that I have had' for about 15 Years-it topped out at 8 feet!

My Dracaena had grown so tall and even had a 6 inch sucker plant (as seen in the picture below) growing at the base, so I decided to cut it down to make room for the new plant and propagate the old one.

Little "sucker" plant after I cut down the 8 foot tall Dracaena.

To cut down the Dracanea, I took a small hand saw and cut the main plant almost entirely, leaving only a three inch stump. As you can see in the picture above, there are two other stubs in the pot from the other times I have cut this plant down and propagated it.   Next, what I did was take the stalk after being cut down, was to cut a piece, three feet from the initial top,and place in that vase of water.

 "You can also do this with overgrown vines of pothos plant as well."

I then take a tall enough vase,fill it to the top with water .  Place stem down and just make sure water stays filled every couple of weeks  

* Year round I will have a vase with Pothos cuttings already rooted and thriving.  That's where I like to usually stick the Dracaena stems (scene in above picture) in and wait a few months for Roots to appear.

Give it another Few Months re-pot stem cutting into pot of choice and water regularly for month.

This can be done with other Dracaena that get on the leggy side. 

     

Seed Collecting

     For me, seed collecting is one of the most important parts of building a garden and it can also be a form of currency in the gardening world. I must admit that seed collecting is where my OCD takes over-I see seeds where other people just see plants. My wife thinks my methods of collecting seeds can be bizarre but it brings me great satisfaction finding different seeds and knowing you have the beginning of a new life in your hands. A short walk around the block can have me stopping many times to see what seeds I can add to my collection.
     I play a lot of golf and the landscape displays at different courses provide a variety of seeds belonging to plants that will most likely be discarded or never given a chance to germinate once the cold weather hits and the plants die. Toward the end of the summer and into the fall,  I always bring plastic baggies with me to the course so I have a place to put whatever seeds I can find. Whenever I visit someone's house I always take a walk around their garden to scan for new or different seeds. Once you start looking for seeds you will get the hang of it and every garden you see will be more than just a garden, it will be an opportunity to expand your seed collection!

One example of how I store seeds. This is a Stanley compartment organizer that I bought at Home Depot for about $10 and it's perfect for seed storage. This is just a small part of my collection.

Paper bags, recycled glass jars, paper envelops and empty spice containers are cheap containers to store seeds in. Not fancy, but gets the job done!

Seeds undergoing cold stratification

Certain seeds need a couple of months of refrigeration to mimic what would be the natural setting for perennial seeds in the colder climates of the northeast. This is called cold stratification, and for seeds that require this, I store them in the crisper drawer in my refrigerator. 

The most important part of seed collecting is to properly label whatever seeds you find so you will be able to easily identify them at a later time. You might think you will  be able to remember later, but it's easier to grab a sharpie or pen and write label the bag or jar before a day passes and you can't remember what you picked-trust me, I've been there!

Later on I will get into the strategic methods of "Plant Whoring" which I am an expert at.
                                    

   

Introduction

I decided to start this blog to share my experiences in the natural world and as well educate readers.  My goal is to try to make my Blog easy for readers to interact.  I encourage photos,articles and what secrets you have found in your goings. One interesting fact i have found in the botanical world is that all living things play their part.  Horticulture is a year round hobby of mine. It starts with seed collecting, from the mother plant, seed catalogs, eBay or just good old fashion seed trading with friends or family.  I also enjoy giving seeds out so if you see anything you like when i get around to listing my collection I can send you some.

This Picture was taken in one of my many gardens. Its a Bumblebee feeding/pollinating on a Hydrangea Paniculata 'Kyushu'.

We are stardust, we are golden, we are billion year old carbon,
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden.