Propagation Table
Hello, friends of watercolor! I hope that this day finds you healthy and happy. Our world has been going through a lot these past few months. I hope to fertilize your soul through nature and watercolor such that you can continue to bloom in your corner of the world.
This month I am sharing with you one of my very favorite paintings. This one is for me alone. I will be framing this painting and hanging it in my home so that daily I can be reminded of the joy this moment in time brought to me.
I want to share a little of that joy with you today in hopes that you can release a little of that tension that has been building up inside of you. I hope to inspire your own personal creativity so that you can find an escape of your own.
As anyone who follows my blog knows, I gain a lot of joy from nature. I have a small garden that, luckily, is usually profuse with blooms. One of my greatest pleasures is the unexpected new dot of color in the garden.
Currently the hydrangeas are beginning to bloom.
My Eden roses are in full bloom.
My matilija poppy, Romneya Coulteri, is delighting us with its bursts of beauty.
But back in April, my garden was still quite green. Little was blooming at the time. It was the perfect time to plant seeds and to learn a little about propagation.
I’ve never propagated anything. I’ve always been quite content to leave that mysterious science to the professionals. But what started my adventure was lilacs.
I love lilacs, but they take some time to grow. I will plant a lilac bush, but then I’ve had to leave it to move to another place. It just happens that the lilacs at Teasel Cottage, the home on our acreage, is huge and bursts with blooms.
My husband, Vern, brought me some cuttings from his last time up at the property, and I wanted to try to see if I could get them to root. I ordered some rooting hormone and found a few pots. Thus the adventure began.
I understand that you are supposed to be able to simply take a cutting and put it directly into the soil. I’d even been given some of these when I first moved to Bramblewhite, but they all failed to prosper.
Another idea I wanted to explore was the propagation of roses. Our home in Eureka has a lovely rose garden. I don’t know why I didn’t research how to propagate them when I lived there, but I was probably too busy with raising the family to think about it.
So, again, Vern was up at Rosethorne, our rental in Eureka, and was kind enough to bring me home a few cuttings. The process is really quite easy. Just cut above a node and below a node, leaving about six inches of the plant. Take off all the leaves, dip in hormone powder, and plant into your composted soil.
I had so much fun preparing my propagation table. That’s what I call it. It’s really just a corner of an outdoor table. The birds were singing, and I was filled with hope and delight.
Every morning thereafter, I have been watering my precious cuttings. Keep in mind that you can overwater the cuttings. As there isn’t a root system on them, all they really need is humidity.
There are several ways to create humidity for your cuttings: Some use the tops of water bottles. They cut the bottoms off and, after an initial watering, they mist the cuttings, place the covering, and use the cap to control airflow. Plastic bags are also frequently used.
As I live in a pretty moist area, I haven’t tried doing these things. If you live in a drier climate, I think these methods would be essential. Some have even used plastic storage containers for this purpose
I also planted a few hollyhocks in a desperate desire to grow these gorgeous flowers. I’m not sure I have succeeded there, but it has been fun all the same.
Needless to say, this pottering experience inspired a painting. I couldn’t resist capturing this moment in time. Everything I love about my garden was pressing me to create.
I love pots. I don’t know why. They are such magical vessels. They trap the soil and water. And when the sun heats their clay bodies, a seed can grow, a cutting root. It’s a miracle we get to participate in.
Can you feel the warmth of the clay in your hands?
“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul”
So this month I share with you something a little different. I know that not all of my readers are interested in the process of creating a watercolor. I hope, then, that the process of creating a propagation table has inspired you.
I hope that you can see in my painting a little of the joy I experienced. Please find the cuttings in the silver bucket, marinating in the soil; the little seedling in the pink hollyhock clay pot; the lilac cuttings that will soon need thinning; the little bird, to remind me of all the sweet songs of the morning chorus; the Green Egg, where my husband makes our scrumptious pizzas. If you look carefully, you will see that the label on the tin container is that of my husband’s first name and middle initial. I love to put in surprises like that.
All that’s left is to write the types of cuttings planted, the dates they went into the soil, and wait for the miracle to unfold. I am delighted to report that I am already seeing roots on the hydrangea cuttings. I hope a miracle unfolds for you today. May God bless you and give you health and delight in the world around you.
