Herb Cuttings In Water. 8 Aug 24.

 Somehow I got a wild hair to un-re-wild the rest of the privacy border.  My original vision was to keep the row of fig trees, which is about 10 feet from the access road on the easement, and fill in between them with forsythias.   Facing the yard, I wanted low growing perennials that don't need watering, or not much.  They need to resist rabbits and especially deer. 

I had let this area go for the past couple of years, due to being leas able.  Plus, I had decommissioned a large neighboring garden bed that I last used for potatoes and as a source of raised bed soil, and it has been too rough to mow.  So it was overgrown with a thistle and weed forest, and that also took over the border.

This week, I cleared the thistles.  I've filled in about 2/3 of the trenches, although the hard baked soil now makes it difficult to do.  With the weeds removed, I found that the forsythias look great.  No need for watering those, and deer don't touch them.

There were lavender plants there.  Those were too much of a mess to reform, so I cut them off at the soil.  Most of the sage bushes succumbed to the deep shade of the fig trees, and competition by thistles.   One remained.  So I used shoots from that plant to set up new cuttings to start.

I read they start better in soil than water, because roots need darkness.  I have no idea if that's true.  I put them into a mug to reduce light in the water.

I also want to start some rosemary plants, using the same method.

Apparently lavender cuttings can't be started in water, so I'm not trying.

Meanwhile, one of the three geranium cuttings in water, developed a little root.

So I potted it.  Not very impressive, but it might grow.

These will remain in the south facing window for a while.

I transferred the other two geranium cuttings to a mug of water too.  They might not be viable.  I don't know.

David Austin Roses In Containers. 3 Aug 24

 The patio David Austin Roses are doing very nice, in their first year.  I need to dead-head pretty often.  From top to bottom, Bring Me Sunshine (with a honeybee), Boscobel, and Darcy Bussell.   They are making another splash of new buds now, too.

Two are in the vegetable / fruit garden, less ideal due to being shaded by the peach tree, and I don't pamper them as much.  Below, Vanessa Bell.

Not including Silas Marner here, only a couple of flowers.  

This winter, I might remove these two from these containers and pot up same as the previous three, in potting soil and on wheels, for the patio.  Especially Vanessa Bell, which has the best (myrrh) fragrance.  That's a lot of container roses.  I don't know.  Plus there's a rooted cutting from a fragrant old rose, unknown ID.

So far the container roses don't have strong fragrance.  I get faint myrrh from Bring Me Sunshine and fainter old-rose from Boscobel.  Maybe it's the growing conditions?

Container Zinnias And Marigolds. 3 Aug 24.

 These came out pretty nice this year.  Plus, pollinating insects are buzzing and feeding on them all of the time,

Potting Up Some More Alpine Strawberries. 3 Aug 24.

 I had another container come available, so potted up another 8-pack batch of alpine strawberries.  They are well rooted, but not very potbound.  I didn't think it necessary to try breaking the roots up.  In this hot weather 90s F), I don't want to risk that much root trauma.  It doesn't seem necessary with such minimal root matting.  Unlike the first two batches, these were planted two seedlings per cell.  I don't know if that matters.

They have a lot more root space in this container.  I've never grown alpine strawberries before, so I don't know how much room they need.

Dividing And Replanting More Chinese Chives. 3 Aug 24.

 First, the clumps that I cleaned up, divided, and replanted, on 15 April 24.  Some were in a smaller container some in the container that I cleaned up and replanted them in.  That reestablished a nice colony.  I was careful to mulch deeply with tree leaves.  They are on the irrigation drip line.

Those are ready for a harvest.  I do give some nitrogen fertilizer about once a month, since they are a leafy vegetable and already have a deep, vigorous root system.

This week I also replanted another container, dividing the plants and replanting in rows in a raised bed.

I mixed crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, and chicken bone meal into the soil.

They also have a mulch of used coffee filters, covered with a leaf mould mulch.  They are on the drip lines.  I don't know if they will re-invigorate enough for a crop later this year.  Maybe.