Have you ever seen a flower that took your breath away and looked so beautiful that you wanted to keep it forever in some way?The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.
Of course, always dry the flower, but this option won't make it look the same as it did when you first saw it.
Dried flowers are beautiful on their own and make great material for project or wedding confetti, but sometimes you just want to focus on the flowers.
Anyway, although they were all the same color and size, one of them was the most distinctive -- I couldn't put my finger on exactly what flower it was, but I knew it was a special flower when I saw one.
From the circumference of the head to the shape of the petals, this is a perfect rose. Oh my God, this is the most incredible smell that has ever gone up my nose.
Sweet and floral, like expensive perfume, but with added freshness. I think the symmetry of the overall appearance may also help in this regard, as the other flowers in the bunch are also very fragrant.
I began to see if it was possible to take the rose away and plant a new bush of my own. That way, I can grow roses that are just as good and enjoy them more.
Since then, I have used my pruning to grow a healthy cluster of roses that gives me indescribable pleasure. However, different people have different levels of success, so there are things you can do to maximize your chances of getting a good outcome, and things you can avoid.
Now that I've been doing this for a while, I know a few tricks of the trade and I feel I can confidently say that I've mastered my current hobby. If you want to take this path, I've decided to share my personal experience to help you.
prepare
The first thing you need to do during your flower growing process is to choose where you want to take your cuttings. I already had a specific flower in mind, so this part was easy for me.
I decided to take a few more cuttings from the bunch so that I wasn't just relying on the first rose, I wanted to make it perfect.
I have read that it is better to take cuttings as early as possible after receiving flowers, as they need to be in as good a condition as possible to remain useful. This meant there was no time to waste and I needed to act quickly.
Luckily, the first thought that came to my mind when I first saw a flower was to try to replicate it, so I didn't wait a few days before deciding to cut it.
The stems of the bunch were also placed in a small basin of water, so they never had a chance to dry out. The method I use means I can still appreciate the flowers because I don't need the whole stem of each flower.
Actually, my vases are very short, so I cut the stems of the vases a little bit shorter, so it fits better. It's great when things turn out even better than expected - almost like I planned the whole thing!
According to many botanical experts, you should try planting new roots during the growing season, which is the spring. This means you can avoid them being killed during the cold winter months, and they don't have to endure very hot, dry conditions that are just as harmful.
April is the time for roses and cuttings are just right for germination. I carefully evaluated my garden first, and I wisely chose to use a garden bed so I could determine where I wanted to plant them.
I found the perfect spot by placing the garden beds near some trees at the end - they still had access to light, but they weren't directly in the path of the sun.
Unlike many other flowers, roses do not need full sun at all times and grow best in shady places. I dug the hole before I took the cuttings.
Most experts agree that each hole should be at least 4 "deep and 6" wide, so I took these measurements into account and left plenty of space between each hole.
process
So, I know what flowers I'm going to use. The next step is to carefully cut cuttings from the stems of each tree.
At this point, I made sure I was very careful because I was very worried about ruining my precious roses (especially my favorite ones!). Or make them look worse than before.
This meant I had to do my research before taking the plunge, but it didn't take long for me to feel ready. When you cut, you need to hold the stem under water and drop each section directly into a bowl of water.
This is to keep them moist and prevent them from drying out. Water is very important for cuttings because it contains the nutrients they need to survive.
It's the same reason you put pre-cut flowers in water, because they can no longer naturally draw water from the ground on their own. Each cut should be at a 45 degree Angle and the length of the cut should be between 6 and 8 inches.
This length ensures that each cut has four nodes, which are the part of the stem from which the leaves grow.
Once you cut so much from the stem, the flowers will be left short, but you can solve this problem by choosing a properly short vase.
They were still in a bowl of water, and I took them into the garden and planted them individually in the soil. Then I cover them with more soil and fill the holes I've made, leaving half of each stem out of the ground.
I've read that it's a good idea to put a lid on them to increase humidity, but if you live somewhere damp, this step isn't necessary. Since I was in Florida, it seemed safe not to bother covering my little stem.
Also, most of the suggestions are for things like unturned soda bottles, and I don't like the idea of introducing plastic into my garden.
One of the things I found most amazing in my initial experience was that I didn't have to go out and buy professional equipment to be successful.
Sure, I have a few things from my old gardening experiments, but nothing special. The first and most important part of growing cuttings is arming yourself beforehand with as much knowledge as possible, as the equipment you use can only do so much.
discover
As I mentioned earlier, spring is a great time to cultivate cuttings, and that's how I got started.
However, there are experts who recommend taking it in the autumn, when the most recent flowers have fallen off and you are left with a bare canvas to work with.
This method requires you to breed cuttings indoors, as they will not survive the first few months outside.
If you have children, they will be happy to help you with this project for your home garden. This is a great activity for children of any age and gender, and will teach them how to grow plants on their own.
When I asked my 5-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter to put some cuttings in a small basin on the windowsill, they were both charmed (for the second time, since I was in it in the first place).
I explained the assignment, after asking countless questions about why we do it and how it works (I'm really not the best person to deal with these things, so I told them to talk to their science teacher!). They are really in trouble.
They like to carefully place cuttings in POTS, cover them with soil and wait to see what happens. My children watched eagerly, each hoping his plant would be the first to take root.
As you can see, you can even turn it into a competition, which will give your child a project to work on over a period of time. Even now, they know which bushes they planted themselves.
Be warned though: they'll start asking you what other flowers you can use for this, like mine - and before you know it, there's no room in your garden or kitchen!
Now, I'm sure you can never have too many flowers, but even I know what constitutes a ridiculous overgrown garden when I see one.
If you run out of cuttings in your garden, you can sell some of the extra shrubs you planted. This means you can turn your little hobby into a small business, and you might get some extra pocket money for gardening equipment.
Or, you can give these bushes to your friends and family to mark special occasions like birthdays. After starting with roses, we are now moving on to lavender and hydrangea.
And herbs like oregano and sage - dinner tastes better with herbs from our own garden.
price
Now you'll realize that cutting a root from an existing plant won't cost you anything - just make sure you get permission from the plant owner first. This means you don't need to spend money on seeds or even on ready-made plants.
Although these items don't have to be expensive (you can buy a bag of rose seeds for a few dollars at your local garden store). If your first attempt doesn't work out and you need to buy more seeds, those will soon add up.
Also, it is very satisfying to achieve such a beautiful result without spending any money. It's almost like a life hack - you're just harnessing the forces of nature and using them to work for you.
Even if you don't have any budget, you can turn a dull, lifeless garden into a vibrant one. All you need is a little patience and some basic gardening knowledge.
Of course, if you don't have a rose bush to cut from yet and you don't know anyone who has a rose bush, you'll still need to buy some roses yourself.
However, this will give you the added bonus of enjoying some lovely flowers and allowing you to plant more flowers. So while spending $5 on a bunch of roses may seem like a waste of money, you'll find that's not the case.
convenient
Growing roses from cuttings is not only cheaper, but also easier than growing them from seeds. That's because seeds take longer to reproduce, and many don't even need them at all.
Pruning is a more stable option because you already have a healthy base for the buds to grow on.
The best part is that you can save yourself the hassle of having to go through the process of getting the seeds, planting them, waiting for them to germinate, and then watching them grow. Instead, you can simply buy some stems, stick them in water, and watch them grow right away!
You can expect your pruning to take root in just a few months and then mature steadily within a year or two.
On the other hand, it takes at least 3 years for the same shrub to grow from seed before it actually begins to flower.
It is also the case that some seeds may take several years to germinate, and many may not even germinate at all.
You're more likely to achieve your goals in one pruning session than a bunch of seeds, and you'll be frustrated when you put in all that effort and get nothing.
Are there drawbacks to growing cuttings?
The only downside to growing your own cuttings is that you won't always get what you want. If you're lucky enough to receive roses from the same plant, you can make sure you get the perfect flower every time.
But you can't guarantee that with your pruning. Each pruning usually produces two or three flowers.
You need to wait until all the flowers are fully open before you decide whether you like them or not. However, you
Since I started my first cuttings in the spring, I wanted to try the fall method so I could compare the results of each method.
When I get an idea in my head, I'm constantly looking for ways I can improve it - I guess that's my inner scientist, eager to experiment with whatever I can.
So when autumn comes, I make two visits a year to my mother's house (with her permission!). She collected cuttings from her rose bushes.
I took them home and put them in 6-inch POTS. I used Espoma Potting mix, which is my favorite houseplant organic soil mix, but you can use anything that works for this purpose.
I plant them with about half the branches under the soil and the other half sticking out from the top, as this is the recommended method. As long as some stems are still visible, it should be fine.
I expected plants bred indoors to be stronger when they were ready for planting, but I was surprised to find that those that had been outside from the start grew faster. That means they took off and developed earlier than indoor drones.
I guess it has something to do with the fact that it takes them longer to get used to living underground, and that they don't need to be transplanted underground later. Of course, your own experience may be different, so it mostly depends on which you find easier.
Perhaps the most important factor in determining the success of cuttings is the warmth of the soil.
While roses are a hardier plant, and therefore more likely to survive harsh conditions, they can only thrive if the soil temperature is high enough.
I suspect that even after the winter is over, the ground won't be warm enough by the time I get outside to plant the second batch.
This compares to the first batch, when I planted directly outside in warm weather, when the average soil temperature was already higher.
Why do you grow flowers from cuttings?
I started the journey of planting cuttings because I wanted to replicate one of the roses in the bouquet I received.
It's a great way to make sure you can have more and more of the flowers you love - and if you do it right, take care of your rose bushes.
You can enjoy them forever! However, there are many other reasons why growing your own flowers from cuttings is a good thing.
interesting
If you have children, they will be happy to help you with this household project
You need to wait until all the flowers are fully open before you decide whether you like them or not. However, you are still less likely to achieve a certain look than you are with seeds.
This is the result of my second attempt; My first flowers (from the outstanding rose in my bouquet) happened to be lovely, just as I had hoped. The next batch of cuttings, however, didn't quite live up to what I had envisioned for them.
Don't get me wrong - they're still pretty, but they're no match for the original shrubs in my mother's garden. Maybe that's because I have a degree of nostalgia for it that you can never replicate.
conclusion
I've found that growing roses from cuttings is much easier than I thought, and it's exciting to get up every day and watch how they grow.
On the whole, I think I prefer to plant them outside right away, especially since we don't have much room at home for plants to grow there for a few months.
Not every branch I cut turned out to be the healthy rose bush I was hoping for, but on the whole, I was much more successful than if I had started from scratch. Maybe I'm just impatient, and maybe it really is easier to propagate from cuttings.
Either way, I'll definitely be using this method from now on, and I hope I've at least given some people the inspiration to try it for themselves.
