Rapid growth leads to more and more cuttings;
that can become new plants (or compost)
Homemade Compost
It all starts with compost really. From the decaying matter of plants that died or needed to be cut back, from food scraps and other oddities found around the yard, the most rich and intense compost can be made.
This black gold as some people call it, can be used to grow new plants in, an infinite amount of new plants. It is a complete circle.
I had some compost left which I did not use, and I had some pathways that I needed to cut open (again!), so I used this opportunity to make some new plants.
Compost in Containers
Where will I plant them, if my garden is already too full and overgrown? That is a worry for another time really...
I have some ideas, but of importance now is just to get them to take root, to get them through the summer heat. That means watering them each morning.
Overgrown Pathway
It always amazes me how you can just stick (certain kinds of) plants in the ground and they will grow a whole new plant from those cuttings.
It feels like forbidden magic to me.
From death, life arises. I think this is most applicable to the garden. On a constant basis, we see the death of certain plants or leaves, turned into compost, and beginning the process of life anew. It is magic, to be honest.
But as you can see, on the right, the pathway was grown over, the blocks in the background. I needed to cut the pathway open, and in the process, I just stuck the cuttings into the compost holders so that something new could take root.
Not everything will take root, some holders will be overgrown with weeds and other plants that I did not want to grow. But this is all part of the process. This will in turn get turned into new compost as well. Everything is inside of the circle of growth.
Succecfully Planted Cuttings from Previous Growing Sessions
It is always so beautiful to see your previous endeavours succeed. The above two photographs show two such cases, albeit still at the beginning of their journeys.
Both the two different species take so well from cuttings, and both will grow in the coming years into either a big bush or some expansive ground cover.
Succulent cuttings in compost holders
Cut Overgrown Succulents
Various cuttings in compost pots
Throughout the garden, I have also seen two different shrub or tree species dropping their seeds in the winter and the seedlings their heads through the ground in the early spring. Now, I also uprooted various of these seedlings throughout the garden and placed them in some compost as well. I know some will not take, but some will and I will look forward to the day when I can plant them out into the garden as well!
Various Seedlings
It is amazing how after so many years, the garden has become its own little ecosystem, producing so much growth every week. I cannot always keep up with the rapid growth.
In the end, I was left with various holders of cuttings, adding to the previous couple of weeks' cutting tally.
How much will survive? That is the question.
But for now, I can only hope and see how much will survive.
Sadly, I needed to fly again, leaving the garden for three or so weeks in the capable hands of my family. So, the growth of these cuttings will be news for me in the coming weeks.
In these three weeks, my hands will not get dirty, as I need to finish my PhD (for the third time now), interspersed with other work that I also need to complete.
But in December I will garden again, hopefully transforming the performance art it has become again.
For now, happy gardening, and keep well.
All of the musings and writings are my own. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300.