Leaf Mould i.e. Free Potting Soil

Well it's that annoying time of year again. Leaves everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I found one down the collar of my jacket yesterday, casually floated in there whilst I bent down to pick up yet more leaves.

So make some leaf mould! It's the British thing to do with leaves. 

1. Rake leaves
2. Have your Bearded Man mow up said leaves (you don't have to mow or shred the leaves but they will decompose more quickly if you do)

It's so pretty, like a giant bag of leaf confetti

If you want to be very Redneck your Bearded Man can mow them off the driveway too. 

3. Bag. Then hose them down and poke holes in the bottom for extra water to drain out. Keep an eye on them and wet them down again if they are dry. 

Next fall (maybe 2 years if they are thick leaves like: oak, sycamore, pine needles) you'll have nice crumbly leaf mould, it can be used like compost, the RHS says it is especially good for potting soil, which I find very exciting!

Kind Regards,

Linda  

Fall.

Fall. 

It's gorgeous, don't you think? 

Even though part of me hates it, because it means an end to flowers and green growing things, and the onset of the cold, dark winter. In the end I always end up loving everything about it. 

A few weekends ago we went to Z's Orchards out in Palisade, CO, they have a you pick raspberry patch. What a charming little farm, I wish I lived there. 

Have a lovely week! 

Propagating Lavender Cuttings

Hi!

Today I have a tutorial for you on planting lavender cuttings. I've got 5 huge lavender plants along the front walkway and next spring I'm hoping to line them up along the east side of the house. 

So first things first, the most successful way to propagate lavender is to layer it, if you start this now in the spring you will be able to cut off the rooted stems.  It's much more successful and faster since the stem is still connected to the mother plant.

To layer a plant find a branch that has new growth on the end and that is close to the ground. Then take some soil, bark, moss or etc and cover the branch, keep it moist and in a few months there will be roots growing in that covered spot and you can clip it off the mother plant.  This little cutting will do much better than one with no roots.

It's kind of hard to see but I just pulled back my plant and cut below the little brown roots, closer to the crown. 

Once you clip the cuttings from the mother plant clip the green stems off the top, that new growth won't do well (too much moisture lost since the wood hasn't hardened yet) and it encourages a bushier plant. 

Then just plant them up and mulch them well, you can do this in pots if you want but I chose a sheltered spot in the yard (no afternoon sun) where they can sit until spring. The important thing is that they don't dry out or sit in water.  Some of the leaves will look wilted and dead but keep watering and as long as they don't get totally dry for too long they should be fine. If you live in a hot climate with strong sunlight I'd suggest planting them in a sheltered spot outside, but if it's cooler and the sun isn't very strong then pots will be fine but I find pots are harder to keep moist. 

Next year once these get a little bigger I'm planning on moving them to run up the side of my long asphalt drive way. I think they'll appreciate the heat and they will continue the current border and frame the house nicely. Well that is if they live. I may have prayed over them :)

Kind Regards,

Linda 

Cactus Zinnias

One of my more successful seed starting endeavors this year were these coral pink cactus flower zinnias from Baker Creek.

As a cut flower they are superb: Long stems, vibrant colors and long lasting. From the one packet of seeds I got at least 40-50 flowers, I planted them very late (mid July)and as of mid-October they are still flowering. 

They are even rocking the ombre trend! 

They also didn't need staking or supports, how easy is that? 

Thanks for stopping by

Kind Regards, 

Linda