In the South Sound, gardening might slow way down in fall, but it doesn’t stop. This year’s new gardeners and those who have been gardening for many years can share in the pastime that doesn’t stop when days shorten and temperatures plummet. Gardening in the South Sound has been a grasp at sanity this year for a lot of us. Podcasts, audiobooks, and garden reading kept the gardening spirit alive. Nothing can replace planning and playing in the dirt. Here’s how to get your gardening fix as the year comes to a close.
Free Plants
Cuttings from your own garden or someone else’s (with permission, of course) are the easiest ways to get free plants. Autumn is one of the best times to increase your garden bounty. What could be better? You don’t have to baby autumn cuttings. Just put them outside, and let the rain do the work. Keep some cut-ting-grown plants for yourself, and have plenty to gift to unsuspecting friends. Or trade your progeny in the spring. November and December are ideal for propagating everything.
Propagate Abelia to Vitex
So many shrubs, subshrubs, and vines can be started now from cuttings. A full list is in Cuttings Through the Year by the Arboretum Foundation in Seattle. This indispensable little book lists what you can propagate from cuttings, month by month, and whether you can do it with woody or soft-stem cuttings.
Many evergreens propagate well in November and December with just a 4-inch stem cutting, a light soil mixture, and a place outside where you can enjoy the process. It isn’t instant gratification, but it is satisfying and budget-minded to boot.
