Bee-hind In Understanding

Today, I was very fortunate to have training on the importance of pollinating critters, specifically BEES.

My un-informed self was quite educated today.

I knew of the decline in bee populations as of late. It's quite alarming, but what I didn't know was the sheer difference between Bumblebees vs Honeybees.  Please see the below link for a Bumblebee vs Honeybee brochure put together by Wildlife Preservation Canada.

Photo from www.wildlifepreservation.ca 
Bumblebee Brochure WLP

One eye opening fact I learned today: Canada has NO native Honeybees. Honeybees have been imported from Europe.

Canadian Bumblebees, Solitary Bees and Leaf Cutter Bees are quintessential for pollinating crops, and plant life all around us. They are in decline. We need to be informed of their differences. We also need to provide more of their habitat which is threatened.

Please take the time to visit and learn more about bees and insect pollinators - how we effect and contribute to their decline at: http://wildlifepreservation.ca/insect-pollinators/

Informed gardening techniques can make a difference. Be that change.

Here's how:

Poster of Plants That Attract Bumblebees from Wildlife Preservation Canada

How To Take Cuttings from Trailing Houseplants

Whether you desire to add to your houseplant collection, or merely desire to learn how, trailing houseplants have to be the easiest plants to propagate.

Here, I established a Purple Passion Plant quite easily. 2 months old and it needs to be up-potted and centred properly in a new container.

Here's how:

Once trailing plants have enough stem growth and length, you can begin cutting off  12 inch segments, or even more - better to be longer than shorter. Cut the stem off below a leaf joint.

This Hoya has lovely rootlets already forming. Cut segments with these if you can. Several trailers have this form of root establishing on stems.

This Hedera helix Ivy has them as well.

The Purple Passion plant I established above had no rootlets. I just selected sturdy, healthy stems with leaves with buds at their base.

Gently pull and tease the leaves off the stem. At this axil joint, roots will develop.

Again, take a foot long sturdy length...

Remove all leaves from the bottom end and leave one or two leaves at the tip.

All I did was wind the vine portion with no leaves inside the base of a glass and situated it near a window in the bathroom. Indirect light and humidity from the bathroom is ideal to help initiate root development.

Every week, I would rinse and refill the glass with fresh water and now you can see, ample roots have established. It's time to pot up.

Please, don't wait too long to pot up. Once the roots are about an inch or so in length, it's perfect for soil. Too long, and the roots will struggle in a dryer medium, having been used to water all the time. Also, only so many nutrients are suspended in tap water and the plant will suffer too long without soil.

Take potting soil and dampen it a bit. Remove the vine stem from the glass gently and place into empty pot. Gently fill the pot with the dampened potting soil and tap the pot on a surface to help compact the soil. Be gentle, as tiny hairs are on the rootlets and you don't want the soil to damage them. I thoroughly water the pot at first, just after transplanting from the glass. I do not water the plant again, until the potting soil is dry. Overly watering these cuttings can result in root rot. You have to play it by ear.  Watch the plant for several days after you transplant it into soil. You will see foliage droop or curl if they either are too dry or too wet.

These two variegated hoyas were made by cuttings from one original parent plant. It's so easy!

Other plants that can easily be propagated this way:

German Ivy (Senecio mikanoides)
Pothos or Philodendron Vines
Peperomia
Plectranthus

Endless possibilities. 

New Year Approaching; New System

Having not posted at all this December, I feel rather at odds. My creative flow is beginning to be fulfilled; having purchased a new computer system. I don't know where to begin with upgrades. I hope that 2015's posts will be far more visually appealing. Till then, I wish you all a very Happy New Year! 

Rectangular Outdoor Christmas Container

I love working with various shaped containers.

This one was fun to work on. Here's how:

Depending on your birch branch supplier, some are cut to specific lengths, others not. Cut to your desired height.

Don't worry if you had annuals or veggies in your container, just work out the hardest plant debris and loosen the soil a bit. Soil works just as well as sand. Sand is great for smaller containers. This large container won't budge in the wind.

For this design, I decided to make a line of birch. You could stagger them, or clump them in the middle. Be creative! Skewer the birch into the soil, making sure they are fixed down deep enough to endure wintery winds.

Begin by selecting several kinds of greens. Here, starting from the top left and going clockwise are: Princess Pine, BC Cedar, Oregonia and Green Boxwood. Use what you like. My combos just seemed to work well with the beige tone of the container. I cut the boughs into smaller sections, this gives more of a bulkier look to the design and it saves some money in the long run.

Begin by skirting the base with pine and then add layers of other greens as you go.

I've been making Christmas containers for a long time and recently, the selections of outdoor accents have increased exponentially. The most important factor: use what you like. I prefer more natural tones and I try to find product that will last me more than just one season. There's so much selection out there. I've used (clockwise) Magnolia stems, cones, pods, pussy willow stems, and artificial berries.

Hoping the postal worker will enjoy delivering the mail this Christmas season! The neutral and more natural tones will also carry this container well into February. I am hoping the pussy willow stems will begin to show their fussy flowers come March.