Charlevoix Area Garden Club Member, Rhea Dow doesn't limit her horticulture activities to summer. She is currently starting new geranium plants from cuttings and forcing forsythia branches to bloom in vases.
You can follow the photos below to see how it's done.
Creating New Geranium Plants from Cuttings
Take cuttings from the "Mother Plant".
The tools and the cuttings.
The cuttings taking root in water.
After the cuttings have established roots (about 4-5 weeks) move the new plants to a container filled with potting soil. Make sure the container has sufficient drainage.
Once planted, your rooted geranium cutting will need the same care you would give any other geranium plant in your garden.
Forcing Forsythia
Bring a touch of spring indoors and enjoy watching forsythia bloom in a vase while winter carries on outside your windows.
It's fairly simple to create this "living arrangement.
Cut branches from Forsythia bushes and crush the ends with a hammer to allow them to draw water.
Stand the stems in deep water.
Watch for the flowers - then arrange in your favorite vase and enjoy!
One February, a friend of Rhea's sent her a Happy Imbolc email. Happy Imbolc?? Exploring Imbolc, she found an interesting history of ancient farmer's observations and festivals.
From the Boston Public Library: Imbolc symbolizes the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The word "imbolc" means "in the belly of the Mother," because the seeds of spring are beginning to stir in the belly of Mother Earth.
Observing plants, Rhea has found that increased growth to starts to happening in February. Cuttings root faster. Leaf buds break on plants in the greenhouse. Plants start to wake up! It is like a yawn in the yearly cycle of the plant kingdom.