Living Tributes Cultivate a Sentimental Nature
When my grandpa, who shared my love of gardening, died last December, I felt a giant void. He was always the first to read my gardening articles, wanted updates on what I had growing and asked my advice when his plants got an unusual pest or disease.
In January, in between rains, I ventured out into the garden one day to do some pruning. With a heavy heart, I thought of my grandfather, and then I saw them. The jade plants he had given me as small cuttings several years before had grown to 4 feet high and were covered with white, starry blooms.
Though jade is a simple plant, in the dim afternoon light it appears majestic. Seeing those plants that came directly from my grandfather’s green thumb gave me a sense of reassurance and peace. My grandpa may no longer be with me, but his plants are, and his memory lives on in them.
As living things, plants have a way of evoking strong memories for us, says Mary Lou Heard, owner of Heard’s Country Gardens in Westminster.
“I frequently get people in the nursery who are looking for particular plants that will remind them of a special person, or who want to recapture a certain time in their life,” she says. “Sentimental gardens with plants that hold special memories for people are the most precious gardens there are.”
Memory gardens were once abundant, Heard says. “Years ago it was common to take a cutting to remember a person or occasion,” she says. “Now with thousands of plants available, the ones people truly treasure are those that connect them to someone else, or a memory of another time.”
As Virjean Giorgetti sees it, she has a little bit of those she loves growing around her at all times. In her Huntington Beach garden, Giorgetti grows a number of plants such as violets, lamb’s ears, snowdrops and various succulents, given to her by various loved ones, including her late Aunt Rosie, an avid gardener who died three years ago at age 88.
“A garden is an opportunity to grow things that make you remember people you love,” Giorgetti says. “My Aunt Rosie was a wonderful person. She gave me a baby Brazilian pepper tree 20 years ago that is massive today. It gives me such pleasure every time I see it.
“At times I consider redesigning my landscape, but I don’t have the heart, because all of those plants from Aunt Rosie and other people in my life give me such pleasure.”
Laguna Beach landscape architect Ann Christoph agrees.
She’s always cheered by the sight of the pink double impatiens a childhood friend gave to her as cuttings 16 years ago.
“We used to go to kindergarten together and we’ve kept in touch,” Christoph says. “I call them my ‘friendship impatiens.’ ”
Taking cuttings is also a great way to remember a special event such as a vacation, says “Jungle” Julie Hunt, a San Clemente certified arborist and horticulturist who does garden tours at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Dana Point. During the tours, which are open to the public, she encourages visitors to take cuttings.
“Most plants are rootable, and those that aren’t can generally be grown from seed, or you can remove some of the plant and roots and plant in that manner,” says Hunt, who also does landscape design and maintenance that specializes in bringing ailing gardens back to health.
Hunt has a number of memory plants in her garden, including rare plumerias from Hawaii and an air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) that originally grew near her grandmother’s house in Mississippi.
“Many people are surprised to find how easy it is to take cuttings of plants, bring them home and root them,” she says. “Guests who take our garden tour love clipping cuttings from the herb garden, where we have a variety of rare herbs like a tarragon brought into the country by one of our chefs. It’s a beautiful plant with leaves that taste like black licorice.”
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Some easy-to-root plants include geranium, fuchsia, lavender, hydrangea, lantana, pentas and many herbs--including mint, salvia, petunia, succulents, plumeria, pothos, rose, buddleia, ivies and impatiens.
Though taking cuttings is easy and can be done with many plants, Hunt and other experts advise some caution.
“It’s important to make sure that the cuttings you bring home are clean and free of bugs; you don’t want any hitchhikers,” Hunt says.
One little bug can do much more than cause problems in your yard. A wayward pest can create an epidemic, says John Ellis, deputy agricultural commissioner at the Anaheim agricultural commissioner’s office.
“Pests like the Mediterranean fruit fly and the giant whitefly were introduced into California on a plant or plant material and have wreaked havoc in home gardens and on commercial crops,” Ellis says. “Although we can’t be sure, there is always the possibility that these pests and others were brought in by an unknowing home gardener.”
Some plants pose more of a risk than others and plants with soil attached are especially risky, because the soil can harbor nematodes, which are parasitic roundworms that eat plant roots.
For this reason, Ellis urges gardeners to call the appropriate authorities about plant cuttings to determine if they pose a risk, especially if the plant materials were gathered out of state.
“They can either call the local agricultural commissioner’s office where they’re visiting, who will be able to tell them if the plants need inspection, or when they return home, before planting the cutting they can call our office [(714)-447-7100] to determine if it needs an inspection.
Getting plant cuttings to grow in your garden is generally easy to do. Although not every plant will root, you’ll be surprised at how many actually take and eventually flourish.
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To successfully gather plants and cuttings from other locations, keep the following general tips in mind:
* “When making the cutting, take a piece of plant that is closer to the ground and in the shade,” Hunt says. “These plant parts contain more growth hormone because they’re trying harder to live.”
If plant parts in the shade aren’t possible, look for new tip growth, which is also high in growth hormone.
* For plants such as ground covers and grasses, which generally don’t root from cuttings, try removing a small amount of the plant and roots (a plug) from the periphery of the mother plant.
* If possible, loosely wrap the cuttings and plugs in a moist peat moss and plastic wrap, says Heard. If that isn’t available, Hunt suggests placing the cuttings in a plastic bag and adding moist paper towels, tissue or newspaper.
“The secret is to keep the leaves from losing moisture, but you don’t want the cuttings sitting in water,” says Hunt. “Leave the bag cracked open to promote air circulation and prevent rotting.”
* Before planting, refresh the plants by removing the lower leaves and cutting the stem off at an angle below a leaf node (the bump left by a removed leaf). Stick them in water for a couple of hours. Also remove any flowers or fruit, so that the cutting can put all its energy into rooting.
* Fill a 4-inch container with a rooting medium that holds water, yet drains well. A mix of 50% peat moss and 50% perlite works well. Slowly water the soil and mix with your hands until it is moist, but not soggy.
* Take a pencil and stick in the soil to create a hole for the cutting. Roots come from the leaf nodes, so it is important to insert the cutting with at least one leaf node under the soil. Two leaf nodes are better, because they give you double the chance of rooting.
With longer plants that have several root nodes, you can lay the stem along the surface of the soil and sprinkle soil on top. The latter method is actually preferred when possible, because it puts the plant in contact with the soil while providing plenty of oxygen.
You may also try using a rooting hormone powder on plant cuttings, according to package directions. “Just be careful when using such a product because they can be toxic,” warns Hunt.
* Create a stress-free environment for the cutting that keeps the leaves well hydrated while the cutting creates roots. This means no extremes in temperatures, which is best provided by a terrarium-type environment.
Either place the container in a plastic bag and seal it at the top, punching an air hole in the side, or you can top the pot off with a plastic milk carton that has had its bottom cut out and the lid removed. Place the cutting under a tree or other structure or in a windowsill that gets bright, but not direct light.
* Check the cutting periodically to make sure that it hasn’t dried out. If necessary, add a small amount of water.
* Give the plants about two weeks before expecting any signs of rooting. By that time, if the cutting hasn’t rotted away, it’s probably rooting or still has a chance to do so. Gently tug on the cutting. If it seems secure, roots are forming.
Even though roots have started, it’s not time for transplanting. Wait until you see white roots coming out of the bottom of the pot or pop the plant out of the container and examine the soil for a strong root system. If new foliage appears on the plant, it’s definitely established and usually ready for transplanting, as long as the root system is good.
* Before transplanting, gradually move the cutting to its final destination, which will prevent shocking the plant.
* Have patience. Remember that you’re starting from a small plant cutting, and if it does eventually take, it will need time to grow. Also don’t expect 100% success. A 50% take is considered very good.
The Ritz-Carlton tours are $38 per person, which includes the tour, a three-course luncheon with wine, tax and gratuity. It’s from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday and Friday through June 25. From June 26 to Sept. 4, it’s on Fridays only. For more information, call (949) 240-5008.
