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Re: Penstemon rupicola and New Question



On Sat, 13 Sep 1997, Teachout-Teashon wrote:

> Thanks to all that answered my question, I have a few cuttings going 
> now, thanks to your help!
> 
> Any other plants that are good to start now to winter over in a 
> greenhouse? 
> 
> Any seeds for next year, specifically perennials that I can start, or shall I wait 
> impatiently for late winter/spring?



Debbie,  Try almost any evergreen perennial [ie, species holding foliage 
over the winter], from stem cuttings.  I'm most interested in alpines, so 
most of my examples are from little things:  Dianthus [any cushion or mat 
forming type], Armeria, Phlox [mat formers like moss phlox], Lithodora, 
small leaved rhododendrons and evergreen azaleas, daphnes including 
D.cneorum and D. 'Carol Mackie', kinnikkinnik, and many others.  
Some of these can also be started at other seasons, but they're good fall 
projects, when you're less busy elsewhere in the garden.

Some plants, like pulsatilla and species geraniums, can be propagated by 
root cuttings -- a little less obvious technique than stem cuttings, but 
fun to try, and these can also be done now in the greenhouse.

As a guide to making cuttings:  You should be able to find the 
old SUNSET magazine guide, "How to Plan, Establish, and Maintain a Rock 
Garden" by George Schenk in local libraries.  It has a  couple of B&W 
photos of "made" cuttings of a great variety of plants -- this was a real 
boost to my getting interested in propagation.

As to seed propagation: there are many, many perennials which should be 
planted during the fall and winter.  Among these, a number of bulbs, 
including species narcissus, tulips, fritillaries, and our native erythronium
[fawn lilies] germinate best if planted in early fall, ie, now.  But 
these should be kept outdoors, not in greenhouse conditions.

Loren Russell, Corvallis, Oregon
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