July 26, 2019 Propagating Roses, RH Shumway, Aven Nelson, Ruth Pitter, The Rude Potato, How to Garden Through Dog Days, and Winthrop Mackworth Praed
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Have you tried to propagate roses through cutting? Maybe you want to pass along an old rose from a friend or simply make more of your own. You can take a cutting of your rose, which is also called a slip. When it comes to selecting the right stem, I look for a long, young shoot. These new shoots are about the diameter of a pencil and have grown from spots I have pruned earlier in the year – which is another benefit of pruning. Now these shoots are pretty easy to spot; they are usually a little lighter in color and they are super vigorous. Anyway, you want to cut one long shoot down low and then make your hardwood slips from that one long shoot. If you look at the long stem you just cut, you’ll notice that, at the top, the stem is pliable; meaning you can bend it quite easily. But as you go further down the stem, you’ll begin to notice that the soft, pliability goes away and all you’re left with is what we call hardwood. That’s where you will take your cuttings. From one long stem I can usually get three or four 5 to 7 inch cuttings. So, bottom line; Don’t take your cutting from a stem that is bendable. Now when you make your slips, use something sharp – it can be a knife or a pruner. For the bottom of the cutting, cut straight across - right below a bud(where the leads to connect to the stem.) For the top of your slip, cut at an angle - right above a bud. Using those bud connection points as guides for cutting is important because this is where loads of non-determinant cells like to hang out. That means the plants can leverage them to make roots or shoots, depending on what it needs to do to survive. Pretty cool, huh? Then, I just strip the leaves off from the lower 4 inches of the stem, leaving just one or two leaf clusters at the tip. Then, I trim some of the bark from the bottom inch or so of the cutting; making it rather squarish (like a mint stem), and then I dip that into rooting powder. Finally, place the bottom 3-4 inches of the cutting into well drained potting soil in the ground and cut and cover the slip with a mason jar.     Brevities   #OTD  It’s the birthday of Roland Hallet Shumway who was born on this day in 1842.   A pioneering seedsman out of Rockford, Illinois, Shumway always went by his initials of R.H. The RH Shumway Seed Company became the worlds largest mail-order seed company; their "Marketmore" seeds or especially popular. Famous Shumway Seed customers included Bing Crosby and Perry Como.   When Shumway was 19, he enlisted in the army to serve in the Civil War. He contracted bronchitis and became totally deaf during his service. Once Shumway was asked how he would like to be remembered. He gave a three word response: Good Seeds Cheap. Shumway said that he wanted to make sure, “that good seeds were within the reach of the poorest planters“   As with any venture, sweat equity drives success. Shumway said, “From the beginning of the new year, until after spring planting, my industrious employees work 16 hours a day, and myself and my family 18 or more hours per day. Are we not surely knights at labor? How can we do more? Do we not deserve the patronage of every planter in America ?”       #OTD It's the 120th anniversary of the 14-week botanical expedition through Yellowstone led by the botanist Aven Nelson. Aven had hired a student named Leslie Goodding to be the chore boy for $10 per month. The group assembled at the University of Wyoming where Nelsen had been hired to teach. Leslie remembered the excitement on campus at the prospect of going on the trek, saying, “Some three or four months were to be spent in Yellowstone park collecting plants… Many students… were anxious to accompany Dr. Nelson on [the] expedition, and were willing to work for nothing just to see the Park… This was in the days when autos were much like hen's teeth and trips through the Park by stage were expensive.“   (Note: The euphemism “hen's teeth“ refers to something being exceptionally rare; since hens have no teeth, it implies that something is so scarce it is virtually nonexistent. So, during the time of this expedition – no vehicles.) In addition to Leslie, another botany student named Elias Nelsen, (no relation to Aven), joined the group. Anyway, on this day in 1899, Leslie and Elias, had gone collecting near an area called Artist Paint Pots; it's a dangerous area with over 50 springs, geysers, vents and mud pots. Geothermal features are some of the most dangerous natural features in Yellowstone, but people often fail to realize that fact. To this day, park rangers rescue one or two visitors, who fall from boardwalks or wander off designated paths and punch their feet through thin earthen crust into boiling water. Yet, drawn by curiosity, Elias ignored the warning signs and went off the path. Suddenly, he found himself with one leg sunk into boiling hot mud. He managed to free himself and Aven's wife did what she could with soda and flour to bandage his wounds, and the doc at the nearest town recommend Elias return home for treatment.  Despite the challenges posed by Yellowstone, Aven Nelsen and his team collected roughly 30,000 specimens although only about 500 species were represented. Nelson had purposely gathered 20 -30 duplicates per species because he correctly assumed that institutions and collectors would want specimens from Yellowstone.   Today, Nelson is remembered as the Father of Wyoming Botany, but his greatest legacy is the Rocky Mountain Herbarium created from Nelson's collection of Yellowstone plants.         Unearthed Words   Here's a few verses about July from a poem by Ruth Pitter called The Diehards from her wonderful book called "The Rude Potato."   "We go in withering July To ply the hard incessant hoe; Panting beneath the brazen sky We sweat and grumble, but we go."       Today's book recommendation: The Rude Potato by Ruth Pitter) As a gardener herself, Ruth had a personal knowledge of flowers. She loved gardening and she wrote her poetry when she finished her chores and her gardening. The Rude Potato is a very witty entertaining collection of poems about gardens and gardeners.     Today's Garden Chore How to Garden through the dog days of summer by working early and staying cool. For many of us, the dog days of summer can be a time when we take a break from gardening. To avoid the high temps, potential sunburn, and bug bites, I go out in the morning, work for no more than a two hour stint and wrap up no later than 10am. For self-care, I set up a sports umbrella for shade and I bring a large fan around with me to stay cool. The fan also keeps the bugs at bay; mosquitos especially are not good fliers.     Something Sweet  Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart #OTD Today is the birthday of Winthrop Mackworth Praed - Praed was an English writer and politician remembered for his humorous verse. He wrote, "I remember, I remember how my childhood fleeted by. The mirth of its December, and the warmth of its July." Praed's home had a fine grove. He had an orangery and beautiful grounds overlooking a harbor. Praed tragically died at 37 from tuberculosis. For many years, his fans enjoyed this little story about him: "A man want to a bookshop and asked, "Have you Browning?" And the clerk replied, "No we cant sell him. People say they can't understand him." Then the customer asked, "Have you Praed?" And the clerk said, "Yes, we've prayed and we can't understand him.     Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."