Tonight I went through and divided up the Comfrey I had growing in a big pot for ages while it waited for me to find the perfect place. I understand It is difficult to get rid of if you plant it somewhere and want to move it, hence my reluctance.

Anyways I broke it down to 6 pieces and potted them up in small containers hoping they will be happy and can go to an allocated spot in the yard that wont be too big a deal if it gets overrun.

I also planted out my new daylilly I got from the local garden club expo I went to have a look at today. It's an Elizabeth Hay. Which I of course chose for its stunning flower:)

I also got some wormwood, seeing as the slip said it is good to use as a pest repelant when mixed with chilli. I think I had also heard that it was good to deter pests on chickens?

While I was feeling all productive I took a few Azalea cuttings. I think you are actually meant to do that in Autumn but oh well we will see if I have any luck. some were soft heel cuttings, some were from bud and some were tips. I thought I would try a few different things. I used some of that clonex purple to try up my chances. I'll have a looksy to see how long they generaly take.





Propagation notes from the web:

"Azaleas can be difficult to propagate, so be sure you take several cuttings. Azalea's root well in winter, but you can also give it a goin late summer or early fall.

A tried-and-true method espoused by rhododendron and azalea experts
(and one that I've used successfully) is the following:

1. Take part of this year's growth and cut it off; it should be 3 to 4
inches long. The bottom should be cut at an angle.

2. Pull all the leaves upward with one hand and cut them to half their
original length.

3. If the cutting has a bud, pinch it off.

4. On each side of the stem, shave off about one inch of the hard
outer layer, exposing the soft inner layer.

5. Dip the cutting into rooting hormone.

6. Take a clear plastic disposable cup and punch 3 or 4 holes in the
bottom (from the inside out) with a pencil or icepick.

7. Fill the cup with half peat and half perlite. (This mixture must be
moist, but shouldn't drip water when squeezed.) Place the cutting in
the cup.

8. Place the end of one drinking straw into the mixture, on either
side of the cutting. Place the cutting inside a plastic zip-lock bag,
and seal it. (The straws help keep the plastic above the plant
itself.)

9. Place the cutting where it will get lots of light, but no direct
sun. When you can no longer see moisture on the side of the bag, add"
just a little water. (Don't over water, or you'll rot the cutting.)

Rooting Dormant Azalea Cuttings
by Donald W. Hyatt

"Winter's ice and snow can often lead to broken branches on your azaleas. Don't despair, those branches can be rooted with relative ease during the winter months. Here is the procedure I use to start azaleas and rhododendrons from dormant cuttings. Even if the branch is quite desiccated, there is still a good chance of success at this time of year.

Procedure:

1. For containers, I use cut-off gallon milk jugs. I make slits in the bottom for eventual drainage.
2. Make short cuttings of a single whirl of leaves. Cuttings should be 2 inches long, or less. Sections of stems without leaves can also be used with some degree of success.
3. Remove any flower buds from the cuttings since the plant's attempt to produce flowers will sap energy from new growth and root formation.
4. Dip the end of the cutting in a rooting hormone such as Rootone or Dip 'N Grow.
5. Insert the bottom inch of the cutting into a container filled with a porous potting medium ( I use � Peat, � Sand, � Perlite). The medium should be moist but not wet since excess moisture is the leading cause of failure due to fungal rot.
6. If cuttings have evidence of insect or disease problems, they may be sprayed with an insecticide / fungicide mixture at this time and allowed to dry. (standard Rose Spray).
7. Enclose containers in clear plastic bags to create a mini-greenhouse effect. Glad Gallon Food Storage bags fit the gallon milk jugs perfectly.
8. Sometimes I will spray the foliage with a very dilute fertilizer mixture before enclosing the bags, but be careful to not make things too wet.
9. Place under fluorescent lights with "long day" conditions (16 to 24 hours of light each day), or in a north window with good light but not too much strong sun.
10. Cuttings should break dormancy and begin to grow in a month or so. At this time, they are usually forming new roots, too. Remove any cuttings that rot, or leaves that turn brown, but keep containers on the dry side since it will encourage root growth.
11. Keep under lights during the winter months, and wait for warm humid weather to repot in late spring. The new foliage has been used to 100% humidity for many weeks, so open bags slowly at first and allow them to harden off before transplanting.
12. Grow plants in pots during the summer, and allow them to harden off before frost in the fall. Cold frame protection is helpful during the first winter to protect from bark split, but plants rooted during the winter are often large enough by fall to make it on their own.

Note: Azaleas and rhododendrons can be raised from seed, too. The same basic approach is used, but no rooting hormone is needed. The seed is very small and should be sown directly on top of the medium. Germination will usually occur in just a few weeks, and plants will be ready for transplanting in a month or so. "

I'm Starting a Garden Blog :)

I desperately need to remember what I do and when I do it! I am pathetic. I've lost so many brain cells and the only reasoning is giving birth. I rarely drink I don't do drugs... I think my son stole half of my brain. Alas he is a smart kid.

So if anytime is the time to start thinking about keeping proper records it is now, because I can only go down hill from here. I'll take a few picks to show where things are at here now.

We moved in here Oct 2006. We have bought our first house, started renovating then found about 2 weeks after moving in I was up the duff :) There must be something about getting your own place. A friend of mine fell pregnant around the same time, just as they moved into their place they had been building.






So that now leaves my son at 13mths. Me at home, playing stay at home mum, and trying to find some time to do the things I enjoy. Luckily for me he likes the outdoors and even follows me around with his little plastic watering can :)








I will start to take proper photos so I can see some progress. Sometimes I forget I am actually getting somewhere.

What I want is to grow as many productive fruits and veggies as I can maintain and afford. And to throw in a few pretty bee attracting ornamental's and keep the place somewhat presentable.








I want chickens and worms and compost and happiness :) We are doing good so far. Husband constructed 3 good sized compost bays out of corrugated iron. We cut down all the old grapefruit trees that we filling up all of the backyard. Don't worry (I hear those gasps) they will be replaced with things a little more appropriate to us. The trees were lovely but I don't eat them, don't have many friends who do and my god they made a mess.

I have jazzied up the front yard a bit with some bits and pieces taken from cuttings from my neighbor Stella. Who unfortunately passed away last week :( But at least for now I have her lovely garden across the street to look at and remind me of her.

Nothing is really organized. I figure most of that stuff I can change later if I wish.

From our wedding money husband got a playstation3 (which I use too :) ) and I scored a trip to bunnings where we got together enough stuff to build one good sized patch which so far seems allocated for a heap of tomatoes this season.

I don't eat tomatoes but I'm bitten by the tomato bug. They are just so useful. There is always someone who would like to be handed a nice fresh homegrown tomato.

I have a small water tank of 200lts out the front. It actually proves quiet useful for its small size. So far so good :)




So that's a pretty general overview of where I am at :)

Now I will leave you hanging waiting for the next gripping installment of dl's trials and tribulations in the garden.

Happy thieving.