Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Garden Magic

Air Layering is ... garden magic.
Mid - Spring, wounded and bandaged...
By Late - Fall, fifteen Pink Perfection Camellias, three Japanese Maples, one red Camellia from a neighbors yard. I have lots of patience - I'll see who is still alive in the Spring.

Garden Magic

This is the garden's magic,

That through the sunny hours

The gardener who tends it,

Himself outgrows his flowers.

 
He grows by gift of patience,

Since he who sows must know

That only in the Lord's good time

Does any seedling grow.


He learns from buds unfolding,

From each tight leaf unfurled,

That his own heart, expanding,

Is one with all the world.

 
He bares his head to sunshine,

His bending back a sign

Of grace, and ev'ry shower becomes

His sacramental wine.

 
And when at last his labors

Bring forth the very stuff

And substance of all beauty

This is reward enough.

MARIE NETTLETON CARROLL

3 comments:

  1. Never heard of air layering before...looks as if it were successful though.

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  2. If I'm still here in the spring, I'm gonna do the same on a few of the camellias across the street. I kept putting it off this year, but I really need to remember to use this technique. None of my traditional camellia cuttings survived the summer of dust.

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  3. darla - i've been really pleased with the results, about 80% - because with cuttings i have had 0 success.

    tom - this summer was not kind to gardens. two years ago 100% of my air layers rooted, this summer it was about 75%. i think if i had sprayed the bush regularly the moss might not have dried out. oh well, i enjoyed doing this -

    i still need to try layering crepe myrtles, that's how i found your blog - from a google search when i typed in propagating crepe myrtles.

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