Getting Started
It’s still winter outside.
The sunlight is hanging in the sky a bit longer.
It’s a visual reminder that spring is coming, but for now it is still very much winter outside.
Having a window sill mini-greenhouse ha been a massive help for me in not just getting through the winter, but enjoying the pace. Throughout the day, I can look inside this protected space and feel connected to growing plants when most of my other work is at a computer and focused on the next season.
When the weather was still warm in fall and before the ground was frozen, I dug up a few clumps of my favorite perennial from the garden. Amsonia is a well know genus of plants, with hubrichtii, and tabernamontana being two of the common species for native perennials in the mid-Atlantic region. There is a selection of A. tabernamontana called ‘Grande’ which is one of my absolute favorite perennials. It emerges early in spring and flowers for several weeks, beginning in late-April. The flowers are a beautiful light blue and the lush foliage looks great all season.
As fall settles in and the Amsonias drop their leaves, the root clusters show the eyes/buds that will become next year’s growth. In late November, I dug these root clusters up and gently separated them and placed them in plug trays to begin growing. While they would stay dormant if left outside in the landscape, mine are indoors on a sunny window sill and actively growing.
The idea was to start them early in their mini-greenhouse and hopefully take several rounds of cuttings to root and propagate as clones. The goal is to get more of this beautiful perennial back into the landscape, even if it is only feasible to make an impact in my home garden this year.
While I don’t have access to a greenhouse or professional backyard nursery right now, the joy that my little Amsonia ‘Grande’ sprouts in their mini-greenhouse brings is sufficient.
I’m looking forward to seeing what comes of these young and steadily growing bluestar, both this season and in the season to come.