Propagation: Plant propagation... the basics II, 1 by Pughbear7

Pughbear7 wrote:
Howdy:
Tom: wecome we always like new and fresh thought.

Japanese maple's are generally grafted with the specific top variety on a good strong rootstock. I think they use blood good and a few other as rootstock. You might like the grafting thing if you get going into growing a lot of seedlings. In the fall I usually come across some good deals on 5 to 7 year old grafts if anyone is interested ask me around september october.

As many of you know we moved into our house about 5 years ago. we imediately removed 2 huge tree's a silver maple that broke up the back patio and would have given us major foundation issues later on in time. the other tree was a river birch that had been hit hard by our record ice storm. It was down to 2 main stoms and had been chopped off at about 20 ft up. we had the stumps ground also. we had so much mulch it wasn't funny.
Next we took out 5 huge dorthy gish azalea's that must have been 20 years+ in age. We planted 3 gallon red tip photinia along the edge of a previous patio area that was never really finished. we hope to bring in some decomposed granite and level out the ground with it. It packs as hard as concrete but drains like sand. cool stuff. Picture is the before pic of the house that we looked at before we bought it and did so many redesign of the landscape. On the corner of the house is a purple leaf norway maple. planted in the wrong place as its a 60' tree when mature. I am trying 1 more time to get cuttings from it before I totally take it out.
We put in a large bed around the base of our huge oak tree out front. mainly hosta's but it now has a few heuchera's, the daffodills are sprouting and the dianthus is going nuts. I cut the dianthus back hard in late summer to give it a new flush in the winter. I planted some delospernum (ice plant), Homestead purple verbena (I hope to have plugs for sale this summer).
We hope to expand the hosta bed to cover an area by the front walk that refuses to grow any grass. I plan on raising the soil level about 6" to help it out. I have a huge pile of soil from dead or failed plants in my sm backyard nursery that I will use as a soil and add to it with more miricle grow potting mix. I hope to expand the hosta display add in more heuchera's and some other shade lover's. I am shooting for color all year long.
I will try to get a photo layout put together so everyone can see what we started with and where we are now.

In the back yard I have a narrow and varry long bed I think I am going to overhaul this year. I am not happy with the spiraea's and a few other plants that don't seem to be playing nice. I am hopefull i will be dumping a lot of failed pots to make room for my transition into a more focused path. perrienial seedlings and 3 to 4" tall perrienial pots.

I am just starting to feel a bit better from all the late fall/winter ailments that have plagued me. we will see if its just a false break or if its all gonna turn back to the good.

I am also planting some trays of lettuce, spinach and seedlings of tomatoe's, squash and some other veggie's. I hope to reclaim my veggie beds and narrow down the nurseries quantiities of plants. i think I have like 3 to 5,000 pots in my tiny back yard.

Jeanette: I wonder are we in a 20 to 30 year old pattern for weather? I dont ever remember a winter where we had no measurable snow fall and they sound like we may not get any this spring.

Have a great evening
Dave