I dig dirt.
I grew up in a house surrounded by azaleas, pink and purple and coral and red. Shrimp plants that bobbed lazy and heavy. An enormous trellised Quisqualis so magnificent folks drove by to photograph it.
My first plants were 4 O’Clocks and marigolds, easily grown and sturdy enough to withstand childhood bouts of inattention.
Today my garden is housed in containers, and includes many second-, third-, and fourth-generation plants. Growing plants from clippings is not only simple, it’s smart:
- Buying plants can be expensive. Propagate the ones that grow well under your care and watch your garden expand!
- Plants make lovely gifts. It costs only nurturing and a pretty planter to give a gift from your garden—and your heart.
- Plants heal. My aloe had “pups” and now those pups have pups of their own. Many a sunburned neighbor has gratefully received healing leaves.
- Plants are nature’s air freshener. They filter out pollutants, improving indoor air quality.
