Plants which root along the stem hunt surely give other gardeners the joy they bring to me. I like to watch the self made pictures they achieve and to take advantage of their determination to move along in creating pictures of my own. When we help them to develop roots on their lowest stems we call it layering but a lot of plants layered themselves long before the first gardener took to this process for propagating purposes.

Often plants throw roots down from the under side of a branch or shoot that has come in contact with the soil. Where strong winds prevent stems front rising naturally, pressing them clown against the earth instead, many take to layering’ as a mode of getting about.

On my windswept hill, plants which are tall and straight and would never dream of rooting at the stem in more sheltered places realize, after the batterings of several seasons, that they must find another way of self development. My Thymus nitidus and Abelia floribunda do it. In the Northwest I have seen Daphne eneorum take to all fours and in central California live oaks and even sycamores sometimes go underground.

On the West coast we can avail ourselves of this method of propagating or of giving new direction to a plant, at almost any time of the year. The important things are to see that there is a good rooting medium under the bough and that it is moist enough to encourage the sprouting of roots.

If you want your Ceanothus gloriosus, for instance, to cover a slope quickly, extend the branch in the direction you want it to go, see that there is some sand and humus beneath it, cut the leaves off the under side, press the stem into this mixture of sand and leafmold… or whatever mixture you use put a rock on top to anchor it down and see that the whole is thoroughly wet. July is a good month for playing this game because the spring and early summer have ripened the wood.

With next spring’s garden in mind, check on the easy landscaping plants first before you spend time on the ones that need utmost attention. Prune spireas, viburnums and cut out the old growth from climbing roses as soon as flowers have withered. Proper landscaping plant selection is also necessary especially among flowering plants. If your iris needs dividing, do it now and keep in bloom the flowering annuals that at present are giving color to your garden, by relieving them of faded blossoms. Do this also to your perennial phlox when it flowers and note the new phlox colors you need for next year.

In the fruit garden keep the raspberries well watered and the grapes tied. If you have committed yourself to the method of summer pruning your grapes, there is nothing for it but to keep at it and follow it up through the summer.

Take the old plants out of the strawberry bed and after working fertilizer into the empty places fill them with young rooted runners of the kinds you like best.

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Some efficiency expert is always talking about “killing two birds with one stone.” I’d like to dispatch a couple of rabbits with one rock. Right now there is bountiful food for them everywhere, but they insist on nibbling at the geraniums.

Last season our neighbor found a nest of baby rabbits. They were so “cute.” That no one can deny. But the other evening I heard strong muttering about what all the pesky rabbits were doing. They talk about chickens coming home to roost, but this is a case of bunnies coming home to feed.

The grapes put out last year are going to have a small amount of fruit this fall. Had I been able to find time (always the perfect excuse) to get the trellis wire strung up last year when the plants were set, I think they would have done considerably better.

I tried to start some grapes several years ago. Maybe you can learn from my experience. In spraying for bind-weed (some call it wild sweet potato, wild morning glory, creeping Jenny, etc.) I found that grape leaves are VERY susceptible to weed killers, even when the spray doesn’t touch them.

Last summer I chose a perfectly calm day to spray the lawn. We fixed up a long boom on the sprayer, and put plastic around it for a curtain. In spite of this the tomatoes and watermelons at some distance from the spraying curled up. So did my neighbor’s squashes.

Our rainfall during the spring and early summer was reported as a bit above normal but after so many dry years it is almost impossible to visualize just what is “normal.” The season seemed awfully wet to us.

One problem it revived (one we had nearly forgotten) was that of keeping the roses properly protected with spray or dust. It seemed that it washed off as fast as it was put on.

Another problem we noticed was that on some newly set out flowering shrubs and trees, as well as on our plum trees, the aphids and mealybugs have a special liking for the tender tips. Regular fruit tree spraying didn’t seem to keep them in check completely. A few application of Neem oil did the trick in controlling mealybugs and aphids .

I picked a cool day last week to turn over the compost pile. In the process I put an end to several dozen grub worms which had chosen it for a home. My faith in compost always wavers when I see all the pests that like to live in it… but I still think the benefits out-weigh the disadvantages.

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