all my pretties

well, it's definitely late august on the back forty. alot of the plants are pretty much "spent" while some still look fabulous. among the best of the best are the coleus, which always seem to thrive right up until frost. last year, i loved them so much i could not bear to see my favorites die. so i attempted to nurse them in the basement all winter. for awhile, it worked, but sometime after christmas they all just gave up. or perhaps i gave up on them, and ended up with a pile of dried colored leaves on the floor.

this year, i have a new plan of attack.



i'm attempting to start cuttings or "slips" as my grandma called them, in water and then have a bunch of small plants to carry over the winter. i started a few weeks ago, and many of them have roots, a couple of these are even in dirt already, and doing well. if this works for the whole winter, in the spring i'll either start more cuttings off of THESE, or plant them directly outside. either way, it's a fun way to keep your plants going.

i have my eye on THIS guy next to try and root cuttings off.



in other news, one of my favorite–albeit weird–plants this summer has been the ligularia in the corner by the sun porch. the leaves are just awesome, and now it's decided to bloom too!!! very strange and tropical in feel, don't you think? i love this plant!