In the previous post, I mentioned that Catherine completed two projects employing the no-longer-seen-as accent piece furniture: China Cabinets. One, an estate sale cabinet for a beautifully curated collection of milk glass, situated in the back hall of the Henington House; the other project, a mystery to you, dear reader.
But, no longer! We don’t like to keep secrets.
If you are a close follower of the Facebook page, it has probably been evident what this second cabinet lived on to do. (If you aren’t a close follower of the Facebook page, it is linked in the top right-hand corner of your screen; go check it out!). There is no surprise that Catherine and other members of the Henington House are plant-loving people. A throw pillow situated dead center on entry in the greenhouse at the home can verify this sentiment with the words, “Crazy Plant Lady” in large print. Again, we don’t like to keep secrets.
So, in true Crazy Plant Lady nature, Catherine turned the “dug out of the trash” China Cabinet into a Propagation Station in the back greenhouse, right off of the workshop. In this Propagation Station, Catherine filled glasses of water, walked over to the greenhouse to take clippings of various plants, and sunk the clippings into the water.
Although the cabinet’s new purpose is to root plants instead of house stately glassware, she took advantage of the beautiful cabinet and put stately glassware in it anyway. She also included the ceramic heads of some ladies that held high celebrity in the 1930s and 1940s like Lucille Ball.
Propagation of houseplants is a simple and rewarding hobby, one to increase the amount of the plant babies you love or to gift them to your friends and family - plants make excellent gifts. There are a few different methods of propagation. Water, moss, and soil are the most common.
To water propagate, take a cutting below the node on the plant of your choosing. It is important to include at least two nodes and a leaf at the top of the cutting. Next, submerge the nodes, but not the leaf, into fresh water and provide the cutting with bright light (even if it’s not a bright-light-loving plant). Make sure to change the water every few days so the cutting has enough oxygen to sustain life. In a few weeks, your cutting will grow roots!
To moss propagate, select the same type of cutting. Submerge sphagnum moss in water then wring dry. Place the moss in a container (Tupperware or plastic cups work well). Nuzzle the cuttings into the moss, making sure to cover the nodes with damp moss. Cover the container lightly to make a “greenhouse” and place it in direct light. It’s as easy as that!
To soil propagate, take those same cuttings. If you have it on hand, dip the cutting into rooting hormone and place directly into moist soil. Make sure to keep the soil moist until rooted.
Some plants, like cacti and succulents, need to callus over for a few days before beginning any of the above propagation methods. If inserted into water, moss, or soil on a fresh cut, the gates for bacteria are opened.
Happy propagating!