Self Propagating Gardens Part II

The next flowering plant that will reproduce on its own is one I call Dawn & Twilight Bloomer. 

The stem reminds me of the geranium family in that you can break off a branch at the ribbed joint, stick it in dirt and it will sprout roots & grow, but it also produces seeds (following a bloom), that will naturally fall to the ground to grow or you can harvest these seeds and plant elsewhere. As in my last post, all I do is spread them on the ground where I want them to grow. There is no need to do all that fancy potting & transplanting business. I just let mother nature do what she does best.

The seeds look like peppercorns (black & tan variegated). Most of them are solid black, but out of an estimated 25 seeds, one will be striped and be more oval. I do not know the meaning of this other than maybe there is a male & female plant. Yep, I make this stuff up as I go along, but wouldn't be surprised if I am right. The new seedlings look all the same regardless of whether it started from a black or striped seed. 

The new seedling germinate and its first few leaves will look like this.  They grow & bloom best in shady areas and around the base of larger plants than shade it. If they have something supporting them, like up against a wall they can get as tall as 3 feet and have a spread of 2 feet. 

Next blog (Part III), will be about creating new plants from a stem of an existing plant. So easy to do and you may never go to the nursery again to buy plants. Instead you may find yourself knocking on a neighbors door to ask if you can have a "clipping" of one of their plants. It's a common practice here in Central America.

Happy Gardening!

"Time in the garden, rejuvenates the earth & soul" 
Catherine Thomas March 2015