Catkin Season

"The catkins are out on the pussy willow tree."

This said only in spring, and probably just once per season. 

But I always say it—can't wait to say it—because it's a SURE SIGN. 

Once the catkins are out, friends, there's no stuffing them back ... and no stopping spring. 

Yes, it might still snow—probably will snow—but 

these silky buds contradict temporary setbacks.

Maybe you're enjoying a catkin season of life, when hints of something wonderful 

 are peeking out everywhere? It's a good place to be, for sure, 

and happens at every life stage. I'd love to hear about it.

Click here for more about this specimen in my garden 

or here to learn more about the care of your own. 

Clematis Cutting Tutorial

We've had a very long winter here in Kentucky. 

Endless weeks of cold, snow, and ice with very few glimmer days*. 

But on the first day of February, the sun came out, and during my backyard wander, 

I was surprised to find Jackmanii clematis already hard at work.

The dynamism contained in a newly-awakened 

clematis branch is electric.

So I cut a handful of the woody branches (1), including more than one

 woody knuckle on each stem.

Sporting the most hopeful shade of green, these pioneer leaves are impossibly soft. 

Spend some time appreciating them, because the next step is 

to snap off each leaf bud (2).

I know it seems brutal, but that unique spring-renewal energy has to be firmly 

directed to earn those free clematis vines. If the greedy leaf buds are 

allowed to use the vigor for themselves, roots will never form. 

By removing the leaf buds, you're sending all that growth-power south. 

Obviously, I haven't done a thorough job of clearing the buds--I'm too soft. 

Place the cut vine sections in a jar of room temperature water 

in a brightly lit window (3).

Then it's a waiting game. 

You'll probably spend most of the summer changing water and 

keeping the stems free of algae and slime (4) while you wait to see roots.

But it's worth the work.

Explore other methods to propagate clematis here and here. 

* Glimmer days are unseasonably warm, typically sprinkled throughout the first three months of the calendar year.