Eremophila Calorhabdos

Free Plants, Propagating Plants from Cuttings.

Do you really need a Greenhouse or Heated Propagating trays?

There are plenty of articles and websites on the internet where you can learn how to propagate plants from cuttings. Most require some degree of expertise, a greenhouse or heated propagating tray and a bit of an investment in your cost and time. But here’s a really quick, easy and cost effective way for the home gardener to propagate a few extra free plants for the home garden.

This is a method I learnt from my mother a few years ago and she’s been using it to propagate lavenders and all sorts of similar plants for years. I’d hate to guess the amount of plants she’s propagated over the years from cuttings using this method. One of her favourite things to do in the garden was to plant lavender hedges so she must have propagated hundreds of lavenders using this method.

So here’s what you do;

Eremophila Calorhabdos Flowers.

First choose your subject and take some cuttings. I’ve chosen Eremophila Calorhabdos today because I want to grow a small hedge from it.

Now the next bit is common knowledge but I’ll repeat it anyway. Make sure that your subject is well hydrated before you take your cuttings. Give it a good watering the night before with Seasol and water.

Then take the cuttings early in the morning before the sun gets too hot. Now having said all of that I threw caution to the wind as today was a cold wet day and I really only decided to do this at lunch time so I just went ahead took the cuttings anyway. We’ll see what happens.

I've used 16 tubes and taped them together.

16 5cm tubes taped together.

The next thing is to prepare your containers. I’m using 5 cm square tubes that have been used before so I’ll use a diluted solution of household bleach and water to clean them. If you want, you can spend the extra money and buy some fungicide from the garden centre but I reckon the bleach works just fine. In fact I’ve done this before without even cleaning the tubes, so it’s really up to you.

Next I use a middle of the range potting mix as a propagating medium. Now I know you’ve probably all heard that you should use a special propagating medium that’s made up of all sorts of stuff that will maximise the chances of your cuttings developing roots. I’ve tried these in the past and they obviously work but I’ve found that potting mix does as well. So it’s up to you. If you want to spend the extra money on the propagating mix then that’s fine.

Next I up I prepare my cuttings.

I cut 2 branches and then cut them into 8 cuttings each about 6 inches/15cm long.

How you go about this is up to you. I’ve read some really in depth methods about this in the past that make it sound like it’s some new type of science. I just cut them to length and then put a small nick in the end that goes into the potting mix. If you want you can experiment with different types of cuttings from different parts of the plant.

Now before the cuttings go into the tube I then soak them in some Multicrop plant starter for a few seconds and then push them into the potting mix. Then just water them in, put them in a shady, cool area and then just be patient. I don’t use a greenhouse or plastic bag to keep them dehydrated. Just keep them in a cool area and keep them damp. Then just sit back and be patient.

I’ve done this on the 2nd day of winter so they probably won’t be ready until spring. In the warmer months they will obviously be a bit quicker.

Place them in the shade, keep the media wet and just be patient.

This whole operating took less than ½ an hour, cost me next to nothing and all I have to do is give the cuttings a quick water every day or so, so they don’t dry out.

Some of the plants my mother has propagated from cuttings using this method are Lavenders, Roses, Buddleia, Geraniums, English Box, Oleanders, Hydrangeas and lots, lots more.

Plants that I’ve propagated from cuttings using this simple method are Banksias, Proteas, Leucadendrons and Eremophila. Others include Succulents, Cactus, Dracaenas, Yuccas, Aloes, and Agaves, but these are easy to propagate anyway as you can propagate most of these by just placing a cutting in the ground.

So do you really need a Greenhouse or Heated Propagating trays to propagate plants from cuttings? Well if you’ve already got this equipment then why wouldn’t you want to use it? But if you haven’t, then why not give this method a try. Experimenting in the garden is fun and so is propagating plants from cuttings. It’s a great way to grow lots of free plants especially if you want to grow a hedge. Let me know how you go.

Happy Propagating!

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Posted in Information, Plant Propagation | Tagged Eremophila Calorhabdos, free plants, Plant Propagation, Propagating, Seasol | 9 Comments

Eremophila Calorhabdos

One of the main reasons I like Eremophila Calorhabdos is because it is one of those plants that looks great even when it’s not in flower. That is of course if you follow one golden rule.

You can see here how hard it has been pruned.

You have to prune it.

Nearly all Australian native plants look a lot neater and tidier when pruned after flowering and Eremophila Calorhabdos is no exception. This plant responds very well to pruning so a good prune will reap the best results. If you do this you will be rewarded with lots of tall vertical branches that will be covered with pinky red tubular flowers during the following winter and spring.

This eremophila is just 2 1/2 years old.

Another great feature about this plant is that it is very easy to propagate from cuttings and I’ll show you how to do this easily at home, without any specialist equipment in a future article.

The plant itself grows naturally in Western Australia, it prefers reasonable drainage and tends to grow quicker in lighter type soils but will also grow in heavier soils. It likes full sun and is obviously very drought tolerant. It is also a great plant to place in a confined area as it grows tall

Eremophila Calorhabdos Flowers.

and narrow to about 2m and can easily be pruned to form a long narrow hedge.

One thing that does amaze me though about this plant is that it is rarely seen in nurseries as it is a very garden worthy plant that appears to be very underused in gardens.

Maybe it’s not every ones cup of tea but if anyone’s tried it let me know what you think as I reckon Eremophila Calorhabdos deserves to become more mainstream.

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Posted in Eremophila, Garden Plants | Tagged drought tolerant plant, Eremophila Calorhabdos, Eremophilas | 2 Comments

My 7 Favourite Drought Tolerant, Australian Natives Plants.

The words “drought tolerant plants” have different meaning to different gardeners. I once knew a gardener who believed if a plant was considered to be drought tolerant it meant that once you’d planted it you could then walk away and never have to water it again. The funny thing about it, in some respects this can be the case with some drought tolerant plants, in some situations.

If you are a gardener though who wants to give your plants a better that even chance of surviving their first summer then here is the best way to go about it.

I’ve always found that the best time of the year to plant is in autumn. This gives the roots some time to get established over winter and spring before the following summer. It also gives the plant a head start, especially if you have a large garden full of drought tolerant plants that rarely get watered over summer.

The next important thing to do is then water the plant for the first summer and after that it should be able to survive just from the water that falls from the sky. This to me is what the term “drought tolerant plant” means. It means plants that have evolved in their natural environment to withstand long periods without rainfall and as a consequence can do the same when introduced into a garden situation.

Over the years I’ve grown lots of drought tolerant plants and as a consequence I’ve got just a few that are favourites and if I was to start a new garden tomorrow from scratch then these one’s would be definite starters. It’s also important to point out that this list isn’t a list of the seven most drought tolerant plants you can find. Instead it is a list of seven very garden worthy plants that will look and perform very well in the home garden and once established, survive on a very minimal amount of water. So here they are;

1. Alyogyne hakeifolia syn Melissa Anne
2. Eremophila Calorhabdos
3. Banksia Ericifolia
4. Grevillea “Ned Kelly”
5. Eucalyptus caesia “Silver Princess”
6. Acacia glaucoptera
7. Callistemon Salignus

These are a just a few of the many Australian Natives that are drought tolerant plants. There are many others that could be added to the list but I’ve included them here because I’ve grown them in my garden and if I was to plant a new garden tomorrow these would be the ones that would make a great starting point.

If you want to try them in your garden just remember these rules.
1. Don’t fertilize them.
2. Plants them in a well drained soil or on a slope or raised garden bed (exception C salignus).
3. Don’t cultivate around the roots.
4. Only water to establish or when conditions are extreme and the plant is stressed.

There are other drought tolerant plants mentioned throughout my gardening blog and many, many more to come. So please have a read and feel free to ask a question or two.

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