Hort Shorts
- If you lack indoor space to store pots of tender impatiens, begonias, coleus, fushias and potato vines, take cuttings before the first frost. Cut 4- to 6-inch sections of stem and place in water in a small jar, bottle or vase. Pinch blooms and remove any leaves below the water line. When roots form, plant in small pots and keep in a sunny location. Cuttings often survive in water alone. Just be sure to keep the containers filled with water above the root line, trimming roots a bit if they become too matted. These can then be potted closer to spring and re-introduced into the garden after danger of frost.
- Don’t fertilize perennials at this time of year. They need to ready themselves for winter dormancy.