Single digits here in Ohio this week! Brrrrrr.
Finnegan and Fergus, running again in 2020.
Both the plants and the Donkeys are Doing Fine. The donkeys stay in their little shelter house during the day, it’s pretty open but it keeps the wind off of them. Then at nighttime they check into Their Little Semi Underground Bedroom.
The plants? The plants are amazing!
Itty bitty teenie weenie rooted cuttings frozen solid, outside, uncovered! Come spring they’ll start making buds as if they slept in a nice warm cottage all winter. That will never cease to amaze me.
As we scoot into 2017 I promise that 2017 is going to be an amazing year for plant lovers, gardeners and plant enthusiasts of all kinds. On January 10th We Will Open the Doors and Accept Some New Members to Our Private Members Area. I highly recommend that if you have any interest at all, any curiosity at all, at the Very Least You Take the 30 Day Test Drive! It’s only $7.00.
Mike and the members.
Why Now? Why Join Now in January?
January is always an exciting time of the year for our backyard growers. They wait all year for certain things to appear in the Buy/Sell Section of our members area. And even though it doesn’t feel like it outside, spring is fast approaching and being prepared ahead of time makes all of the difference in the world.
So these are some of the things that are going on in the members area right now.
Gardening Projects for January.
You still have plenty of time to Make and Stick Hardwood Cuttings of All Kinds. Tom, one of our growers from Transylvanian just posted that he and his wife Cathy just made and stuck 1,000 cuttings of Annabelle Hydrangea. Trust me, Tom and Cathy know what they are doing and they wouldn’t have stuck that many cuttings if they didn’t think they could sell them. They sell a ton of plants and they are pretty much out in the sticks.
Need some hardwood cuttings that you can stick? You can find them in the members area. Last I looked there were a ton of them for sale and they are really, really affordable!
Grafting Japanese Maples.
Many of our members are interested in, or very experienced in Grafting Rare Japanese Maple Varieties. Can you imagine being able to grow plants like Those on this Page absolutely free for yourself? It’s not as difficult as you think and you can buy seedlings to graft from other members. I expect to see those in the Buy/Sell Area soon. And of course you can always ask, people have all kinds of plants they are willing to sell but might not have an ad up at the moment. Just ask.
Sowing Japanese Maple Seeds.
It’s getting to be time to sow those Japanese maple seeds that you collected in the fall. Don’t have any seeds? Check the Buy/Sell Area, we have members that collect and sell Japanese maple tree seeds. In the Video on This Page I Explain How to Grow Japanese Maples from Seed. Interesting thing about this video. We shot this right after we bought the property that is now Mike’s Plant Farm. This will give you an idea of how much the place has changed since then. In the video I am standing right in front of what is now my new building and propagation area. This is what that Area Looks Like Now.
Sowing Dogwood Seeds.
Same thing. Dogwood trees are easily grown from seed and there is a big demand for dogwood seedlings. Right now I desperately need about 300 of them. I also need about 300 Eastern Redbud Tree Seedlings.
Tree Seedlings are hot, hot sellers in Our Members Area!
Acquiring Rare Japanese Maples that you can collect scion wood from in the future.
Imagine buying really rare Japanese maple varieties for $10 to $15 each? There rare Japanese maples sell for $150, $200 or more in garden centers. But in the members area you can often pick them up for $15 or less. But you have to watch for them! They sell fast! We have several members that offer them, but they always sell out quickly. You really have to pay attention to the ads in the Buy/Sell Area, many things move quickly.
I remember years ago one of our members offered a bunch of different, really rare Japanese maple varieties for sale and sold over $10,000 worth in one week. It’s an amazing thing to watch.
So Listen Up. Our Members Area isn’t for Everybody.
But it most certainly is worth experiencing it for 30 days just to Meet the Members, Make Some Lifetime Friends. We let you do that for a mere $7.00 because we want you to know what it’s all about before you join.
Our Summer Shindig.
And . . . if you’re still a member in August you’ll get invited to Our Backyard Growers Shindig which is an Awesome Event.
Just look at all of the people that show up!
Make Yourself a Gardening Calendar.
January is the ideal time to make yourself a gardening calendar. Remind me to do a post about that so you know what to put on your calendar.
Growing Perennials from Seed.
Right now in the members are there is a lot of buzz about growing perennials from seed. One our members took the time to write out detailed instructions on exactly how he grows thousands and thousands of perennials from seed. That’s the kind of sharing environment se have among our members.
Planning Your Landscape, Getting Landscaping Ideas.
January is a great time to think about up coming landscaping projects. Start drawing some plans and put together your plant list. I have a couple of really good articles that will help you.
- 23 Landscaping Ideas. Really Good stuff.
- In in-depth article with great information about creating a beautiful landscape.
Questions? Comments? Mean things to say? Post them below.
As soon as I found this website I went on reddit to share some of the love with
them.
is it too late to take hardwood cuttings? I live in north GA. zone 7
In Georgia it’s getting close but as long as the buds haven’t opened it’s worth a shot. Here in the north we stop just before April 1st most years.
Thanks Mike!
Wow, I am reading the articles and the comments just for all the knowledge!!!! I hope to start some japanese laceleaf maples, from my parent’s plant, just to teach my homeschooled boys. I am also hoping to do flowering dogwood from my grandmother’s old yard. We move around so much that a backyard growing won’t work, but just a little bit would. (I worked for nursery 1 summer propagating and repotting, so it should be fun!) I will get your book when I get secure internet. Living in an RV at the moment and shared internet..
Ann,
Lace Leaf Japanese maples are difficult to do from cuttings and won’t grow true from seed. They are typically grafted to a seedling. White dogwoods are very to grow from seed.
Hi . I’m sorry I couldn’t get the membership currently, Without going into a deep convo about finances… I will continue to read and experience as much growing as possible from cuttings and seed as I am available to acquire… I appreciate all the shared knowledge- some refreshers and some new. Been growing since I was eight and still young at thirty six ? Growing plants is a love I will never grow out of. As my husband says I’m like a kid in a candy store near anything gardening.
Redoing my backyard garden to a European style with herbs and edibles. I ‘d love to learn more on that as medicinal and edible is what I been studying for years including therapy… Well I’m gibber gabbing and its family night. Ta ya for now. Have a lovely evening & weekend everyone.
Jenn,
This is important. You can test drive our members area when it is open for only $7.00. You absolutely, positively have to do that. Then once inside, ask the membership; “What can I do to earn $67.00 a month with plants so I can pay for a permanent membership. You will get pummeled with great, extremely effective ideas to make this work for you. http://backyardgrowers.com/join
Sorry if this isn´t the write place to post! I am looking for Japanese some maple guidance. I live in New York City and bought a Japanese maple last April that I kept in a large pot on my terrace all summer– it flourished! Winter came and I did some reading and waited until several freezes before bringing it inside. I don´t have a garage or a barn, so I pulled it into the hallway near the common roof deck thinking it would be cool enough. Alas! I poked my head outside and after two months indoors it seems to think it´s spring even though there is no natural light! It has started to bud and has some green leaves! I´m not sure what the best course of action is– do I leave it in the hall where it doesn´t get enough natural light, do I bring it into the apartment where it gets natural light and is warmer or do I bring it back outside so it can reharden/frost? If I leave it outside, I´m afraid it will be too cold. I´m not sure how I could keep it warm enough when it gets below freezing. It is very difficult to move around, so bringing it in and out isn´t really feasible. Thank you for any help/guidance!
Ps: it is above freezing for the next week, if that helps in the decision to bring it back outside. also, someone suggested that if I pull it next the glass door leading to the terrace it might survive winter out there… thanks again!!!
CQ,
At this point you have a problem. Moving it back outside with all of that soft new growth is not a good option. Leaving where there is not light is not a good option either. I guess bring it inside where it will get some light. All plants need that dormancy period so they can rest. It probably would have been fine outside. Right now I have over 100 Japanese maples in pots, outside in the snow and cold which is where they’ll stay until spring.
Thank you, Mike! I know for next year (fingers crossed it survives that long). At least it got a couple months without leaves and some cold weather/freezes before I brought it inside, so it got a short dormancy period.
Take the test drive, what do you have to loose. Mike has put lots of videos up better than any Community College class. Dozens of friendly members that are glad to help you with questions.
His one time price is a lot better now than when I joined. I can not begin to tell you how much knowledge is on the members internet site! Retiring, this is a very economic business to start up. No pots, just look around, Landscapers have tons of them they are willing to just give away. Buy some plants on sale and away you go just follow Mikes Videos Got leaves, table scraps, sawdust. Mike will show you how to make your own potting soil. I’m a happy camper!
Thanks Jim! I appreciate stopping by to let folks know how happy you are to be a member as you have mentioned to me many times.
Mike,i just spent the last seven years in Sacramento California where just about anything would grow if it was stuck in the ground. Now my husband and I live in rural Utah at an altitude of 5800 and cold winters with single to below zero temperatures. I have a very large yard with four above ground planters that have been sorely neglected. I want to start some cuttings now but all the ones you mentioned are not cold hardy. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks I love all your videos and suggestions and look forward to the challenge of gardening in this high desert area.
Stephanie,
You can grow anything that I can grow. I’m in zone 5, northern, Ohio. See this page to see what I do as hardwood cuttings; http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-winter-time-plant-propagation-can-home/
I live in NC and we are just finishing up with a nine inch snow storm. I got so excited to plant that I took tons of hardwood cutting and used the rooting powder and just stuck them in my garden! Then I was looking back and saw I am supposed to bury these upside down?? Help! Oh no! Seems I skipped that step and went straight into the sand flats! My question, Do I indeed have to turn these upside down and bury into the cut out five gallon bucket until spring? THEN after roots develop plop into the sand flats??? Also what end is exactly up? The cutting right below the node or the 3/4 space on “top” of the cutting??? Still not deterred but confused!! HELP!
Laurie,
Your cuttings are fine, burying upside is an old method that is really only used when you can’t get them planted out where you want them. See this; http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-winter-time-plant-propagation-can-home/