We led our second session this week for our C+G course in the greenhouses within Royal Victoria Park.
Week 2 looked at propagating plants from existing nursery stock. Coleus scutellarioides and other cultivars were first. Its common name is Coleus, and it's in the same family as mint and dead nettle family, Lamiaceae. Such soft furry leaves, very tactile, and such vibrant colours. Our filled trays became a riot of colour and pattern.
Cutting close to a leaf node, the quick removal of excess leaves, our little cuttings were set in regimental rows in our 66 cell trays, sitting in a mix of compost and sharp sand to help with drainage. We made sure we used a dibber to create a little hole for the cutting to be inserted in.
After our tea-break we took cuttings from Tradescantia zebrina, another herbaceous perennial from South America, with amazing colour. Both of these plants should be rooted by next week!
A tree walk followed, learning to identify many of the common trees we find in Royal Victoria Park and within the nursery. Its makes for a much richer experience when we walk in nature to know a little more about the trees we walk under. We added Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus lebanii), Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa), Silver Birch (Betula Pendula) and Spotted Laurel (Aucuba japonica) to our list this week.