A gardener can never have too many plants to nurture. Even if the garden is already full to bursting point, it is next to impossible to refuse the offer of yet another plant — unless an absolute monster of a plant is being offered, which needs a crane to get it into the garden.

At this time of year, my own garden is overflowing with plants: plants in the ground, plants trained up walls and over fences, plants in pots and in hanging baskets, plants on every possible ledge, and plants doing their best to escape the jungle inside by sneaking through masonry gaps into the big wide world outside.

However, this doesn’t stem my plant multiplication urge which, on an annual basis, is in full force in the face of the fast-approaching monsoon.

Aside from sowing seeds — with the emphasis being on winter and spring flowers and vegetables — multiplying shrubs, creepers and climbers via cuttings and layering, is on top of my to-do-list this month.

To be honest, I started early this year. Last month, on my way home from a local store, I spotted a heap of shiny green leaves lying next to a garbage bin. Just the way most plant addicts would do, I had to investigate. These were branches and leaves of a healthy rubber plant, dumped there for the taking, which I did!

Growing from cuttings is free and one of the easiest methods of growing plants from ones you already have or any that you stumble upon

Not all of them of course. I left plenty for other plant fiends to pounce on too. I counted my lucky stars — acquisitive might be a better word — that I habitually carry a pair of secateurs in my handbag. Pushing self-consciousness aside, I clipped all the leaves off some finger-thick lengths of the branches. Each piece, which was 12 inches or so in length, was merrily carried home with a satisfied grin.

At home, I promptly stuck them all in a bucket of water, giving them a full week to get over the shock of first being cut off their parent tree on a very hot day, then discarded, then of leaves being stripped off and then carted off to pastures new. After this period of rest and respite, I filled top quality organic compost in an assortment of 10-inch pots and 12-inch buckets with drainage holes in their bases.

Giving the compost a good soak to settle it down, I topped up where necessary and simply pushed each cutting to half its length — about six inches — down into the compost and six inches exposed on top. After patting them firmly into place, I smiled at a job well done.

After a month of letting the pots/ buckets stand in partial shade and watering them daily, I am absolutely delighted that six out of the eight cuttings are growing new leaves. The unarguable fact that I do not have place, indoors or out, for six rubber plants is not the point. Satisfying the urge to save and then multiply plants is what matters to me and I’m certain that, in time, I shall find new owners and new homes for them.

This bounty aside, there are lots and lots of shrubs, creepers and climbers to play the multiplication game with right now. Here are some examples:

Shrubs: ‘Barleria’, ‘Buddleia’, ‘Clero­dendron’, ‘Crossandra’, ‘Eranthemum’, ‘Hibiscus’, ‘Jasmine’, ‘Jatropha’, ‘Lantana’, ‘Lagerstroemia’, ‘Nerium oleander’, ‘Pentas’, ‘Plumeria’, ‘Poinsettia’, ‘Quassia’, ‘Ravenia spectablis’ and ‘shrub varieties of ‘Thunbergia’.

Climbers/ creepers: Honeysuckle, climbing jasmine, ‘Antignon’, ‘Beaumontia grandiflora’, ‘Bougainvillea’, ‘Clerodendron’, ‘Congea’, ‘Ficus’, Passiflora’, ‘Petrea volubilis’, ‘Quisqualis indica’, ‘Rhyncospermum jasminoides’, ‘Tecoma grandiflora’ and ‘Thunbergia grandiflora’.

Some cuttings root faster than others while some have a greater success rate than others but, without exception, all benefit from starting off in partial shade and their soil/compost kept moist and not soaking wet at all times.

Once rooted, cuttings should be left in their pots until they are fully established. Start them off individually in 8-inch to 12-inch pots, as they may remain in them for as long as 18 months to two years, before being planted directly in the ground.

Ideally, the pots of cuttings should also be protected from heavy monsoon rain as it can, quite literally, wash all of the soil/compost out of the pots.

Seed sowing suggestions for July:

The flower garden: ‘Cosmos’, candytuft, Virginia stock, ‘Matthiola’ — night-scented stock, ‘Balsam’ and ‘zinnias’ for colour and fragrance later in the year. Thinking ahead to winter and next spring: Sweet Williams, wallflowers, hollyhocks, ‘malvas’, ‘dahlias’, ‘scabosia’, ‘begonias’, ‘antirrhinums’, ‘salvias’, carnations, ‘gerberas’, gazanias’, ‘rudbeckia’, ‘gaillardia’ and ‘cineraria’. Make statements with ‘echiums’, ‘verbascum’ and ‘digitalis’ –— foxgloves and lupins. For pots and bedding plants try sowing geranium and ‘pelargonium’ seeds and nurse them through winter.

In the vegetable garden: Autumn, winter and spring varieties of cabbages and cauliflowers, plus, towards the end of the month, broccoli, calabrese, kale, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard/leaf beet and both autumn and early winter varieties of lettuce. Start off final crops of bitter gourd, aubergines, okra and capsicums and try another crop of courgettes/ zucchini too. Carrots and beetroot can go in now, as can celery, spring onions, spinach, radish, kohlrabi, endive and, in the shade, mizuna. Give tomato seeds a break until the middle of September as, during the summer monsoons, they rapidly fall victim to blight and mildew.

The herb garden: Nasturtiums, ‘calendulas’, borage, coriander, chives, garlic chives, dill and basil.

Climber of the month: ‘Lonicera’ – Honeysuckle. Perennial climber/rambler, thrives in partial shade and well-drained soil. Evergreen in the plains, deciduous in the hills and mountain areas. Flowers on and off all year round in the plains, spring and summer in the hills. Flowers are delightfully fragrant and fast growing. Benefits from pruning of straggly growth during winter. Easily propagated from semi-ripe and hard wood cuttings during the summer monsoon period.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened

Published in Dawn, EOS, July 4th, 2021