Impatient Much?

On Saturday, among my many garden chores, I checked on the ROS cuttings. Despite protection from the wind, many of the cuttings had fallen askew. I didn’t want them to develop into crooked plants, so I straightened each stick and firmed the soil around its bottom. One cutting had fallen all the way over and the butt end had popped out of the soil. I inspected the bottom of the cutting and found, to my disappointment, that it looked no different than it had when I stuck it in the dirt. No roots had developed. I began to despair. Most this year’s gardening budget is devoted to hardscape, not more plants! My secret garden plan is in danger of failure.

Thinking that I may have done something wrong, I researched Rose of Sharon cuttings today, looking for an estimated length of time for rooting. What I found: 25 – 80 days. I checked on my cuttings after only 15 days. Talk about impatient! I need to stop fretting over plant propagation and direct my energies toward the planter boxes I’m supposed to be building. After all, I've already spent the money to buy the wood and I, not Mother Nature, determine how fast the project is completed.