The saying “Pride comes before a fall” strikes home today.
In the summer I bought a small Salvia ‘Love and Kisses’ for my daughter’s garden, which bloomed into a splendid shrub. The information on a number of sites advise: “This perennial dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring”.
Despite the fact they are perennial, rather than lose such a beautiful plant, and also add to the flower bed with free plants, I took cuttings. Never having taken cuttings before I was so proud to see new leaves emerging from three of them, (one died). Gardening is like having children, you nurture, protect, feed and watch them grow with delight.
Without a greenhouse at the moment, I left the pot in a sheltered spot on my patio wrapped in a little ‘house’ made out of bubble wrap, thinking that was the right thing to do. Imagine my annoyance to see last week the leaves were being nibbled, such a downhearted feeling descends doesn’t it? When I turned the pot upside down I found a couple of tiny little slugs, smaller than the nail on my little finger. I am fully aware that these very small critters can do a great deal of damage.
I brought them indoors, and repotted them into individual pots filled with the recommended John Innes No. 2 and placed them on a windowsill. This morning they look like this, just 5 days after being separated from each other. One I clearly have lost, but I am hoping I can revive two of them. They are now in a warmer spot, maybe they were too cold on that particular windowsill.
Needless to say, I am feeling like a failure!
