Dividing Perennial Daylilies and Other Plants in the Garden-VIDEO & WRITTEN DIY
Spring and fall are the perfect times to divide your perennials. Today weu2019re dividing daylilies and you can do the same with all kinds of plants. Theyu2019re very easy to divide and for many perennial flowers thatu2019s how you get more plants.
Watch the Video tutorial I made. If you prefer written DIY’s you’ll find that below.
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Daylilies can be cross pollinated pretty easily, so even if you did get seeds, unless youu2019re the only neighbor with them, it probably wonu2019t have true traits of the parent plant. That’s how new varieties are made and they can be pretty amazing. Hard to get plants can be divided.
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They’re very easy to divide and actually looked better if you divide them every few years. Itu2019ll give you more plants to spread around your yard or to share. Perennials are not usually propagated by taking a cutting and putting them in water like tropical houseplants are. (Though many can, but that’s not what this is about.) For most plants you have to divide the roots to make a clone of the plant. Itu2019s really easy.
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Daylilies, meadow sages, lambs ear, yarrow, bee balm, hyssop and more are divided like this.
As a general rule, however large the plant is on top, itu2019s probably got similar sized roots. Well established plants can have massive roots.
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Dig the roots out with a shovel or pitchfork carefully digging all the way around it so you donu2019t break the roots off. Clean the root of dirt just enough so you can see them well and divide them in half.
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If you bought a bare root plant, this is how it would come, with the roots washed of all the soil.
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If I hadnu2019t been able to coax and pull the roots apart apart easily, I would have used a knife or shovel and cut the whole root ball in half.
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Itu2019s really that easy. Make sure that any foliage has plenty of roots to support the new plant. Many of them can be divided several times, as I did here.
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Plant the new plants in the garden with compost for organic nutrients that break down over time and will continue to feed it all year. You can also plant it in a pot to give away as Iu2019m doing. Water them and youu2019re done. Keep them watered until established, then you have a whole new garden plant!
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I hope youu2019ve enjoyed this tutorial on I Breathe I DIY! Please share it with anyone who could use it.
It’s been a while since I released a tutorial but this is a great one. This was done last summer, and I’ve finished the video for you. I designed and remodeled my kitchen and powder room myself, which took loads of my time… once a wall was removed by my wonderful contractor.
Today I’m going to show you how you can use rich, bold color stain on unfinished (or previously stripped) cabinetry. The vibrant hue I chose, highlights the natural beauty of the maple wood. I love the bold design element that it adds to the entire floor of the house.
I took this tired looking black cabinet, with beautiful curves in all the right places, and gave it an updated look. This cabinet was so heavy looking, sitting on the floor with solid black paint. This seems to have suffered a bit of water damage at some point, but not so much that it can’t be saved. Now it’s getting a new finish, to go in a much more refined space.
The material it’s made from is not wood, it’s a pressed board wood, similar to masonite, or a hollow-core door. I can tell, because of how swollen it is in a couple places- because of water damage.
If you would prefer to learn by watching check out this short video I made.
If the damage isn’t severe, the surface can be repaired like this:
The very first thing to do, is gently sand the surfaces that are swollen. Make them more level with the rest of the surface. Try not to over-work the Then seal them with a paintable caulk to prevent the material from falling apart more. Make sure to use a product you can paint over, silicone won’t work, but acrylic caulk will. A primer like KILZ was applied over the fixed areas. We’re just smoothing it out, sealing, and preventing damage from painting it later.
Once that’s dry, it’s on to the refinishing. I am not using wood stripper. The pressed wood it’s made from, would be ruined from pulling off the paint, and then soaking it in liquid. Ruined. The steps below, will show you everything you need to know, without stripping anything off of it.
Fill any cracks, or dings with caulk and smooth it out with you finger. Places where wood meets wood and there’s a gap, fill those too. This will give it a polished, professional look when it’s done.
Step 1:
Lightly sand the surface with a fine to medium grit sand paper to scuff up the surface. Do this to everything you’ll be painting. If it’s a glossy surface to begin with, just make sure you scuff it up really well so the paint can stick.
Wipe down the surface with a barely-damp cloth, to remove all the dust from sanding and let it dry.
NOTE: This step is what will make everything stick to the surface. If it has a thick glossy coat of sealer, make sure it’s dull when you’re finished.
Step 2:
Paint the first coat of your base coat, on the surface. I used a brush and painted each section in long strokes to keep it smooth. This technique looks best when the surface is very smooth. You’ll end up with a completely different effect if the surface is bumpy, which we’ve used on other DIY’s. Click here to see the Mirror redo Video DIY I did here.
Note: I tried to use a foam roller first, and it left little bubbles on the surface that I had to smooth out with a brush. It wasn’t worth the expense.
Apply a second coat of paint, keeping it smooth. Let that dry for at least 24 hrs. If you’re painting the inside of your cabinet, like I did, you can do that now too.
I chose the paint color Ocean Storm by Valspar for my base coat. This color will show and I want it to have a very deep, aged look when I’m finished. As it wears and is used, this base coat will show through a bit.
You can see the shiny parts that are covered in leaf adhesive
Step 3
Apply leaf adhesive with a soft brush in small sections. Let it dry for the time it says on the label. It will become clear and tacky to the touch.
NOTE: Only apply adhesive to an area you can cover with leaf in one sitting. Adhesive can dry too much and become non-tacky.
Step 4
Carefully remove a sheet of silver leaf from the pack and cover an area with it. Overlap sheets slightly so it covers your creases. Smooth it out with a soft brush. Continue until the entire area with adhesive is covered with silver leaf.
When an entire area is finished, use the brush to remove any extra from the surface.
NOTE: Hands must be clean and dry or leaf will stick to them.
Step 5
Use glossy polyurethane over the finished silver leaf, so that it’ s easier to do the next steps, without rubbing off the silver leaf. Coat it entirely with the Gloss polyurethane. Let it dry completely.
NOTE: Water based varieties make clean up a breeze. Quick dry products are a lifesaver.
Step 6
Mix your glaze by adding 1:1 latex paint and glaze. Stir it thoroughly. I used a similar grey to my base coat. You can use any color you want for this, I nearly used purple as a pop of color over the silver, but decided on gray for an antique look.
Glaze painted into crevices
Work in small sections like one side at a time. Using a brush, paint any detail and edges with you glaze mixture. You do not want to cover everything because your silver will dull down. Apply it into any detail or trim. Wipe it off with a damp rag, turning/rinsing your rag frequently. Use a light hand, and remove the glaze from areas you don’t want it. If you wipe too much of it from the crevices, just paint more on & wipe more gently.
When you’ve covered it, let it dry. Apply polyurethane if you want. I’m not because I want it to naturally get worn from use, showing some of the base coat.
Step 7
Add decorative door handles to finish it off. I snagged these crystal glass ones at a Home Goods for under $10 for 4 of them.
You’re all done! You’ve created a new life, for you or your client’s piece of furniture. It has a stunningly glamorous high-end look for much less than you would buy it for.
I hope you are inspired to use this technique on something amazing!
Just a pop of color you’ll only see when you open it.
-Betsy
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