Probably the most tragic loss is the sweet potato vines. They're the most lush pseudo-tropical thing that grows up here without major work. And frankly, the deceitful facade of their verdant green and Amazonian purple foliage is the only thing keeping Rach from rushing headlong into moving to Miami every Sept/Oct. And what's more, at $3.99 each for a plant in the spring, it becomes hard to justify having more than one per pot.
And another loss is the dark purple Coleus that I discovered this year. I'm itching to repaint the exterior of the house with rich reddish purple and crisp yellowy green tones and I'm pre-designing the front garden around it. So I'm always on the lookout for solid landscape performers that match the vision. Here's one in the front bed being choked out by leaf debris. (More on my weekend adventures in leaf blow/vac technology another time...)
So I decided this year to try some procreation techniques I'd read about in a magazine. (No, not THAT. Get your head out of the gutter.) I clipped several pieces of Sweet Potato Vine, both bright green and dark purple, as well as a few pieces of the dark purple Coleus. A couple of weeks on the windowsill in vases and jars of water and the cuttings sprouted ridonkulous root clusters.
The roots were several inches long by the time I got around to potting this weekend, but I'm sure you could do fine with less.
In order to keep them presentable over the long winter and facilitate replanting in the spring, I used a long plastic window box planter with an integral water well. I then mixed two of my favorite pastimes, drinking and gardening, by using the cardboard dividers from a case of beer to segment the growing medium into transplantable portions.
After planting, I've moved the pot to our sunniest windowsill in the dining room. I'll let you know how it goes. 
While I can't say I'm helping the economy, I am recycling beer packaging, minimizing the despicable influence of the Home Despot, and padding my wallet for spring projects that may involve buying a skill saw. Or maybe I'll buy some Allium bulbs. Or maybe I'll put it towards next year's vacation.
Every little bit helps.
Stupid Impoverishment.
