Has anyone successfully rooted Hydrangea cutting taken at this time of
the year?

I have a semi-double H. macrophylla (label lost, but a Japanese name)
which has never struck from cuttings taken in July, August, or
September. As the buds on it are just starting to break, I wondered if
cuttings taken now might have some success.

--

Jeff

On Jan 11, 4:04*pm, Jeff Layman wrote:
Has anyone successfully rooted Hydrangea cutting taken at this time of
the year?

I have a semi-double H. macrophylla (label lost, but a Japanese name)
which has never struck from cuttings taken in July, August, or
September. *As the buds on it are just starting to break, I wondered if
cuttings taken now might have some success.

--

Jeff

I took some three years ago in November. Three out of ten rooted and
have grown nicely. I know that is not January but it has to be worth
a try; you've nothing to lose except a few sticks
..

On Jan 12, 1:26*pm, Janet wrote:
In article ,
says...
. I

have no trouble propagating my mopheads, but how do you get them to
flower every year? Mine go beserk for one summer, then take a year off
before flowering again the following year. Is that normal?
Also, I need to keep them under control in a small garden.

*Hydrangeas make their flower buds a year in advance. To have flowers
every year, you have to always retain some of last years growth.
Probably you have inadvertently pruned off next years flower buds in an
attempt to keep the plant small.

* GC's often sell compact pots of mopheads in full flower on short
stems. *To produce that very saleable appeal they were grown under very
artificial conditions, probably with hormone growth restrictions.
Huge flowers on a small potted plant in a GC, are a bit like huge feet
on a *puppy...

* * Janet.

If I spread bone meal around anything here then it would be destroyed
in a night or two by foxes looking for the food they could smell.
Last night we had a fox calling just outside the back door, I was
waiting for it to stick its head through the cat flap
David

Everyone seems to have a favourite time and way of handling this. But in
general, cut back, under the dead flower heads, to the first strong,
healthy leaf buds each year in March if the danger of heavy frost has
passed. Take out any thin, weedy and crossing stems. Some people say
that if you prune all of the stems back you're likely to end up with no
flowers, so they cut back one third each year. I can't say I've ever
noticed that as a problem, so it's possible that depends to some extent
on climate and when your plants get going each year! OTOH, if you're
renovating old plants that have got weedy and out of control, risk
sacrificing the next flowering and cut them hard back to the base leaf
buds to encourage new, strong growth. Quite a few people leave the dead
heads on them to protect them from winter frosts, snipping these off
when they do the spring prune and tidy up. You could also give them some
bonemeal round the roots and fork it in lightly, taking care not to
damage the roots.

Many thanks for the detailed explanation.

The one that was in full bloom last year has no new shoots as yet, and
no signs of life under the old heads. The one that was mostly foliage
last year now has new shoots all the way down the stems. As one was a
cutting from the other, I thought they would behave in the same way.
From what you say, I had better wait until March and review the
situation then.

On 12/01/2011 13:26, Janet wrote:
In ,
says...
. I
have no trouble propagating my mopheads, but how do you get them to
flower every year? Mine go beserk for one summer, then take a year off
before flowering again the following year. Is that normal?
Also, I need to keep them under control in a small garden.

Hydrangeas make their flower buds a year in advance. To have flowers
every year, you have to always retain some of last years growth.
Probably you have inadvertently pruned off next years flower buds in an
attempt to keep the plant small.

GC's often sell compact pots of mopheads in full flower on short
stems. To produce that very saleable appeal they were grown under very
artificial conditions, probably with hormone growth restrictions.
Huge flowers on a small potted plant in a GC, are a bit like huge feet
on a puppy...

Janet.

Thanks, Janet.
I haven't pruned for the last 3 years, and this year on/ year off
routine seems to be their natural way. Perhaps I'll just leave them to
get on with it.
I'm certainly not worried about their frost resistance. A hopeful
cutting I took last Autumn is happily sprouting when everything around
it looks shot to pieces.