After purchasing a few shrubs last week at high cost considering taking a
few cuttings.
Grateful for advice:-
1. Is the time of the year ok to take shrub cuttings.
2. We have a greenhouse. Should I locate the cuttings over winter in the
greenhouse or in sheltered place behind greenhouse?
3. Any other tips?
Thanks,
John
--------

"John Smith" wrote in message ...
After purchasing a few shrubs last week at high cost considering taking a
few cuttings.
Grateful for advice:-
1. Is the time of the year ok to take shrub cuttings.
2. We have a greenhouse. Should I locate the cuttings over winter in the
greenhouse or in sheltered place behind greenhouse?
3. Any other tips?
Thanks,
John
--------

Perhaps if you were to name the shrubs, we could provide specific advice.

"Philip" wrote in message
om...
"John Smith" wrote in message
...
After purchasing a few shrubs last week at high cost considering taking a
few cuttings.
Grateful for advice:-
1. Is the time of the year ok to take shrub cuttings.
2. We have a greenhouse. Should I locate the cuttings over winter in the
greenhouse or in sheltered place behind greenhouse?
3. Any other tips?
Thanks,
John
--------

Perhaps if you were to name the shrubs, we could provide specific advice.
----------------------------
Yes, say:-

Holly
Berberis
Hebe
Bamboo
Acer
Hydrangea
Viburnham
Cherry
Hawthorne
Rose
Spiria
Clematis
Penstemon
Cotinus
Philadelphus

John Smith wrote:
"Philip" wrote in message
om...
"John Smith" wrote in message
...
After purchasing a few shrubs last week at high cost considering
taking a few cuttings.
Grateful for advice:-
1. Is the time of the year ok to take shrub cuttings.
2. We have a greenhouse. Should I locate the cuttings over winter
in the greenhouse or in sheltered place behind greenhouse?
3. Any other tips?
Thanks,
John
--------

Perhaps if you were to name the shrubs, we could provide specific
advice.
----------------------------
Yes, say:-

Holly
Berberis
Hebe
Bamboo
Acer
Hydrangea
Viburnham
Cherry
Hawthorne
Rose
Spiria
Clematis
Penstemon
Cotinus
Philadelphus

In that case your garden's certainly big enough to make it worthwhile
to get _The Reader's Digest Encyclopedia of Gardening_. It's a
cracker, to the extent that you may never actually need another book;
but once you've started, you may be unable to stop!

Mike.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
John Smith wrote:
"Philip" wrote in message
om...
"John Smith" wrote in message
...
After purchasing a few shrubs last week at high cost considering
taking a few cuttings.
Grateful for advice:-
1. Is the time of the year ok to take shrub cuttings.
2. We have a greenhouse. Should I locate the cuttings over winter
in the greenhouse or in sheltered place behind greenhouse?
3. Any other tips?
Thanks,
John
--------

Perhaps if you were to name the shrubs, we could provide specific
advice.
----------------------------
Yes, say:-

Holly
Berberis
Hebe
Bamboo
Acer
Hydrangea
Viburnham
Cherry
Hawthorne
Rose
Spiria
Clematis
Penstemon
Cotinus
Philadelphus

In that case your garden's certainly big enough to make it worthwhile
to get _The Reader's Digest Encyclopedia of Gardening_. It's a
cracker, to the extent that you may never actually need another book;
but once you've started, you may be unable to stop!

Mike.
-----------------------
Now wish I'd not asked....
....was directed to this group as a knowledgeable, friendly and helpful
lot...
No, not a large garden.
Helping children ...thought I'd find out a few fundamentals myself first.
Children spent time visiting neighbours and friends gardens identifying
shrubs they'd like to grow...
....I'm of to the library.

"John Smith" wrote in message
...

Holly
Berberis
Hebe
Bamboo
Acer
Hydrangea
Viburnham
Cherry
Hawthorne
Rose
Spiria
Clematis
Penstemon
Cotinus
Philadelphus


It is the right time of year to take hardwood cuttings - pencil thick, foot
long, cut at bottom just below a leaf, cut off remaining leaves and LABEL
THEM! stick them in some well drained compost somewhere sheltered. Keep the
compost moist but not damp, and wait. Hardwood cuttings take quite a while
to root.

But -

Holly - I don't bother. It self seeds readily. If your's is a male with no
berries, you're better off getting a female from a friend
Berberis - Never got this to root from cuttings. v.difficult
Hebe - Quite easy
Bamboo - Use division instead - basically rip a bit off the main plant with
some root and pot it up
Acer - Haven't tried, but the ones I have bought are usually grafted onto
something else so probably not for the beginner
Hydrangea - Easy but I do semi-ripe cuttings earlier in the year
Viburnum, & Cherry - Don't know
Hawthorne - Self seeds readily
Rose - Cuttings very easy
Spirea - Have tried but no success with this
Clematis - internodal cuttings. You cut midway between two pairs of leaves
instead of just below one as with a normal cutting
Penstemon - haven't tried
Cotinus - Tried but no success - layering might work better
Philadelphus - Normal cuttings worked fine for me. I had more losses with
this but a few took.

--
Martin & Anna Sykes
( Remove x's when replying )
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~sykesm

"Martin Sykes" wrote in
:

Cherry - Don't know
Haven't tried from cuttings. Seed is really easy if you have a fruiting
one, but doesn't come very true, so if you are trying to perpetuate a
particularly fine tree, no good, but otherwise just sow a handful of cherry
pips: the fruit will certainly be good enough for the birds, and the wood
fine for turning.

Penstemon - haven't tried

I've taken rooty divisions from these successfully, but am not sure that
you can do this with all varieties.

Aha! A quick Google turns up this site:
http://www.penstemania.co.uk/cutting.htm which explains the methods for
different Penstemon types.

Philadelphus - Normal cuttings worked fine for me. I had more losses
with this but a few took.

Me too. Woolworths sell viable rooted philadelphus cuttings in bags
(that's where my original came from), so they can't be that hard. I still
can't work out why some of them failed.... :-(

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

John Smith wrote:
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
John Smith wrote:
"Philip" wrote in message
om...
"John Smith" wrote in message
...
After purchasing a few shrubs last week at high cost
considering
taking a few cuttings.
Grateful for advice:-
1. Is the time of the year ok to take shrub cuttings.
2. We have a greenhouse. Should I locate the cuttings over
winter
in the greenhouse or in sheltered place behind greenhouse?
3. Any other tips?
Thanks,
John
--------

Perhaps if you were to name the shrubs, we could provide
specific
advice.
----------------------------
Yes, say:-

Holly
Berberis
Hebe
Bamboo
Acer
Hydrangea
Viburnham
Cherry
Hawthorne
Rose
Spiria
Clematis
Penstemon
Cotinus
Philadelphus

In that case your garden's certainly big enough to make it
worthwhile
to get _The Reader's Digest Encyclopedia of Gardening_. It's a
cracker, to the extent that you may never actually need another
book;
but once you've started, you may be unable to stop!

Mike.
-----------------------
Now wish I'd not asked....
...was directed to this group as a knowledgeable, friendly and
helpful
lot...
No, not a large garden.
Helping children ...thought I'd find out a few fundamentals myself
first. Children spent time visiting neighbours and friends gardens
identifying shrubs they'd like to grow...
...I'm of to the library.

I'm very sorry you took it that way: I was trying to be helpful, not
smart-arse or insulting. The book really _is_ excellent, and though
the pictures are small they'd be just the job to show children. It's
much more convenient, quicker, and more reliable to have a good
reference book around the place.

The basics in this case are to take hardwood cuttings about 9" long
as the leaves fall, and stick them in a well-drained gritty (but not
totally arid) soil facing north if possible. Leave them there till
they show good new top growth, and then plant them on.

The trouble is, these basics are only basic: different plants prefer
different treatment, which is why a book's useful for such a long
list. Bamboos, for example, are totally different: you don't take
cuttings, but divide the "roots" (technically they aren't actually
roots) in, let's say early April.

I really _do_ hope this helps.

Mike.

"John Smith" wrote Yes, say:- snip
Clematis
snip

Yes, but only for some cultivars. All the montanas will take very well if
you strike hardwood cuttings around Xmas and, if you do it right, you can
get a near 100% take. Same technique as you would use for the more normal
softwood cuttings and be sure to "wound" on one side, but there's no need
for bottom heat or any shading, as it's best to let the cutting break bud
naturally when Spring arrives.

Strike in a pot of grit/peat (be generous with the grit), put in the
greenhouse/cold frame or a sheltered part of the garden, keep reasonably
moist and they'll be rooted by April. Pot-up in May, then pot-on into a
2l pot in July and you can plant them out the following year

I've done the same with C. x jouiniana and it's close relative C.
heracleifolia. I have rooted the large flowered cultivars but the success
rate is nowhere near as good. I do know of one nurseryman who does all
his C. armandii cuttings on Boxing Day, but I sometimes think that this is
an excuse to retreat from the overwhelming excesses of a family Xmas.

I'd never seen this written-up and rather "discovered" the technique
whilst experimenting a few years ago and was asked to publish. When I
did, I got all sorts of comments from some nurserymen for giving away
"trade secrets". The amusing part was that they hadn't been propagating
that way either, but I subsequently found one who then switched to
propagating all his montanas that way.

- Tom.

"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
.217...
"Martin Sykes" wrote in
:

Cherry - Don't know
Haven't tried from cuttings. Seed is really easy if you have a fruiting
one, but doesn't come very true, so if you are trying to perpetuate a
particularly fine tree, no good, but otherwise just sow a handful of
cherry
pips: the fruit will certainly be good enough for the birds, and the wood
fine for turning.

Penstemon - haven't tried

I've taken rooty divisions from these successfully, but am not sure that
you can do this with all varieties.

Aha! A quick Google turns up this site:
http://www.penstemania.co.uk/cutting.htm which explains the methods for
different Penstemon types.

Philadelphus - Normal cuttings worked fine for me. I had more losses
with this but a few took.

Me too. Woolworths sell viable rooted philadelphus cuttings in bags
(that's where my original came from), so they can't be that hard. I still
can't work out why some of them failed.... :-(

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
------------------
That's great - thanks for all the advice.