"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:vQaJc.89106$Oq2.34233@attbi_s52...

A number of shrubs lend themselves to this treatment - deutzia, weigela,
barberry, hydrangea, spiraea and philadelphus can all be propagated in
this
manner and probably a lot more I don't know about. And rhodies and
azaleas,
too. I'd try it with any woody with a low hanging or drooping branch
structure.

pam - gardengal

All the above suggestions by Pam also root fairly easily from cuttings, but
I find hydrangeas are easier for me to root by layering. I have a hydrangea
in my front yard that is spectacular when it blooms because the colors
produced are pink, blue, purple and chartreuse, all in pastel shades.
Several people saw it on a yard tour last spring and wanted starts. I
layered a stem this spring as it was beginning to leaf, and it produced all
the above colors on the layered stem although all the flowers were smaller
than a single blooms on a single stem. The plant was in the yard when we
purchased the house, and the former owner did not know the variety. Is
anyone able to identify it?

This is a reprisal of a discussion about rooting Japanese maples that
already occurred in this group. Although I tried several times, I had
absolutely zero luck trying to root Japanese maples from cuttings. The
leading horticultural expert in our state stated that they can be rooted by
layering but that it is a two year process. After a bit of a disagreement
with my wife who wanted to prune off low lying branches, I now have a half
dozen branches pinned to the soil. I'll let you know if it works. G

John