Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
peterlsutton wrote:
I know it is a silly question, but can you take cuttings of annuals.
By annuals, I mean true annuals, not half hardy perennials that are
sold as annuals.

Some, but not many. Those that take tend to do so easily. Those
that are reluctant tend to need laboratory facilities. That is,
of course, an exaggeration and over-simplification.

And if you can, do they overwinter? I know it is a bit academic,
but as a newbie to gardening I am interested in how plants work.

Much the same answer. There is no hard-and-fast boundary between
the categories of plant, and we grow quite a few tropical perennials
as annuals (e.g. basil). Many plants are annual if planted early
in good conditions and biennial otherwise; they can often be made
to last longer by removing their flowering shoots.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I wouldn't call the Mediterranean 'tropical', Nick. Tropical tends to imply
a climate with two very distinct seasons - one wet, one dry. The Med still
has four seasons (although the winters are somewhat short).

Of course, if basil /does/ grow in the tropics, I retract the above
statement and apologise. OTOH, there are many plants grown here that /did/
originate in true tropical climates (e.g. tree ferns, bamboo, Heliconia and
Canna to name a few).

I apologise if anyone feels I'm being pedantic.

Sarah
--
In memory of MS MVP Alex Nichol: http://www.dts-l.org/