On 5/8/07 19:45, in article
, "Stephen"
wrote:

On 5 Aug, 19:39, "'Mike'" wrote:
"Anne Jackson" wrote in message

...



The message from Stephen contains these words:

So basically the woody part of the bush, never has new growth
sprouting from it?

Not necessarily! Last year, as a result of some anonymous person
breaking off branches from my lavender hedge which was growing
through the fence, and tossing them into the garden, I hacked
the hedge down to just a few inches, meaning to dig it all out
in the spring, and plant a new hedge further back.

To my surprise this spring lots of new shoots emerged from the
old wood, which I had been led to believe wouldn't regenerate.

You could give it a try? If there are any viable shoots at
present, you could stick them into some sandy compost, and
hope that they will root, just as a back-up... ?

--
AnneJ

Couldn't layer the Lavender in our pots :-))

No room :-(

We increase ours, and sell them on when we have the Garden Open, by tearing
small branches off with a heel and sticking in a pot :-))

Mike

The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
Reunion Bournemouth August/September 2007www.rneba.org.uk
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

Can I be excused for asking what may be obvious to the res of you...

What do you mean by "heel"? I know you're definitely not referring to
your own feet!


When you tear or cut a woody piece off a plant where it joins the main stem,
you try to get a little spur of wood at the bottom of the tear. That's the
heel. Only you know what your plant looks like but if it's not doing too
well and is beginning to die back, this wouldn't be the best way to
propagate it because it involves taking away so much of the still viable
woody growth. You're better off taking the semi-ripe cuttings I described
earlier because that still leaves wood with leaves on it below where you've
taken the cuttings and more growth can comes from those - you're not tearing
the remaining viable growth off the plant. Whatever I say, Mike will
contradict it because there is a history of that, unfortunately. However,
what he is suggesting to you as a means of propagating your plant means that
there is a danger of you removing all the living material and then achieving
nothing. The choice is yours of course, it's your plant. Either can work
but what you have to consider is the continuing life of the plant your wife
is fond of and how best to ensure its future as well as its progeny. I will
*certainly* tell you that of the hundreds of lavender cuttings my husband
takes every year he does NOT tear bits off our plants, either in pots or in
the garden! He takes proper, professional cuttings.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 5/8/07 19:45, in article
, "Stephen"
wrote:

On 5 Aug, 19:39, "'Mike'" wrote:
"Anne Jackson" wrote in message

...



The message from Stephen contains these words:

So basically the woody part of the bush, never has new growth
sprouting from it?

Not necessarily! Last year, as a result of some anonymous person
breaking off branches from my lavender hedge which was growing
through the fence, and tossing them into the garden, I hacked
the hedge down to just a few inches, meaning to dig it all out
in the spring, and plant a new hedge further back.

To my surprise this spring lots of new shoots emerged from the
old wood, which I had been led to believe wouldn't regenerate.

You could give it a try? If there are any viable shoots at
present, you could stick them into some sandy compost, and
hope that they will root, just as a back-up... ?

--
AnneJ

Couldn't layer the Lavender in our pots :-))

No room :-(

We increase ours, and sell them on when we have the Garden Open, by
tearing
small branches off with a heel and sticking in a pot :-))

Mike

The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal
Navy
Reunion Bournemouth August/September 2007www.rneba.org.uk
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a
Stand

Can I be excused for asking what may be obvious to the res of you...

What do you mean by "heel"? I know you're definitely not referring to
your own feet!


When you tear or cut a woody piece off a plant where it joins the main
stem,
you try to get a little spur of wood at the bottom of the tear. That's
the
heel. Only you know what your plant looks like but if it's not doing too
well and is beginning to die back, this wouldn't be the best way to
propagate it because it involves taking away so much of the still viable
woody growth. You're better off taking the semi-ripe cuttings I described
earlier because that still leaves wood with leaves on it below where
you've
taken the cuttings and more growth can comes from those - you're not
tearing
the remaining viable growth off the plant. Whatever I say, Mike will
contradict it because there is a history of that, unfortunately. However,
what he is suggesting to you as a means of propagating your plant means
that
there is a danger of you removing all the living material and then
achieving
nothing. The choice is yours of course, it's your plant. Either can work
but what you have to consider is the continuing life of the plant your
wife
is fond of and how best to ensure its future as well as its progeny. I
will
*certainly* tell you that of the hundreds of lavender cuttings my husband
takes every year he does NOT tear bits off our plants, either in pots or
in
the garden! He takes proper, professional cuttings.
--
Sacha


And there is the difference Stephen between a new amateur such as yourself
without all the background knowledge and a professional who make a living at
it and has all the facilities.

Yes you please yourself. Do you have the facilities of all of these pots,
rooting stuff etc?

No, you came on here seeking 'grass roots and basic' advice.

My wife takes cuttings by the heel method and 'sticks them in the ground'
and they go. AND our garden has been open to the public.

I can see the need for a new newsgroup uk.rec.gardening.realbeginners where
such as the likes of you and me, you as a real beginner and me with the
knowledge found by the 'been there done that and it works'.

Very best wishes

Mike


--
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
Reunion Bournemouth August/September 2007
www.rneba.org.uk
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

"Anne Jackson" wrote in message
...
The message from "'Mike'" contains these words:

I can see the need for a new newsgroup uk.rec.gardening.realbeginners
where such as the likes of you and me, you as a real beginner and me
with the knowledge found by the 'been there done that and it works'.

Who or what is stopping you...?

--
AnneJ

Nobody and the facts that I wouldn't know where to start and don't have the
time or inclination :-))

Simple enough answer? :-)

Mike


--
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
Reunion Bournemouth August/September 2007
www.rneba.org.uk
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

On 6 Aug, 09:54, "'Mike'" wrote:
"Anne Jackson" wrote in message

...

The message from "'Mike'" contains these words:

I can see the need for a new newsgroup uk.rec.gardening.realbeginners
where such as the likes of you and me, you as a real beginner and me
with the knowledge found by the 'been there done that and it works'.

Who or what is stopping you...?

--
AnneJ

Nobody and the facts that I wouldn't know where to start and don't have the
time or inclination :-))

Simple enough answer? :-)

Mike

--
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
Reunion Bournemouth August/September 2007www.rneba.org.uk
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand



Oh! Dear! I didn't want to start a fight! ;-)

I shall give it a go sometime soon expect.

Oh! Dear! I didn't want to start a fight! ;-)

I shall give it a go sometime soon expect.


Good luck :-))

Don't forget, not all of us are born with a Garden Spade in our mouth, some
of us, me included and certainly my wife, have to start where EVERYBODY has
to start, ........... at the beginning, knowing nothing :-))

Mike


--
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
Reunion Bournemouth August/September 2007
www.rneba.org.uk
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

On 6/8/07 12:07, in article
, "Stephen"
wrote:

On 6 Aug, 09:54, "'Mike'" wrote:
"Anne Jackson" wrote in message

...

The message from "'Mike'" contains these words:

I can see the need for a new newsgroup uk.rec.gardening.realbeginners
where such as the likes of you and me, you as a real beginner and me
with the knowledge found by the 'been there done that and it works'.

Who or what is stopping you...?

--
AnneJ

Nobody and the facts that I wouldn't know where to start and don't have the
time or inclination :-))

Simple enough answer? :-)

Mike

--
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
Reunion Bournemouth August/September 2007www.rneba.org.uk
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand



Oh! Dear! I didn't want to start a fight! ;-)

Don't worry, you didn't. ;-) The thing is that when you're starting out,
it's best and easiest to do what is recommended by the mainstream. *Then*
you can experiment to your heart's content and like others, may well have
happy accidents - and disasters! Professionals and amateurs alike do both,
I assure you. But because your plant probably hasn't got a lot of cuttings
material to risk, it doesn't seem a good idea to tear pieces off it which
might not be replaced by new growth. Chopping off half ripe cuttings above
that wood and leaving some green on there gives you the best of both worlds.
But if you think there's enough bits on the plant - and only you can judge
that - try both methods and if you're lucky, both will work.
BTW, the idea that pots and hormone rooting compounds are only available to
professionals is simply silly. Both are available at garden centres and
e.g. B&Q and amateur gardeners use them all the time! And as the RHS site
shows you, you can propagate on a window sill.

I shall give it a go sometime soon expect.


Now is certainly a good time. Let us know how you get on.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

BTW, the idea that pots and hormone rooting compounds are only available
to
professionals is simply silly.


Who said that?

Mike



--
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
Reunion Bournemouth August/September 2007
www.rneba.org.uk
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

On 5 Aug, 14:03, "'Mike'" wrote:
The plant was a gift

from someone close to my wife, and I don't know et how sentimental she
is about it.

Why not propagate new plants from this one?

'Tear off' a healthy branch taking a 'heel' with it from the stem and stick
it in a pot. Only needs to be a small branch of say a couple of inches. Take
a dozen, some you win, some you don't :-)

Then you will have 'Son ofLavender' (Or daughter)

I did this years ago and made a longLavenderHedge at my parent's Hotel
:-))

If "I" can do it, so can any idiot

Mike

--
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
Reunion Bournemouth August/September 2007www.rneba.org.uk
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

A few weeks ago I thought to try and tear off a small piece of the
main plant. I wanted to see how to get the "heal". Well I pulled a
piece off, and it came away with a angle pointy bit on the bottom. I
have a pot lying around that just had some soil in it, and I poked the
piece into it. Well, that small piece is still alive by the looks of
it. Its green and looks to be healthy to me. I'll keep you posted.