I was reading in a mag about cutting a stem 30cm and putting 1/3 in the
ground and it will grow. Can I do this anytime - might try it this week.

DC

David Cleland wrote:
I was reading in a mag about cutting a stem 30cm and putting 1/3 in
the ground and it will grow. Can I do this anytime - might try it
this week.

I think just after leaf-fall is the classic advice; but it should
work reasonably well if the cuttings don't dry out. I always
propagated them by weighing a stem down with a stone and forgetting
about it for a couple of years, though: this is called "layering",
and uncut bushes will eventually do it by themselves even if you
don't want them to.

Mike.

I think just after leaf-fall is the classic advice; but it should
work reasonably well if the cuttings don't dry out. I always
propagated them by weighing a stem down with a stone and forgetting
about it for a couple of years, though: this is called "layering",
and uncut bushes will eventually do it by themselves even if you
don't want them to.


So it might work ? I might give it a go now, just to see. As you may have
guessed I am very new to gardening. To be honest it is a little bit of an
addiction at the moment. My wife thinks I am weird...... 32 and into
gardening !


David

David Cleland wrote:
I think just after leaf-fall is the classic advice; but it should
work reasonably well if the cuttings don't dry out. I always
propagated them by weighing a stem down with a stone and
forgetting
about it for a couple of years, though: this is called "layering",
and uncut bushes will eventually do it by themselves even if you
don't want them to.


So it might work ? I might give it a go now, just to see. As you
may
have guessed I am very new to gardening. To be honest it is a
little
bit of an addiction at the moment. My wife thinks I am weird......
32
and into gardening !

It's about the usual age for the addiction to take hold. I'm not
promising results with your dogwood cuttings, as it is a bit late;
but you'll increase your chances if you keep them somewhere rather
shady -- on the north side of the house, for example -- and keep an
eye open for drying out.

If you want something nice and easy to go in front of the dogwoods
during the summer when they're not so interesting, you could do worse
than start yourself off with some lavenders and rosemaries. (And
later on you'll be able to stick some sprigs of rosemary in the roast
lamb: divine!) You've already got some bulbs there, so there'll be
something to look at most of the time, and nothing looking horrible.
Be nosey when walking past other people's gardens to see what you
like and don't like.

Mike.

David Cleland wrote:
I was reading in a mag about cutting a stem 30cm and putting 1/3 in the
ground and it will grow. Can I do this anytime - might try it this week.

If you are using them as supports for something else it isn't always
helpful that they grow. If you are aiming to increase the number of
plants then pegging low branches down into the ground is faster.

It naturally spreads that way by rooting down from low branches that rub
on the ground. A bit of encouragement and you can have enough new plants
to swamp next years plant sale/bring and buy.

By all means plant any prunings though it is worth learning how to root
cuttings even if you end up throwing or giving them away afterwards.

Desireable colourful or variagate cultivars go very well.

Regards,
Martin Brown

By all means plant any prunings though it is worth learning how to root
cuttings even if you end up throwing or giving them away afterwards.

Desireable colourful or variagate cultivars go very well.


Thanks all, I will give it a go. I spotted a lime green variety up in
homebase last week for £5 - very tempted to add a different colour.

I quite fancy the achievement of the process (if it works).


Thanks again


David

Dogwoods (Cornus alba, Cornus sanguinea and Cornus stolonifera/sericea) are among the easiest shrubs to root from cuttings. You shouldn't have any problem. We've planted loads of different ones, including the gorgeous Cornus sanguinea "Midwinter Fire" with yellow-orange-red stems, and a recent aquisition, labelled as just plain "Cornus stolonifera", which has lovely, shiny, plum-coloured stems and looks great with purple-leaf Bergenia at its base. The cuttings root readily. It's always worth trying.
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