This is my first time trying this, hence the excitement. Thanks to my resident bunnies, chipmunks and squirrels, I had several greggii branches break off. I decided to stick some of them in my patio pots and they appear to coming around after a week. At least, the leaves have not withered and fallen off and the branches looks pretty fresh. If these take off, I am going to need a new yard to work on.

Suchie

That is always the problem. The formula is space, time and greed. And once the propagation barrier is cracked the first two really come under stress.

It shouldn't take too long for your plants to root, a few weeks. Besides the obvious roots out the bottom of the pot and is usually vigorous new growth. If you pots are small enough to handle you can turn them over and gently tap the hoped for root ball out to check.

Quote "I am going to need a new yard to work on"

She's got THE BUG!!! You know your a gardening hummer nut when.....

You start digging up areas of your lawn to start new gardens in.


I meant to post this so I'll do it here. Some of my Frumans Red stems broke off right after I planted it. I recut, applied rooting hormone and stuck it in my fav compost potting soil. The first week they looked great but were not setting roots when pulled gently. I ususally try to use a seed starting soil as it speeds the rooting I believe. I left them be for 2 more weeks and Here's what they look like now.







The one pic the blooms look pinkish, but its just the sun and my inability to take change a setting on the camera.

I also have cuttings of several other greggii's, we'll have to compare cuttings later in the season and Trade!



Pam NJ 6B

Pam
Those look great! My Furman's Red that I purchased earlier in the spring still hasn't even bloomed. Neither has the Wild Thing....Very dissappointing.

When I cut my Royal Red Butterfly bush back this spring I cut off a new shoot accidentally. I couldn't just toss it out with the bathwater so I stuck it in the ground in a damp shady area behind the kitchen. It rooted quickly and has been planted out and doing well. I was quite surprised at how quickly butterfly bushes root.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Penny, as a person who roots large sets of particular plants I have learned just how variable the rooted results can be. A prime example this year is Scarlet Spires, and by the way Scarlet Spires roots as or more easily the any bush sage I have ever worked with. Eventually 15 of the cuttings went into the vegetable garden in mid May. Now you would think that all of them would progress and bloom at a similar pace, but no. Half the plants are a couple of feet tall and in flower, but the others are much smaller including one that has hardly grown at all. I just don't understand and the variability makes it difficult to plan.

Penny, the BF bush cutting was tender new growth? I've wanted to start cuttings from one of my BF bushes, but haven't been able to decide how mature the wood should be.

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Pam,

My cuttings are not in any way as professional as yours. I just stuck them on the sides of pots with plants in them and plan to scoop them out once they are rooted. So far, I have tried Raspberry Delight(my favorite), Furman's red and Cherry chief.

Ward,

I know what you mean about time and space constraints. You have Palmyra and go to town there. I have mainly woods behind a retaining wall in my house. If Palmyra was any closer, you would find me grabbing some median space.

Penny,

Glad you had success with your Butterfly bush. Most of the Greggii's I planted this year have not been prolific bloomers except for the Bustani Pink Preference and the gallon pots of heatwave that I bought. However, if Palmyra Salvias are the norm, you have great displays to look forward to during the coming years.

Suchie

Speaking of greggii I would love to find some of size at nursery havent been lucky enough to find any, may have to wait untill next season.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

yes, more help would be great at Palmyra and more ideas too. Six folks were supposed to show up last Saturday and only three made it. I would love to give up voluteer leadership to someone more capable and just handle more esoteric matters, like what's for lunch.

Suchie, tell your daughter that all the Cardinal Climber seeds were up when I checked on Saturday, except along the path into the pit where they got mowed. She must have special magic although the near daily rain might helped a little.

Suchie,

I don't need professional cuttings, but I DO NEED cuttings of that Bustani Pink Preference!

Pam NJ 6B

Patrick
Yes the Butterfly Bush cutting was new spring growth. I was very surprised to find roots so soon after I stuck it in the ground. If I had know they were that easy, I would have cut of a few more stems whichI may consider doing next spring.



Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Ward,

I'll pass on the news to my daughter. Rain, or no rain she is going to be thrilled. She thought she was going to be working a lot harder than she did.

Pam,

You can have cutting of pink preference when you come tomorrow.

Steve,

You should do a Bustani order of pink preference next year. You won't be disappointed by the size of the plants, if quality is anything like this year. The plant is very vigorous too.

Suchie