Hardwood cuttings

[andyjevs]

As many deciduous shrubs lose their leaves, an opportunity arrises to very easily propagate many species from hardwood cuttings. Come November or December, these cuttings can be taken and here's how to do it. Deutzia, Philadelphus, forsythia, cornus, salix, lonicera, legustrum, vitis and Leycesteria among other when i think of them. Take a piece of stem around 8-12" long and about the thickness of a pencil. Make sure the cuttings have at least two nodes (leaf joints)....one for the top of the cutting, one for the bottom. Insert the bottom of the cutting into well draning compost preferably with plenty of grit added and put the pot outside in a sheltered place and forget about it except for a water in dry spells. Next summer, the cutting should be rooted and they can be potted up. You can also do these cuttings straight into the ground if room is short. I take all my grape vine (vitis) cuttings like this and they root very easily for very little effort. If you need any more info, let me know Andy

[Jules001]

that's really handy to know Andy thanks, would you be able to advise me on a plant I have? I have got a beautiful purple/red hebe which admittedly has got a bit tall and leggy and is beginning to lean over onto hubby's precious lawn. His idea of trimming back bushes etc involves an electric hedgetrimmer and exposing lots of old wood. He now wants to 'attack' my hebe, it always seems to look good so there is no obvious time for cutting back, but I am tempted to take a cutting in case he kills it, would the above method be suitable for the hebe?