The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Time autumn for propagation
As the colder months draw in it’s time to focus on preparing the plants for the harsher weather. John Stoa explains how
We all love the challenge of growing our own plants, either from seed or cuttings.
In this modern age most folk will buy plants ready to plant or flower direct from the garden centre, but it doesn’t give the same pleasure as those you can propagated yourself.
It then leaves spare plants to fill up empty corners, increase the drift size of those plants that like to make an impact, or just means there are a few spare plants to give to gardening friends.
Some plants are very easy, some are more challenging and there are always failures, but still we keep trying.
In spring many plants are grown from seed and soft wood cuttings, but in late summer growth on most plants has matured, so cuttings are less likely to rot. Summer bedding plants like geraniums, fuchsias and Impatiens (Busy Lizzie) are easy to grow and young plants can be over-wintered on a windowsill in a frost free room.
Both geraniums and Impatiens can then be allowed to flower as a houseplant. Keep an eye open for red spiders and small greenflies which are attracted to Impatiens’ soft shoots.
Geranium cuttings only need one decent leaf at the end of each shoot, as well as a couple of inches of shoot that can be cleanly snapped off at a leaf joint.
Fuchsias are best as a four inch terminal shoot with lower leaves removed and cut underneath a node.
Both can be inserted into a sandy compost in shallow pots where they will root after several weeks.
Impatiens are even easier as shoots (remove lower leaves) about four inches long are just popped into a jar of water, placed on a shaded window sill and left to root.
Once rooting is strong enough they can be removed and potted up into individual small pots.
Outdoors, many shrubs can be propagated by taking cuttings that are six to eight inches long and removing their lower leaves. Then lining them out a few inches apart in well-drained compost in the shelter of a cold frame or other form of protection.
They are normally left there until growth starts in spring when they can be lifted and potted up.
Rosemary, Lavender, Ceanothus, Pyracantha, Euonymus and Cistus can all be propagated this way, though the last two are best when cuttings are taken with a heel.
Heathers, both Erica and Calluna, can be propagated from cuttings three
Impatiens are even easier as shoots about four inches long are just popped into a jar of water, placed on a shaded window sill and left to root
to four inches long, inserted in a sandy medium in shallow seed trays placed quite close together and kept in a cool greenhouse with some shade.
Give them some mist spray to keep them moist and leave them until spring.
Japanese azaleas can be propagated from both cuttings and layering.
Take cuttings the same as heathers, but with shoots that may be branched.
As these shrubs lie close to the ground it means that they are easy to layer by placing a side branch down to ground level, putting some soil on the top and keeping it there with a metal peg or flat stone.
Garden Pinks can be propagated from young shoots broken off as long as possible, and dibbled around the sides of a pot filled with sandy compost.
Place these pots in a cold frame or greenhouse.
Mint is very easy to propagate as it layers itself and roots into the soil as it grows, so just pull up a few shoots with roots on and pot up to grow on.
Over on the herbaceous border most of the plants have finished their flowering and growing. So now is a good time to lift clumps of peonies, iris, oriental poppies, Shasta daisies and many other types.
Split them up and replant in fresh soil to which some compost has been added.