A common gardening dilemma: Your neighbor has geraniums that are just the right color for your patio, but you’ve never seen anything like them at the nursery. Or you visit a friend who has splendid azaleas, but she can’t remember what variety they are. What can you do?

The answer is simple: Just ask your friend if you can take cuttings from these plants and start your own. All you need are a few branch tips. Wrap them in moist paper, then hurry home and set them in a special potting mix.

You can take cuttings of new growth (called softwood cuttings) from late spring well into summer, beginning as soon as the spring growth is firm and sturdy. More mature cuttings will also root if you take them later in summer or early fall. Cuttings will produce plants exactly like those you took them from, whereas seeds may produce plants that are unlike their parents.

In choosing cuttings, look for normal, healthy growth; avoid fat or spindly branches. Softwood cuttings root best if you can snap them off cleanly from the parent plant. If they crush or bend, the wood is too old. If new leaves are still forming at the tip, the branch is too young for a cutting. Keep all cuttings cool and moist (not wet) until you can plant them.

ROOTING SOFTWOOD CUTTINGS
Fill a flat or pot with a blend of half sand and half premoistened peat moss, firming it down slightly so that the surface is a half inch below the top of the flat. Open a container of rooting hormone powder and place it beside the flat. One by one, remove the cuttings from their moist wrapping and make a clean, slanting cut with a razor blade or sharp knife just below a leaf or bud, If the leaves are very large, snip off about half of each leaf with scissors. Strip off any lower leaves so only the stem will be buried in the planting mix. Dip the stem in the hormone powder and tap it gently to remove any excess. Use a pencil to poke a hole in the sand and peat moss mixture and set in the cutting, firming the soil around the stem. When you’ve finished planting the cuttings, cover them with transparent kitchen wrap, a plastic bag. or a jar. Remove this cover once a day for a few minutes to allow air to circulate, then cover again.

If you can keep the temperature of the soil mix at 75 or 80 degrees, the cuttings will root more quickly. When new growth appears, the cutting has rooted. Gently lift one out, carefully removing some of the soil until you see roots. Then transplant the cutting to a slightly larger container to give the roots more growing room. Never move any plant from a tiny pot to a very large one, Use a size that allows for an inch or two of new soil around the root ball. When the new growth is full and sturdy, you can set the plants in the garden. Plants that cannot be set out when they’re ready because of very hot or very cold weather may have to be transplanted to still another larger container to keep them from becoming rootbound.

SOME PLANTS TO TRY
The following list is by no means complete, but softwood cuttings from these plants will root fairly easily.

Perennials. Perennial alyssum, arabis, auhrieta, begonia, candytuft, chrysanthemum, dianthus (carnations, pinks), delphinium, geranium (includes ivy geranium, pelargonium), penstemon, sedum.

Woody plants. Azalea, bougainvillea, ceanothus, daphne, fuchsia, gardenia, heather, hihiscus, honeysuckle, hydrangea, ivy, lavender, oleander, plumbago, pyracantha, star jasmine, thyme, willow, wisteria.

A MINIATURE GREENHOUSE
If you fail to root softwood cuttings using the usual methods, try planting them in a plastic bag filled with perlite. You can use this miniature “greenhouse” for rooting house plants, perennials, shrubs, or trees.

Put two handfuls of perlite (a material available at nurseries) into a medium-sized plastic bag and wet it thoroughly. Then turn the bag upside down, keeping the neck loosely closed while you squeeze out the water. The perlite should be damp but not wet.

Prepare the cuttings as described and put the bare stem into the perlite. Then close the bag (to root succulents, leave it open) and put it in a spot that has good light but no direct sun. For air circulation, open the bag briefly each day but don’t lift or disturb the cutting. It may take from a week to a month for the cutting to root. To test its progress, gently pull up on the cutting. If the perlite moves, there are roots running through it. Lift out the cutting and transplant it into a small pot or directly into the garden if weather permits.

ROOTING FUCHSIAS IN A BAG
Although the following method was developed for rooting fuchsias, it should work equally well for other cuttings taken from quick-rooting plants, such as ivy geranium or thyme. This method offers the great advantage of being able to handle a large number of cuttings while keeping them out of the way.

Fill a large, thick, plastic bag with a moist mixture of half sand and half peat moss. Use a strong cord to tie the bag closed, then hang it in a lathhouse, under a shaded and protected overhang, or in any other well lighted, wind-free place.

With a nail or ice pick, punch rows of holes in the bag from top to bottom, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Then poke the stems of the cuttings into the holes using each row for cuttings of the same type. You won’t need to water the sand and peat moss mixture (the plastic keeps the water in), but it doesn’t hurt to mist the cuttings occasionally with water from an atomizer.

When the cuttings show new growth, move the bag to a work area and slit it between holes so that you can remove the cuttings without disturbing the new roots.

BOTTOM HEAT SPEEDS ROOT GROWTH
Softwood cuttings root more quickly if soil temperature remains constant at 75 or 80 degrees. If your house has radiant heating in the floors and you have only a few cuttings, you can just put them in an out-of-the-way corner and let the house heat do the job.

For a larger number of seedlings or cuttings you can use the age-old practice of laying a bed of fresh manure several inches thick in a coldframe and setting the flats or pots on top. As the manure rots, it produces heat.

A third way to keep soil temperature constant is to use an electric coil heater. Most nurseries carry two different types. The best known is simply a long flexible coil that you wind around under your planting flats. Different lengths of coil, or differences in materials, determine the price, but you should be able to find a coil heater for under $20. The other type of heating unit consists of a flat with the coil built in. These flats are about the size of an ordinary wooden flat and cost about the same as the more expensive coils.

Thank you for visiting NewGardener.com. Our goal is to provide you with helpful tips and information that will make your garden a great one. Whether you are a new gardener getting ready to start your first garden, or an veteran gardener starting a new garden and hoping to learn something new, we think gardening should be fun and personally rewarding.

If you have any comments or questions about NewGardener.com, I invite you to email me personally at grow@newgardener.com. And don’t forget — you can always follow us on Twitter.

Thanks!
Tim Lundie, Editor

Container plants
If you choose a container plant from a reputable nursery, it is likely to do well, but one fact about a plant in a can is very important. Remember that it was started as a container plant. The soil is probably a special light mix that is unlike your garden soil. If you just dig a hole and drop the plant in, it may never root outside the nursery soil mix. The soil difference creates a barrier.

To prevent this, take the following steps: 

1) Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and half again as deep (if the removed soil is very dry, soak the hole before planting).

2) Rough up the bottom and sides of the hole, then add a little organic material and some superphosphatesto the bottom soil (for the amount of superphosphate, follow label directions).

3) Mix the soil you removed with more organic material—2 parts soil to 1 part organic matter.

4) Use this soil mixture to fill the hole about halfway up. Set the plant in and, if needed, add more soil until the top of the root ball is level with the ground,

5) Continue adding soil until the hole is filled.

6) Form a watering basin with leftover soil.

7) Water thoroughly.

Choose plants that are full and young looking.
Dense plants may be rootbound.

Roots that circle the root ball must be pulled loose.
Use stick or tool to lift them, but don’t break soil ball.

Balled and burlapped
In fall and early winter, large shrubs and trees often are sold at nurseries with their roots wrapped in burlap. Balled and burlapped plants have a distinct advantage over container plants; they are never root bound. Among the plants sold this way you may see the following:

CONIFERS. Arborvitae, Cedar, False cypress (Chamoecyporis), Fir, Juniper, Pine, Spruce, and Yew.

EVERGREEN SHRUBS. Azalea and rhododendron, Boxwood, Daphne, Holly, Mountain pieris (Pieris joponica).

DECIDUOUS PLANTS. Azalea, Beech, Dogwood, Liquidambar, Magnolia, Maple, Tuliptree (Liriodendron).

As you move burlap-wrapped plants from the nursery to their planting sites in your garden, be careful not to break up the root ball or let it dry out. The best way to carry a plant is with both hands under the root ball. If it’s too heavy for you to handle alone, shift it onto a piece of canvas or tarp and ask a friend to help you move it (see step 1 below).

If you can’t plant it right away, put it in a shady spot, covering its root ball with moist organic material such as sawdust or peat moss.

You should normally stake a balled and burlapped plant because the root area is round and can act like a ball and socket joint, turning in the wind. If it shifts, the new roots will break and the plant will not grow. Be sure to position the stake before you fill the hole with dirt so you don’t run it through the root ball.

It isn’t necessary to unwrap the plant entirely (see step 3). The burlap will rot away eventually.

1. Ask a friend to help you carry a balled and burlapped plant on a tarp or piece of canvas to planting site.

2. Set root ball in a hole that is twice the width of the root ball and 4 inches deeper than the height.

3. Add some soil, cut twine, lay back burlap. Scrape ball gently if you see a crust. Leave burlap in place.

4. Firm soil when hole is half full so root ball will not settle below the ground level after plant has been a lured.

5. Drive stake so that it’s anchored in firm soil and rests against (but does not damage) the root ball.

6. Tie trunk securely to stake (not too tightly). Flood watering basin several times to soak soil very deeply.

Thank you for visiting NewGardener.com. Our goal is to provide you with helpful tips and information that will make your garden a great one. Whether you are a new gardener getting ready to start your first garden, or an veteran gardener starting a new garden and hoping to learn something new, we think gardening should be fun and personally rewarding.

If you have any comments or questions about NewGardener.com, I invite you to email me personally at grow@newgardener.com. And don’t forget — you can always follow us on Twitter.

Thanks!
Tim Lundie, Editor

When I first moved to my current home some ten years ago, I needed to do a total makeover of the shrub and flower beds in front of my house. The first shrub I planted was a Wine and Roses Weigela. It was one of the best gardening decisions this new gardener has made.

I planted the weigela next to the steps leading up to my front door. From the second season until the most recent one, I have been treated to abundant, gorgeous pink trumpet-shaped blossoms.  The photo here shows my weigela in its fourth year of blooming. As you can see, it has stunningly beautiful!

Tim Lundie's Wine and Roses Weigela

Now, for new gardeners the really good news is that this shrub is a breeze to grow and care for, assuming you have a spot where it can get full sun for most of the day. Watering is also easy — it makes no heavy demands on you or your water supply. When there are weeks with little or no rain, I soak it for about 30 minutes along with the perennials in front.

With very little maintenance, you can plan on getting your first blooms in early summer and additional blooms (though not as copious) during one or two other periods during mid and late summer.

Like hummingbirds? Observing these incredible winged creatures is one of my favorite past-times. They love the wine and rose weigela. Summer evenings I can sit on my front porch with a view of the shrub and watch the hummingbirds fly from blossom to blossom like die-hard shoppers at a tag sale! It’s one of the best parts of my day.

When I bought my shrub, as a relatively new gardener I had no idea that people who consider themselves plant snobs even existed – but they do! In doing some research on the weigela, I came across a very informative article by Tim Wood called, “The Opinions of a Reformed Plant Snob.”  I guess the weigela is not considered obscure enough by some plant snobs, but Tim (nice name!) had this to say:

“One of the best features of Weigela, is that it’s user friendly. Adaptable to many soil types, it’s hardy to USDA zone 4 and has no serious pest problems. It’s easy to propagate, easy to grow and presents itself well in a container. In a word, it’s reliable! The only requirement of this plant is that it requires full sun to produce copious flowers.”

I might add that in all these years I have never had a pest problem with this shrub — reliable is a good description of its basic personality.

So, if you have a sunny spot and don’t mind what the plant snobs say — but do love gorgeous pink blossoms — the Wine and Roses Weigela might be the perfect choice.

Good luck!

Thank you for visiting NewGardener.com. Our goal is to provide you with helpful tips and information that will make your garden a great one. Whether you are a new gardener getting ready to start your first garden, or an veteran gardener starting a new garden and hoping to learn something new, we think gardening should be fun and personally rewarding.

If you have any comments or questions about NewGardener.com, I invite you to email me personally at grow@newgardener.com. And don’t forget — you can always follow us on Twitter.

Thanks!
Tim Lundie, Editor

To see other kinds of weigela shrubs, click here.

March is one of the most important months of the year for fertilizing because it is the start of the growing season. Feed (16-16-16) fruit and ornamental trees, groundcovers, shrubs, perennials and annuals that have been in the ground at least six weeks. Feed your container plants also

Shrubs and Trees

o Remove the winter mulch from existing roses and prune as needed. Consult a good rose book for the best methods to trim your type of rose since timing and methods vary

o Prune your trees especially fruit trees (except walnut, maple and birch trees). Do not prune flowering shrubs.

o Fertilize deciduous and evergreen trees. Protect deciduous trees from mites, scale and aphids by treating with horticultural oil.

o Start watering trees and shrubs that you planted in the fall. Begin when you see new leaves appear. A slow, steady watering is best. Try using a hose on a slow trickle or a soaker hose to water deeply and well

o Plant new fruit trees, rose bushes, berries, spring flowering shrubs and other deciduous plants. Not the best time to transplant unless tree or shrub is still in dormant stage.

Flower and Bulb Beds

o Test the pH levels in planting beds. Adjusting the pH level of soil is the single most important garden task you can perform to get healthy plants.

o Cut back perennials that you left standing for winter

o This is a great time to buy and plant perennials as the soil is still cool. Also if you are ordering in bare root plants from mail order, this should be done early in month. When things arrive, bare-root woody plants will take priority in planting, so think ahead.

o Bulbs such as lilies and Canna should be planted now for summer and fall color.

o Annuals that enjoy the cooler weather March offers may be planted. These include pansies, snapdragons and calendulas.

o Tulip and daffodil bulbs require a light application of fertilizer (a high- nitrogen, quick-release fertilizer)

o Cut smooth hydrangeas all the way to the ground. Thin last year’s growth on peegee hydrangeas, and remove dead wood at the base of oak-leaf hydrangeas

o Get a step ahead by edging and weeding your beds. Dig them, roots and all, before they set seed which will lessen their numbers later

o Now is when you should cut back your ornamental grasses. Hold or tie the old growth with twine and cut the grass 4-6 inches from the ground. New growth will appear in a few weeks.

Other Stuff

o Check garden tools. Fix, sharpen or replace them as necessary.

o Clean out your birdhouses get them ready for spring nesting

o Take the mower in for a tune-up.

o Broken or weak arbors, fences and trellis should be repaired this month

o Cleaning and repairing drip irrigation lines

o Remove leaves from the bottom of ponds or other water features

o Start over seeding bare spots in the lawn. Seed once a week and water lightly twice a day until spots fill in. But don’t fertilize until Memorial Day. Apply pre-emergent crabgrass control to your lawn

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.” – Doug Larson

L.B. Masoero is an avid gardener and bird lover. If you are looking for outdoor patio furniture, decorative birdhouses, outdoor garden fountains, tuned wind chimes and much more for your backyard go to YourGardenRetreat.com. To discover ideas for your backyard living such as grill recipes,gardening tips, attracting wildlife, lawn care, decorating and maintaining your outdoor living space, go to My Backyard

Thank you for visiting NewGardener.com. Our goal is to provide you with helpful tips and information that will make your garden a great one. Whether you are a new gardener getting ready to start your first garden, or an veteran gardener starting a new garden and hoping to learn something new, we think gardening should be fun and personally rewarding.

If you have any comments or questions about NewGardener.com, I invite you to email me personally at grow@newgardener.com. And don’t forget — you can always follow us on Twitter.

Thanks!
Tim Lundie, Editor

Midnight Wine WeigelaScientific Name: Weigela ‘Midnight Wine’ Zone: ‘5 – 7′ Sun: Full Sun to Partial Sun “The Weigela Midnight Wine, ‘Weigela ‘Midnight Wine’, a Proven Winners selection, produces intense purple-black foliage for season long interest and c… more	Minuet WeigelaScientific Name: Weigela f. ‘Minuet’ Zone: ‘4 – 8′ Sun: Full Sun to Partial Sun “The Weigela ‘Minuet’, Weigela florida ‘Minuet’, is a hardy dwf variety that was developed in Canada and has green-tinged-purple leaves and produces a… more
Ruby Queen WeigelaScientific Name: Weigela ‘Ruby Queen’ Zone: ‘5 – 9′ Sun: Full Sun to Partial Sun “The Weigela Ruby Queen, ‘Weigela ‘Ruby Queen’, a Proven Winners selection, is a sister plant to Midnight Wine and Wine and Roses and is taller than M… more	Variegated WeigelaScientific Name: Weigela florida ‘Variegata’ Zone: ‘5 – 8′ Sun: Full Sun “The Variegated Wiegela, Weigela florida ‘Variegata’, has a compact habit, growing 4-6′ high and wide. It has grey leaves with yellow/cream fringes, a… more
Red Prince WeigelaScientific Name: Weigela florida ‘Red Prince’ Zone: ‘3 – 8′ Sun: Full Sun to Partial Sun “The Red Prince Weigela, Weigela florida Red Prince, is a deciduous shrub with dark red flowers. It is a full sized plant with good hardiness. The red… more	Wine & Roses WeigelaScientific Name: Weigela ‘Wine and Roses Zone: ‘5 – 9′ Sun: Partial Sun “The Weigela Wine and Roses, ‘Weigela ‘Wine and Roses’, a Proven Winners selection, is a beautiful tall Weigelia with rich dark burgundy foliage. The … more

Thank you for visiting NewGardener.com. Our goal is to provide you with helpful tips and information that will make your garden a great one. Whether you are a new gardener getting ready to start your first garden, or an veteran gardener starting a new garden and hoping to learn something new, we think gardening should be fun and personally rewarding.

If you have any comments or questions about NewGardener.com, I invite you to email me personally at grow@newgardener.com. And don’t forget — you can always follow us on Twitter.

Thanks!
Tim Lundie, Editor

Evergreen Azaleas are known as broadleaf evergreens because they are do not have needles. They bloom later in the spring, and are usually propagated in the fall over bottom heat. Rhododendrons are also broadleaf evergreens and are also propagated over bottom heat in early winter. 

The best time to prune Rhododendrons and Azaleas is in the spring right after they bloom. These plants start setting next year’s flower buds over the summer, so late pruning will cost you some blooms next year, so get them pruned as soon as they finish blooming. It’s also a good idea to pick off the spent blooms so the plants don’t expel a lot of energy making seeds, unless of course you’d like to grow them from seed. But keep in mind that they don’t come true from seed. 

Seeds from a red Rhododendron are likely to flower pale lavender. Cuttings ensure a duplicate of the parent plant. 

How do you prune Rhododendrons and what does pinching a Rhododendron mean? These are frequently asked questions. 

Pinching is a low impact form of pruning that is very effective for creating nice, tight full plants when you are growing small plants from seeds or cuttings. Typically a Rhododendron forms a single new bud at the tip of each branch. This new bud will develop into another new branch, another bud will form and the process will continue. If left alone this will produce a very lanky plant with a lot of space between the branches forming a very unattractive plant. 

So if you are starting with a plant that is nothing more than a rooted cutting all you have to do is pinch off this new growth bud as soon as it is about 3/8” long. Just grab it between your fingers and snap it completely off. When you do this the plant usually responds by replacing that single bud with two, three, or even four new buds in a cluster around the bud that you pinched off. Each one of these buds will develop into branches and eventually a single bud will appear at the tip of each of these branches, and of course you should come along and pinch each one of those off, forcing the plant to produce multiple buds at the end of each of these branches. 

The more often you pinch off these single buds, the more branches the plant will form, making a nice, tight, full plant. This is especially helpful with young plants such as rooted cuttings or young seedlings. 

But what about larger plants, how do I prune them? I prune mine with hedge shears!!! I just have at it and trim them like I would a Taxus or a Juniper, and guess what? The result is a very tight compact plant loaded with beautiful flowers. My Rhododendrons are so tightly branched that you can not see through them, and that is the result of vigorous pruning with hedge shears. Sure you can use hand shears, and you’ll have a nicer plant because of it, but I just use the hedge shears because that’s the tool that I happen to have in my hand as I am going by. 

Keeping Rhododendrons and Azaleas healthy and happy is a simple as understanding what they like. First of all they like to grow in a climate that suites their tastes. Many varieties of both don’t like it in the north, and to prove the point they will up and die as soon as extreme cold weather hits. Buy plants that are known to be hardy in your area. 

How should you fertilize Rhododendrons and Azaleas? These broadleaf evergreens are laid back and like to take it slow and easy. Do not fertilize them with quick release nitrogen fertilizers, it could kill them. Instead give them an organic snack, like Millorganite or well rotted cow manure or compost. Millorganite is an organic fertilizer made of granulated sewage sludge. 

No it doesn’t smell any worse than other fertilizers, and plants like it because it is plant and soil friendly. It won’t burn the plants, and it actually reactivates the micro-organisms in the soil. That’s a good thing. Most full service garden centers carry Millorganite. 

A long time ago somebody let the word out that Rhododendrons are acid loving plants, and people are always asking me if I think their struggling Rhododendron needs more acid. The answer is no. Your struggling Rhododendron probably needs a great big gulp of oxygen around its root system. 

Rhododendrons do not like wet feet. They don’t even like high humidity let alone wet soil around their roots. They like to be high and dry, and like an unobstructed flow of oxygen to their roots. You can accomplish this by planting them in a bed raised at least 10” with good rich topsoil. They will be smiling from branch to branch. They do well in the shade, but contrary to popular belief they do even better in full sunlight.

Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit his most interesting website, www.freeplants.com.

Thank you for visiting NewGardener.com. Our goal is to provide you with helpful tips and information that will make your garden a great one. Whether you are a new gardener getting ready to start your first garden, or an veteran gardener starting a new garden and hoping to learn something new, we think gardening should be fun and personally rewarding.

If you have any comments or questions about NewGardener.com, I invite you to email me personally at grow@newgardener.com. And don’t forget — you can always follow us on Twitter.

Thanks!
Tim Lundie, Editor