Is it safe to take cuttings?

I feel like this is a dumb question, but I've got several buddleias, caryopteris, salvias that really need to be shaped back hard. It's going to be pretty much all hardwood though, and I wasn't sure if I should wait until the last frost to trim them back and try and root the cuttings.

I have taken a few cuttings from the newer growth of the buddleias and a corkscrew willow and they seem fine....just not sure how the salvias are going to like cutting into the older wood

Trop: I don't know when the right time is, but I cut back my buddleia and salvias in January every year. And I cut the buddleia waaaayy back. It has worked for me so far. :)
Deb

Deb, what's your coldest month there?

Tropicanna, I am not sure but I have seen a huge beautiful buddleia at my mom's cut back to small stumps for several years (3 or 4) by the horrible lawn crew that does her townhouses and it came back each time, I think it finally died when they hacked it to the ground for a few years in a row and then sprayed the area with weed killer. Good Luck!

Around here we tend to trim back buddleia (and roses) when forsythia bloom. And yes, you can trim butterfly bushes way back and they'll do just fine; their new growth will really bless you with loads of flowers.

As for rooting the cuttings, I have the best success rooting the new green growth, usually 100 percent success rates.

Regarding the salvia you mention, what kind/variety do you have? I'm afraid I can't help with that answer until I know more. There are so many kinds of salvia and their habits are pretty different from each other.

You're itchin' to get in that garden, ain't ya!! :>)

Shoe

Always ready to get out in the garden! :)...sun's coming up so it's about time

The Salvias I'm talking about are Autumn Sage http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1074/

microphylla hot lips http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57961/
and cerro potosi http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57961/

...I want to leave the rest alone until it gets warmer

Thanks for the links! I'm not familiar with cerro potosi (and your link takes me to hot lips) but for both hot lips and Autumn Sage I'd be inclined to use new growth, but then I think that is where I feel most comfortable working with most rootings.
I do pretty good also by cutting where there is old growth meeting the new growth and cutting with and inch or so of old growth, then lightly scarring the side of it.

Off and running...nice day outside!

Shoe

I havae always had the best success growing Budddlieas from SEED, and have never tried cuttings. They just seem to re-seed in my pea gravel driveway every year, like weeds! I have always found the most vigorous growth when they are cut back SEVERELY, and I mean to like, six inches! (from over eight feet tall!). I believe they are like catalpas and some other plants that react by sending much more vigorous growth and/or larger leaves when drastically pruned. Anyone have any further info. about that particular habit?

Trop: I just got back here and saw your question. January is more consistently cold, but we seem to get our coldest nights late Jan and early Feb. I cut back my 6 ft butterfly bush to about a foot tall in Jan. It began new growth almost immediately and has been growing consistently through several mild freezes (coldest being 26F).

Of the Salvia's you listed, I only have "hotlips", which I actually cut back in Dec. this year. New growth showing there also.

I've grown both from new growth/soft cuttings. I've also grown butterfly bush by layering.

And Horseshoe, I am also itchin' to get gardening! LOL!

Deb

Tropicanna, you should check on the agastache and salvia threads. Rich Dufresne posts lots of info about propagation of salvias on there. I checked a few threads 'cause I know he's covered the rooting methods somewhere, but couldn't come up with it right away. I did find one of his discussions about seeds, thhttp://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/810044/ough.
He lives in Candor...wanna drool? Check out his website:-) Ya know Tony lists him in the catalog sometimes.
Bev

I'll have to look into it, I've heard of him but couldn't remember his last night.....

temptress...lol

oh, and Shoe, here's cerro potosi, sorry about that link, the flowers are sooo pretty:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/159546/

Thanks Trop! And yes, purrrty flowers! Love that one!

tggfsk, I can't get your link to work. It looks like there is a "th" on the beginning of the hyperlink; if you remove that it'll give us a live link.

Hope everyone gets out to "play" today! Gonna be mid-70's here today!

Shoe

I can get any cuttings to root (I'm waiting on the salvias as much as it's gonna kille me!) on that one I'll save some for you..surely we'll roll thru that part of the state at some point

..just waiting for it to warm up, heehee, I think I need to winter sow something until then

Hello, all--Trop, I always coppice (copice?) my Buddleias on about March 1st. (Yep, as Shoe mentioned, thats about Forsythia time...). How do you like my fancy vocabulary? New word for the day "coppice"--the British term for lopping something off near the ground! Buddleias flower on new wood, and grow so vigorously that by cutting them off annually (I leave about 12" or so of stalk) you get the best shape and bloom.

I cut back my 'Hot Lips' by at least half at the same time. I find this is not the best time to take cuttings, much as it pains me to compost perfectly good branches! But I also find that 'Hot Lips' needs a second, less severe trimming mid-summer to keep her in her place, so that is when I root cuttings. Ditto for the Agastache--I trim it after its first flush of blooms, root the cuttings, and encourage more blooming. I agree with Shoe about taking mostly new growth for the cutting, with just a little woodiness at the end of the cutting. My limited experience is that if I get too much wood at the end, they don't root; too little, they rot. Happy Spring!!

yote....killing me here...I'm going to have to wait on the salvias because I want more of them...lol

buddleias are getting hacked back as soon as it gets a little bit warmer out (I'm being a big baby, I know)

Try this one...wonder why a copy/paste application would give us the wrong link? or no link??

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/817086/


Tried it and this one worked...I'll need to troll around for his thread on cuttings, but will work on it later.

This message was edited Mar 13, 2008 2:08 PM

Thanks! That one works.

(As for the other link, it looks like you typed the word "though" somewhere in your text and TH appeared at the beginning of your link and OUGH appeared at the end, taking away the hyperlink ability.)

Okay, gonna go read that thread!

Again, much obliged!

Shoe (taking a break, 79º out, sunny, and Summery!)

bev, thanks for the link...very detailed

OK....that was kind of harsh. most of the buddleias I've had for 3 years and never really trimmed them much. They look awful and I feel like I should give them some compost or something

It was so nice this afternoon

You're being a whoos (wus?) (whus?) (woos?), Tropicanna!! (Hmm...not sure how to spell that word, either...). Whack away, cut'em down, lop 'em off! It's kinda've like kids--you gotta be tough sometimes....or they grow up spindly and fail to bloom.

Here's another thread where Dr. Dufresne discusses rooting methods for salvia. Gerris2-Joseph also has great advice on the Agastache/Salvia threads.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/815298/

Bev

Thanks Bev--I actually rooted something successfully this fall in just pro mix--can't remember which salvia it was because I didn't label them at the time and most of them didn't make it. The vermiculite-sharp sand mix seems to really do well for a lot of more difficult to propagate species by seed, so I'll it that when it gets warmer, surely it will be better than how I tried it.

yote...I guess I am a wus about the buddleia decapitation...lol..some of those were really big and the stumps just look terrible now. kinda liked the scraggly look...lol

OK, sorry to ask another one, but what about wormwood? There's another one I let get shrubby, but it's about all I can get to grow in one spot of the yard