In your landscape there are certainly some beautiful shrubs and trees providing the dramatic backdrop for your gardens. It’s wonderful to be able to purchase more shrubs, but sometimes the fun is in the growing and developing of plants.

Photo Credit: guilfordgardencenter.com

There are some shrubs which you can multiply by a technique called “layering.” This is a much easier way to propagate your favorite shrub than to use stem cuttings because it is still attached to the mother plant receiving nutrients while the new roots develop. Some of the best shrubs to use for the layering technique are Viburnum, Forsythia, Clematis vine, Climbing rose and Rhododendron. There are some others which also might work but these are the easiest.

First you want to find a young, pliable branch which can be bent down into an S shaped curve. Where this branch touches the ground, loosen the soil below it and add some compost to the mix. Make a small cut into the branch in the section which will be buried, this is what causes creation of the roots. Then use some type of landscape staple or something similar to make sure the branch stays where you want it, 2-3 inches deep into the prepared soil.

Then where the branch tip is above ground, stake it to make the branch go upward and to make it noticeable so you won’t step on it! Add some mulch on top of the enriched soil to maintain moisture and then be sure it gets regular water, not soggy, but moist. Watch it for a while, at the end of a couple of months you can dig around a bit to see if roots are forming. Once that happens you can cut the connection to the mother plant and place it in a container or into your garden.

Now this may seem like a lot of work but it really isn’t, if you enjoy growing things it’s another one of those challenges to accomplish! But if you don’t want to take on this challenge then call Nature’s Friends Landscaping and they will be happy to provide you with the additional shrubs you would like to have added to your garden.