Propagating Flowering Garden Plants
@BettyB (4117)
Summerville, South Carolina
June 22, 2016 7:10am CST
We moved into a smaller house about a year ago with our eye on retirement and expenses. I love my little house, but the backyard is more shade than sun. Here in the south, that’s not a bad thing, but it’s hard to get grass to grow.
As my husband hates mowing the grass, I decided that a grassy front yard was enough. Rather than fight to get the grass to grow, we mulched most of the backyard and decorated it with flowers in pots and some garden statuary.
My backyard has a long way to go. For one, it needs more color. Most of my flowering bushes are in pots. It’s worked out well, but I need more of them. The pots are expensive and adding the cost of the potted plants to it… Well it’s too much.
I’m not going to add more to my backyard this summer, but I’ve given some thought to next year. I received a bougainvillea plant as a retirement gift. Unlike the other plants, it hasn’t been affected by the heat. I’m going to try propagating some this fall. I don’t know if it will work, but it’s worth a shot.
Have you ever propagated flowering shrubs and bushes?
The picture is of a bougainvillea I received as a retirement gift
25 people like this
25 responses
@ElusiveButterfly (45941)
• United States
22 Jun 16
I have never tried propagating outdoor plants. Have thought about it with our berry bushes though. Not sure where I would put them though. Our space at the new place is very limited as well. I'll have little room for my perennials.
3 people like this
@ElusiveButterfly (45941)
• United States
23 Jun 16
@BettyB I have shared many of my houseplants with others. They tend to get leggy in the winter and I find it a good time to cut them back and start them.
@BettyB (4117)
• Summerville, South Carolina
22 Jun 16
I don't know what air layering is. I guess I need to look it up. I've propagated azaleas and gardenias without a problem, but this plant, and the tag said bougainvillea, I've never tried. It seems to handle the heat better than the other little bushes in my garden so I'm going to give it a try this fall. I've done some reading on it. It's worth a shot anyway.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (56322)
• Canada
22 Jun 16
That is a beautiful plant, love the colour of the blooms.
I have had great luck, almost too much of it, when it comes to propagating flowers both inside and outside. I've managed to create a little border of a couple of feet deep just below our deck, just to add some colour, also I've got flowers growing at our son's place as well as a niece's place, a sister-in-law's and some friends. I feel like the Julia flower-seed of the world-cousin to Johnny appleseed.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99367)
• Atlanta, Georgia
22 Jun 16
I have in the past. I have stuck stems of roses in the ground and they grew, also rose of sharon, and chrysanthemums. Some I have placed in water until roots formed. My sister had her hubby build boxes to sink in the ground to put her flowers in. She also has her vegetable garden the same way..
1 person likes this
@eliza_godinez12 (5783)
• Philippines
22 Jun 16
I love to plant flowers. That's pretty one.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
23 Jun 16
I'm afraid that I have never tried to propagate a plant, the closest I have come is splitting some irises and hostas.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
22 Jun 16
yepperz, that'd be a mandevilla :) i've attached a pic'f my bougainvillea fer ya. i've quite a few "twigs" sittin' 'n water here, some with rootin' hormone'n pots with lil tents to hold the humidity. crossin' my fingers fer success. air layerin' 'tis purty simple'n effective if'n ya got the humidity fer such. doesn't work well here's they dry out too quickly. ya can also try takin' a stem'f this mandevilla, takin' a thin slice off, put some rootin' hormone 'round't then layin' 't'n a pot next to the original plant. cover with dirt 'bout 1/2" deep 'n set a rock'r somethin' to hold't'n place. i've'd success with butterfly bushes, rose bushes, snowball bushes 'n such'n the past.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
23 Jun 16
@BettyB that's who taught me such back'n the hills, my grannie :) she'd hundreds'f beautiful rose bushes all 'round the place, 'long the drive. she told me she'd started with 2 :)
@jillybean1222 (6406)
•
22 Jun 16
I know nothing about landscaping really. i have planted a few things, but still no green thumb here. love this picture
1 person likes this
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
22 Jun 16
Growing ornamental plants in our country is so easy because we do not have winter here; almost sunny all year round.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
22 Jun 16
Hi again Betty- found you again---actually that pic looks like a flowering plant that we call Diplodenia (SP?). I wonder if it's the same plant called by two different names. Good idea you have about adding colour. Remember that Begonias and impatiens add a lot of colour too and are relatively common. It could be your ongoing project.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
25 Jun 16
Here is a pic of a dipladenia from Piixabay Free Images:See the similarities. It's a vine plant and loves the sun. No problem- I think you lucked out with it as they are easy to grow!
@BettyB (4117)
• Summerville, South Carolina
22 Jun 16
I'm going to have to do some research. Its not what it was labeled, but several people called it by different names. I'd like to know which one is correct.
@responsiveme (22923)
• India
22 Jun 16
Not now as I have moved out into a flat but I am going to get back to my garden one day.
The flower you are showing is pretty . It is not what we call a bougainvillea here. Here bougainvillea is a creeper with thorns with colorful bracts.
Could you try jasmines, they give off a lovely fragrance.
Thank you for the post.I love reading gardening news.
1 person likes this
@responsiveme (22923)
• India
22 Jun 16
@BettyB They are pretty flowers. Post us some more.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169489)
• United States
22 Jul 16
I have not propagated much beyond begonias, coleus, and geraniums. My niece had a bougainvillea for many years. She called him "Bogey"
@marguicha (230349)
• Chile
3 Jul 16
THe easiest plants to propagate as chrisantemus. There are dwarf and bigger and they are fairly unexpensive.
@BettyB (4117)
• Summerville, South Carolina
22 Jun 16
I filled it with soil. I want the plant to have plenty of room to grow.
@Marilynda1225 (91126)
• United States
22 Jun 16
Your plant certainly is pretty but no, I've never tried propagating any shrubs or bushes
1 person likes this
