Vegetative propagation of Hawthorn

[peter]

Each year I pass a stunning blush-pink wild hawthorn and each year I think, "I'd like to clone that for my garden."

So what would be the best time of year and method?

[Elmigo]

I believe it's best to use fresh, young 10-20 centimeter branches that haven't turned into hard wood already. As in the spring most plants and trees start to grow again, this might even be the perfect time to do it. You can also try it multiple times in a year, different seasons and see what works best...

[alan refail]

The general consensus appears to be new growth in midsummer.

[Primrose]

I'd be tempted to take a few cuttings now. Past experience has shown me that taking them at a time of year when shrubs would normally be growing at their fastest is probably the time when they have the best chance of making roots and new leaf growth. Just keep the pots in a relatively shady place so that the cuttings don,t get shrivelled up in the sun and lose too much moisture .

Having said that, i'm continually trying to take cuttings from my fragrant Daphne bush to keep it perpetuated but they normally always seem to die on me eventually!

[sally wright]

Dear All,
my nursery stock manual and my hardy woody plants from seed say that the clonal varieties (the pink sorts) are grafted and the white ones for hedging are grown from seed. You can bet with some certainty that if the pink sorts could be done commercially from cuttings they would be as grafting is expensive due to the labour costs involved.

That said seeds taken from the pink sort you have spotted might grow into a pink tree; but I think that you would have to grow an awful lot of white ones to get that pink one. I might also add there would be a considerable wait until they flowered......

There is a plan C and that is to layer; scrape the underneath of a small branch, dust the wound with hormone rooting powder (make sure it is a fresh pot as the stuff you had from last year will have gone off by now) and pin it to the ground. Wait a couple of years and check for roots.

Personally I think life is too short to wait for any of the above - go and buy one!

Regards Sally Wright.

[Primrose]

Well that's really interesting. Who would have thought that the white varieties are grown from seed and the pink varieties are grafted?
Not sure how many years you would have to wait before before getting the first flower blooming of the desired colour.
You must keep us updated with your experiments Peter.

[Stephen]

hormone rooting powder (make sure it is a fresh pot as the stuff you had from last year will have gone off by now)

Well, that would explain a lot. That is an answer to a question I had not thought of asking. It is a shame because I will hardly use any in a single year.
Ignorance isn't always bliss.