Posted on 16.12.2019 |
Updated on 17.12.2019 |
Added in Kevin's Propagation/Plant Focus Blog/Healing Gardens
I'm just grasping the moment to take semi ripe / hardwood cuttings of a various number of species of hardy fuchsia. These hardy perennials will also strike well from greenwood cuttings taken in the summer. That said, from my own experiences, I have had a higher success rate taking cuttings in late autumn/ early winter.
I rarely use hormone rooting powder as a large number of woody and green stem cuttings root freely without its use. This being in relation to the (Auxins) plant hormones/growth regulators, a blog for another time on this interesting aspect of plant botany.
I am propagating the various hardy fuchsia species for our (Healing Garden). The fuchsia will be used within the Healing Garden as a low allergen plant. Our 8 metre fuchsia hedge is an understorey to the beech hedge which protects an area of our quarter acre garden from the prevailing west wind. The fuchsia hedge below provides plenty of selective cutting material for propagating.
The intention is to plant the established rooted plants into a mixed planting scheme in the Healing Garden. This will form an interesting mix with herbs such as lavender, thyme, sage, and marjoram. These herbs will provide the aroma filling the spaces beetween the fuchsia. It's great to be filled with such thoughts of optimism at this time of year. Fuchsia magellanica species is a wonderful selection for the Healing Garden, in particular the red and purple flowering from July to October.
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To propagate the cuttings on this occasion I am using good old-fashioned home made compost. I have formed the compost from purely all plant based material and vegetable waste, (Vegan Gardening Compost) no chemicals used on plants to form the compost, no animal matter such as chicken manure etc. As per my articles for ‘Grow Your Own'.
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A few handfulls of perlite are added to each mix to improve the porosity of the structure. This makes it more open in which to initiate root growth of the cuttings.
The laterals from cut fuchsia stems are stripped away from each main stem. I then prune each cutting to about 12-14 cm in length. The cuttings are then inserted into pots of the home made cutting compost. No heat is required to initiate root formation, a cool/cold glasshouse area or cold frame. The trick of successful rooting is to treat them hard.
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I recall seeing the wild fuchsia growing along the hedgerows on the west coast of Ireland in the year 2000, a sight to behold. The flowering image you see is the hardy fuchsia growing in the terrace borders of the Ryebeck Hotel in Bowness-on-Windermere.
