The long tassels of Garrya Elliptica are starting to come out, bringing an elegant splash of yellow to this otherwise bleak season. I have three plants growing in poor soil against a North-East-facing stone wall, and this is one of the few attractive shrubs that will thrive in this difficult situation. Although the the tassels don't currently stand out well against the wall, the idea is that the evergreen leaves will ultimately allow them to display themselves.
I have had difficulty in taking cuttings of this plant: no success so far. I did accidentally get a layer from a branch that was touching the ground and had rooted, but separating it and replanting it caused it to die. Perhaps the roots are sensitive to disturbance. In any case I will try layering again this year, and be more careful about the repotting.
5 comments:
I had no luck with this plant whatsoever....perhaps I was clumsy planting it out.
I suggest embedding an earthenware old fashioned flowerpot in the soil, and peg your layer into it with a twig twisted to become soft and bent double as a layer peg.
Give it a good couple of seasons after rooting to develop into the pot (unless it grows a huge root system when you can separate earlier) and then separate without disturbing the roots.
Tim - I will take your advice.
Helen, Tim's ideas could be worth following?
The logic behind this is that the pot keeps the roots easy to handle without disturbance, and the pot is porous. Of course the plant may just be a swine to propagate.
It loks like a climbing version of a mahonia?
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