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Gardening Know How says November is a suitable time to take hardwood cuttings from seven deciduous shrubs, including roses, dogwood and mock orange. The method uses mature stems in free-draining pots kept in a sheltered spot, but the report cautions that cuttings do not all succeed.
Gardening Know How has published a November guide to growing seven shrubs from hardwood cuttings, a late-fall method that can let gardeners start new plants for spring. The report names roses, butterfly bush, dogwood, mock orange, forsythia, spirea and viburnum, while warning that success is not guaranteed for every cutting.
The guide recommends waiting until a deciduous shrub has dropped its leaves, or lost about three-quarters of them in a mild autumn. Gardeners should take mature growth from the current year, preferably from the sunnier outer part of the shrub. Pencil-width stems that are firm enough to snap rather than bend are described as suitable. The report suggests making cuttings about 6 to 12 inches long, with several nodes along each stem.
For each cutting, the guide advises making a straight bottom cut just below a node and an angled top cut above one, then removing any remaining leaves. It recommends setting the base downward into free-draining potting mix in a deep container, with roughly two-thirds of the stem below the surface. The mix can be opened up with horticultural grit, sand or perlite; pots should drain after the soil is watered before the cuttings are inserted.
According to the report, twig dogwood, forsythia, butterfly bush and spirea can often root without added rooting hormone. It says rooting powder may help roses, while mock orange and viburnum may benefit from scoring: removing a narrow strip of bark at the base before applying rooting powder. The pots should spend winter in a sheltered location, protected from heavy rain and cold winds. The report says rooted cuttings may be ready for planting in spring, but does not promise that all will take.
A Low-Cost Way to Grow Shrubs
For gardeners hoping to fill a new bed or add to an existing planting, hardwood cuttings offer a way to produce plants from shrubs they already own, rather than buying every plant at a garden center. The guide also suggests gardeners may be able to share or sell successfully grown plants later, though that depends on rooting and subsequent growth.
The method is relevant in November because the featured plants are deciduous shrubs approaching dormancy. The article presents their mature stems as suitable material for propagation at this time of year. Its practical value lies in a relatively simple process, but readers should treat the results as variable: the report says even experienced gardeners do not achieve a 100% success rate.
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Why November Suits Hardwood Cuttings
Hardwood propagation uses firm, mature stems rather than soft, leafy growth. Gardening Know How says late fall is the preferred window for its recommended shrubs because they are nearing dormancy and have shed most of their leaves. It describes stems as carrying stored energy into winter, but offers no trial data or success-rate figures to quantify how that affects rooting.
The guide distinguishes among the seven plants by how much assistance it recommends. Dogwood, forsythia, butterfly bush and spirea are presented as likely to root without hormone products; roses may benefit from rooting powder; mock orange and viburnum may need both scoring and powder. These are recommendations from the source, not guarantees that each plant will root under every climate or growing condition.
“not even expert gardeners get a 100% success rate from hardwood cuttings”
— Gardening Know How
Rooting Results Will Vary
The guide does not provide measured success rates for any of the seven shrubs, identify particular cultivars, or specify how results vary by climate. Its description of November as the best time is the source’s gardening advice, not a quantified comparison with other months. It is also unclear how long each species may take to root or what proportion of the cuttings will be ready for spring planting.
Readers should not assume that following the steps guarantees new plants. Local winter conditions, the health of the parent shrub, drainage and shelter may affect outcomes; the source does not give a region-by-region schedule or troubleshooting data.
Shelter Pots Through Winter
Gardeners following the guide can take several cuttings, place them in drained containers and keep the pots in a sheltered spot through winter. The report recommends positioning them near a south-facing house wall to reduce exposure to cold northerly winds and winter rain. It says rooted cuttings can be planted out in spring, but gives no specific test for confirming roots or a date for moving them.
Any next steps will depend on how the cuttings fare over winter. Gardeners should monitor pots and wait for signs of rooting before treating the young plants as ready to transplant; the source does not report results from a trial or promise a particular outcome.
Key Questions
Which shrubs does the November guide recommend?
It names roses, butterfly bush, dogwood, mock orange, forsythia, spirea and viburnum as candidates for hardwood cuttings.
When should I take hardwood cuttings?
The guide recommends waiting until a deciduous shrub has dropped its leaves, or lost about three-quarters of its foliage in a mild autumn. It frames November as the suitable period for this method.
Do all seven shrubs need rooting hormone?
No. The report says dogwood, forsythia, butterfly bush and spirea may root without it. It recommends considering rooting powder for roses and for mock orange or viburnum, which may also benefit from scoring the stem base.
Will every cutting grow?
No outcome is guaranteed. Gardening Know How says even expert gardeners do not get a 100% success rate, and it does not provide species-specific success figures.
Where should I keep the pots over winter?
The guide recommends a sheltered location protected from heavy rain and cold winds, such as near a south-facing wall. It says rooted cuttings may be planted in spring but does not specify an exact transplant date.
Source: gardeningknowhow.com
