😂 Oh you made me laugh out loud! And I'm smiling as I'm so happy you got to experience how neat it is to have roots starting so quickly with nothing fancy. I agree that plants -- and just about everything else -- are expensive so being able to grow new plants this way is wonderful. I'm glad you let me know this was helpful! And I hope your husband enjoys watching them grow! 😀 🌱

Thank you so much for this feedback. I know there are some gardeners that prefer reading and then there are some that prefer videos, so I try to always keep that in mind. I just started this KZfaq channel last August to be another way I can share things with fellow gardeners. 😊

I hit the "like" button for the Willow water comment -- NOT for your dilemma of having 20 panicle hydrangeas! Although that COULD be a wonderful problem to have. I guess you plant them to see how they bloom...and then plant them again? I gave the rest of my Willow water to our Lavender Chiffon Rose of Sharon, in hopes it will grow back faster after the rabbits munched a few side stems off.

@@GardenSanity Awwww poor little plant! I have several of the Pink Chiffon that are budding. This year is so confusing to me when it comes to my plants. Thanks for all you do to educate us on gardening!

@@GardenSanity and yeah I'll have to put them into place and wait to see which they are. I did compare the leaves from my larger hydrangeas and noticed the little lime has a more smooth leaf than the limelight and original Pee Gee Hydrangea so I've gotten the smoother leaved plants separated into different pots and know they're little limes. I'll plant the others behind my little Rose of Sharons for now and decide what to do with them later. I gave some away already but no takers on anymore lol I'm goofy

You’re welcome and I’m glad I can help - but - I’m still learning too. The hope is that I make any mistakes before the viewers do, so I can help prevent frustration from gardening mishaps. 😂

It sounds like you’re getting the hydrangeas sorted out, like an intricate puzzle you’ve created for yourself!

Thank you so much Rhemy, I really appreciate your feedback! 😊

What a sweet idea Tracy! Thanks for that!

You’re welcome Emily, and you are 100% right: you’re saving money and giving yourself time to map out where to put them once they’re ready to plant! (And I love watching them grow too, as they look so pretty in the pots!) 🌱

Update. We followed your amazing instructions but we did not know we had Aphids. We have been working for the last few weeks to get rid of them and we will go for round two.

Thanks so much for your feedback Rob -- I really appreciate it!

@@RJT2030 Ooooh I love this update! Were your Aphids indoors or are you propagating outside? I'm hearing from gardeners everywhere that Aphids are really bad this year. And I've got them too, just not on my Dappled Willow...they're too busy building apartment buildings on my Rose of Sharon. 😂🙄 Keep me posted!

Thank you SO much Mary! I really appreciate it and am glad you've subscribed! 😊💛

Me too Nicole! When I first saw the pink Spring foliage, I just had to plant it! Pink leaves? It seems magical!

Thanks for your feedback Glenn -- I really appreciate it! 🙂I try very hard not to ramble about unrelated things because that drives me bonkers when I'm watching other people's videos. I like videos getting straight to the point, so I try to do the same. Your tarp comment made me laugh out loud! 🤣

You’re welcome! Congrats on buying your Dappled Willow and I hope it provides beauty and enjoyment for years to come! If any questions along the way, don’t hesitate to ask.

Hi Susan -- I really hope you are successful in enjoying Dappled Willow in South Florida, but it might be tricky since you're at least one zone warmer than Dappled Willow usually likes. But, it will be wonderful if you can grow it as an indoor tree! (Or on your balcony if it doesn't get too hot, or you can provide the Dappled Willow with some shade...or have it indoors just on the other side of windows.) I'm very curious what you will be able to do, so please keep me posted! I bet your renter was quite relieved to find out they can grow back just fine, too. 😊 I'm getting ready to plant one of my cuttings into the "living wall" of Dappled Willow in our back yard! 👍 🌿

Oh. My. I would LOVE to have such a long driveway and the idea of it being lined with Dappled Willow sounds heavenly! Just make sure they will get enough water, as they love moisture. What a fantastic project to do with cuttings. You must keep me posted. You will save a ton of money, and trust me: the satisfaction you get from knowing that you propagated all of those shrubs yourself is such a fantastic sense of accomplishment! So excited for you! 👍🏼🙂

Thank you I’m so very excited to get going on this project and I will keep you posted👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Thank you 😊 and you’re very welcome! I think you’ll enjoy not only watching your new Dappled Willow grow, but also making new plants from cuttings - it’s so satisfying when it turns out well! Keep me posted! 🪴

Whoo-hoo! It IS fun to do, and although it takes time for them to grow, boy is it satisfying! Enjoy!!

Garden Sanity thank you for sharing your knowledge!! I appreciate you very much 🌷🌷🌷🌷

@@chrisolson1755 🌺🌿🌸💚😊

Glad it was helpful Brittany! And yes, I'm nodding and smiling in agreement: what could be easier than sticking a plant into water or dirt! (In my latest video on my backyard gardens, I show one of the small seedlings I planted last Fall and you can see it compared to the larger shrubs also started with the same propagation technique. Can't wait until the new ones grow up!)

You’re welcome Julie, and thank you for letting me know it’s also called a flamingo willow. Good to know! I hope you enjoy your new flamingo!

You’re welcome! You and your friends will enjoy this plant! 🌱 Keep me posted on how your cuttings do.

My pleasure - and thank you for sharing that it works, too! 🌱💚

You’re welcome Florencia! I am amazed at how fast they are growing back. I knew they would come back quickly, but it still is amazing how fast!

You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy watching the cuttings develop! 🙂

Thanks Caren! And now they're in the ground! I did a video last Fall called Planting Dappled Willow Cuttings where you can see me in action planting them, and you can also see them in my Early June Gardening Tour too!) 😀

You’re welcome, and thank you so much for the feedback! 😊

Hi Susan -- I'm rooting (pun intended) for those Dappled Willow cuttings! 😃 I'm sorry the first batch died, but this current batch sounds good and if you want -- use some plastic tree protectors to place around the cuttings to keep the deer from chomping them to the ground. I have a video about them -- although I use the plastic protectors to prevent rabbit damage, it should work for your cuttings since they are small. I purchased a package of them on Amazon, and they connect together, so you can make them into a circle as small or wide as you need. I demonstrate how they work in my video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aJ6SZ8RkqNrTdX0.html Another idea is to use chicken wire clothes -- I have a video for that as well, depending on how small they are this might work. Just some ideas! Please keep me posted!

@@GardenSanity Good news! Our daughter and her husband put up a black chain link fence where 8 of the cuttings are in a raised bed. Three rooted cuttings are close to the house in the front. We have the wire guards. We have a real deer problem in Virginia. Our son-in-law had deer eat 50 figs off his trees and decimate their vegetable garden. Now they have put up the fence, we’ll keep you posted (pun intended) on what happens this year. Thanks for reply!

@@susandraluck25 That IS wonderful news Susan! (But bad news about how destructive those deer are. I know they need to eat too -- but I wish there were still forests for them to live in and keep out of everyone's gardens -- especially vegetable gardens people are growing to eat! And all of those figs -- I would have been so upset!! But hooray for the fence and definitely keep me posted! (pun!!) 😀

Thanks so much! I appreciate it!

You're welcome Sinh! Flamingo Dappled Willow are hardy in zones 4 - 9, which means they can withstand the Winter season and return nicely the following Spring. If you purchased your Flamingo Willows from a local nursery, they must feel that your area can successfully grow them even though you're in zone 3. To be on the safe side, you might want to read up on how to wrap your shrubs for Winter protection from extreme cold temperatures, just in case you need to do that. 👍 Enjoy watching your new Willow cuttings develop! It's such a fun process! 😀 🌱

how did it go with you stick them direct into the soil？

You’re welcome!

It's definitely on my "to do list" of videos Dennis! Thanks for asking!

Hi Dennis -- well, it's November not July -- however I finally filmed an update on how the Dappled Willow are doing! The video is now up on my Garden Sanity channel. Hope you find it helpful!

Hi Michael -- happy to hear that your Dappled Willow is doing well! As for the cuttings, did they have leaves on them when they were in water before you transplanted them into pots? Can you see any buds forming, as you look closely up and down the stems? How long have they been in pots so far? If you'd like to send some pictures: petscribbles@gmail.com is fine. 👍

Thank you, Laura. I’ll send pics via your Gmail.

😊

Hi Delia, I'm so sorry to miss your comment last year! Please let me know how your cuttings took! 🌱

@@GardenSanity it’s ok my dear! Honestly, water method wasn’t the greatest. I just started from scratch last week with cuttings in soil. I have it on my semi shaded porch. Would love your opinion…Should I bring it into the garage or house come winter?

@@delia5588 I always leave mine outside during Winter to help them harden off to the dormant Winter weather. I'm in Zone 7, southern New Jersey and sometimes we have snow, other times it's just cold, and sometimes freezing weather. I purposely use plastic pots (mentioned in video) so that in case there's freezing weather, the plastic will better protect the soil and roots inside, versus terra cotta which can crack in freezing weather. I place my pots close to the house, like you have yours right now, and they do well. This way you can check on them easily and they will be somewhat protected versus leaving them out in the yard or garden. You can bring them into your garage, but I would avoid bringing them into your home, as the plants need that cold period in Winter and your home might be too warm for them to stay dormant. The only thing to make sure of during the Winter months is to water them occasionally IF there's no rain or snow for awhile. Just a little bit of water to moisten up the soil (when the temperatures are above freezing), not too much. Also - not sure what zone you are in - but my latest seedling took quite a beating in the recent extreme heat we had most of July. However, it IS growing again. So don't fret if it looks like your seedlings' leaves turn brown and die. Continue to water them as if they are healthy plants and they should sprout new leaves soon. I even left the brown leaves on mine, so I could better see when the new leaves started to show up. (I'm going to do a video showing this, just because it might help people who think their plants have died.)

I’m 6b near Morristown. :) thank you for the advice! I’ll keep them where they are at so they can slowly adjust and go dormant. Perfect! I’ll keep a look out for that video. :) -Michelle

You're welcome! I think propagating in the mid-to-late Winter or in the Spring (now) works best. I wouldn't try to do this in the heat of the Summer or in the Fall, as you want the plants to get their roots established well before the dormant season. If you're doing cuttings indoors, then sure you could take cuttings during the Summer. But if you want to cut them and pop them directly into a pot, I'd say Spring at the latest. I hope this helps!

Thanks Gina! 🙂 I hope you enjoy this project, and yes -- it is so nice while they grow to have them in pots nearby to enjoy! They will still produce the pretty colors while they develop, which is nice! Let me know how it goes! 💚 🪴

You’re welcome! Have fun propagating them! 🙂🌱

Oh Susan -- that's a shame they didn't make it in FLA. They probably need so much water and to stay out of the hot, brutal sun? I'm guessing because I'm unsure what your weather was like last Summer. I could be describing our weather here in southern NJ, it was so awful! 🥵To plant in VA, wait until Spring. For these cuttings, you don't want to plant them too soon - however - you don't necessarily need to wait until after the last frost date either. If it was me, I'd probably plant them at the end of March, earliest, but most likely would wait until early April. If the pots are indoors, make sure to move them outside so they can harden off and get accustomed to growing outside in the Winter before planting in the ground. I hope this helps! 💙

Hi Peter - I had my cuttings in a large open vase, and the water remained clear. I definitely topped it off when needed. If the water starts to smell, or get cloudy, carefully empty and refill your container, making sure not to harm the tiny roots. I hope this helps! Keep me posted on how they’re growing. 👍

Funny you should ask: I took out the section I filmed on how I didn’t change the water. I should have left it in! 🙂 As the water remained clear, I just added tap water to it, every few days. Once the plants got going, I found I had to add water daily. Since the water never smelled or got cloudy, I never fully changed it out. The cuttings showed roots in a few weeks, plus small leaves. I agree: free plants are the best!

Good question Susan -- unfortunately, I took out the section I filmed on how I didn’t completely change the water. I should have left it in! 🙂 As the water remained clear, I just added tap water to it, every few days. Once the plants got going, I found I had to add water daily. Since the water never smelled or got cloudy, I never fully changed it out. I hope this helps!

Hmmm... I'm sorry this happened. 😐It's possible that you need to refresh your water -- or change out the water -- to avoid any issues with bacteria or mold/fungus. (I'm not saying you weren't changing the water, just wondering!) In warmer weather, there's a possibility of more issues with the water. Make sure the water stays clear -- if you see it starting to get cloudy, gently pour the water out and add new water slowly back in. Those roots are fragile, so be careful. If the roots are taking and healthy, the stems should also remain healthy and not turn black. Let me know if this helps -- or -- if you were already refreshing the water. I'm hoping this will do the trick! 😀

@@GardenSanity Hi Laura, many thanks for the response. I wasnt changing the water so perhaps that will have been the issue and its been a warmer than normal summer her in southern England. I will try again and maybe try both methods this time, soil and water. Regards

Laura, is it ok to prune my Salix at this point in October that are growing outside in pots by my front door ? I took a photo to show you but dont see an option to upload it here ... Thank you in advance

@@martinsmith349 Sorry I'm delayed in responding to you! I would try and wait to prune your Salix until early Spring. You hopefully will have some interesting reddish-colored stems to enjoy as Winter interest. If you need to prune a few bits here and there in the meantime -- that's ok to do. You just don't want to trick the plant into thinking it's time to push out new growth, only to have that growth possibly die off in a freeze, thus stressing the plant. I hope this helps! 🌱🙂

Thank you very much indeed appreciate the advice once again @@GardenSanity

Why thank you!

Hi Megan, Did you purchase the topiary tree already shaped for you? Usually these look like a stem with all of the growth at the top either in a round shape or somewhat draping shape. Yes, you're right that you will just keep pruning and trimming the growth to keep it shaped up nicely. The stem will continue to thicken up into a trunk and will get taller. If you're asking if you can train a Dappled Willow shrub into a topiary tree shape, you can do that too, by choosing at least one stem as your main "trunk" and removing all of the lower leaves along that stem up to the point where you want all of the new growth to occur. I like the look of a multi-stemmed "tree" form too, where you pick three main stems and do the same thing. It takes time and patience but can be done nicely. You can also root cuttings from your Dappled Willow to create more plants. Check out my video on that as well! I hope this helps? 🌱🌿

@@GardenSanity Thanks for the info! I have one tree that was already shaped and has been in the ground 2 years now. It wasn’t doing well where I had it so I decided move it and try to add two more. I couldn’t find more shaped like mine but I was able to get small shrubs so I clipped a bunch off of those and kept the main stem. The stem isn’t as straight as my original tree but we’ll see how they turn out. I took all the cuttings and put them in water, maybe I can give them some extra love and grow them to match my original tree.

@@meganc731 Sounds like a good plan, Megan! Not sure how big or small your other shrubs are, but you could try attaching the main stems to a large stake to help them to grow straight until they develop more. That might help. 😊

Hi Melanie -- great question! It is up to you, actually. Personally, I have planted each cutting separately. This way I have one main trunk and all of the other stems come out from that main trunk. For me, I think it keeps the plant more upright. That being said, planting a few cuttings together will give you that multi-stemmed look that is also very pretty. I hope this helps! 😀

I can’t remember: where are you located again? Some areas of the US had milder Winters so when that happens it can trigger gardens to get started earlier than usual. I’ve read comments from other gardeners saying the same things as you, especially with the Autumn Joy which sounds WAY early for a Fall bloomer. Firelight blooms before Little Limes do, and Limelight is usually the last of the panicle type hydrangeas to bloom. I’ll go look at mine closely to see if there’s buds. Crazy Mother Nature! 🙂🙃🙂

Hi Susan -- I think it's more important to make sure there are sufficient roots on the cuttings before you plant them into the garden. That's why I leave mine in pots at least for 3 months minimum. (Sometimes I've left them for a year...but that's a study in patience!) So the height doesn't matter, as long as you are seeing nice growth on the cuttings then you know the cuttings are doing well. 😃

The cuttings I took were indeed semi-hardwood cuttings, however you can also take cuttings from softwood and they will do fine but take longer to grow. The hardwood cuttings give you a stable stem to eventually plant into the ground or a large container! Dappled Willow don't thrive in shade at all. They will grow in shade no problem, however the color won't be great nor will the variagation on the leaves. So no pink in Spring and not much cream/green in Summer. The two things they love are sun and water! 🌞💦

That is a perfect idea Pamela! 👍That's exactly what we did. We had a wet area of our backyard, and our Dappled Willows have been very happy growing there. 😃🌿

Hi Mary, apologies for any confusion I might have caused! Using cuttings that are 6-8 inches is best, as there’s no need for such a long stem. Although my “indoor” stems I put in a vase were much taller, later when I potted them up in the video you’ll see I cut them way down to the height I recommended. In the section of the video where I show what type of stems to look for on your shrub, that’s where I said to cut 6-8 inches down - which I meant from the top of that stem. You can use stems that are taller than 6-8 inches - there’s no rule on height - however, I find there’s better branching using shorter stems. I’ll be doing a video update on these cuttings, and will be sure to mention all of this to help anyone else I may have confused. Thanks for asking about this! 👍 Does this help clear things up? 🙂🌱🪴

Hi Archex, You can definitely train a cutting to grow into a single-stemmed tree. As these cuttings begin as one single stem, as they grow, you would remove side stems from them. However, two things I would probably try: First, leave them in a pot a bit longer before planting into the ground. This way, you can monitor it well the first couple of years. I wouldn't remove stems until it's second season or once the main stem is growing thicker. Second, I would pay attention to keeping it straight upright growing if necessary, perhaps with a (gentle) support if needed. During these first couple of seasons, you can leave it outside during the Winter -- as these are hardy plants -- just place the pot close to the foundation of your home out of direct wind. This way, it still receives sunlight, rain/snow and colder temperatures while it is dormant. Enjoy it as a potted container plant first, then plant into the garden once it is a bit bigger and sturdier. I hope this helps! 👍🪴🙂

Although I haven’t done this personally, I understand it isn’t too difficult to turn these shrubs into trees. The first and easiest way is to make the shrub into a multi-stemmed tree. You choose a few strong stems and prune out the rest. As the remaining stems continue to grow, snip off any growth that appears low on those stems you want to become the main tree trunks. The second way is to focus on one single stem to be “the” trunk. And for this way - where all of the growth will shoot out of a single trunk and arch up and over - you will want to start choosing a straight up-and-down stem early on, and trim away any other stems. And the same guidelines apply, in terms of removing low growth off that main single stem, etc. It requires patience and at least a few years until you will have something resembling what you want. Then it’s just a matter of waiting for it to get taller. In terms of starting a tree from a cutting, the same things apply, treating that cutting as the main trunk. It will take several years but could be a fun project! I hope this helps.

Willows produce their own growth hormone. Most shrubs do not. Dasledogg, what variety of shrub are you interested in cutting?

@@terrencegibbons3351 I am experimenting with dappled willows now. I have taken several cuttings and rooted them in water, then transferred them to soil. They have taken pretty well so far. I took a rather thick cutting, like thicker than a pencil, and it rooted and transferred just fine. The only thing with this one is that I didn't account for new growth being so much smaller, but atleast it has a good trunk.

Yes Anna, the flame willow can be pruned and cared for in the same way as dappled willows. And in some cases, they are sold interchangeably too. I'm happy to hear the water rooting was successful as was the potting up! 😀They will go dormant for the Winter season, and getting them used to the cold weather isn't a bad idea. What I do is keep my pots right next to my house in a sheltered area, next to our patio door -- like you saw in the video. This way I can see them every day and keep an eye on them, and they stay a bit warmer than if they were plunked into the middle of the yard. If you put them somewhere that you can enjoy them -- like you mentioned on your deck -- you'll have some pretty red stems to see in the Winter too. Put some mulch of some type on top of the pot, just to help protect the soil and help keep moisture in. If you still want to put them into the basement, remember they will need some water from time to time, since they won't benefit from any rain or snow during the Winter season. I hope this helps! And please keep me posted on how they're doing too! 🌿❤🙂

Hi Sammy, Dappled Willow thrives in sunny areas, and needs that sunshine to help give it the beautiful variegated colors it has. Full sun to partial shade is the best recommendation. The best color is produced in full sun. I hope this helps!

Yes, definitely! Spring is a great time to transplant, as the shrub wants to grow and is pushing out new growth, and then will have the entire Summer and Fall season to get established nicely in its new spot! 😃

@@GardenSanity mine is pink right now and I google about it mostly say better do it when dormant so I ‘m thinking better ask you👀

Hi Cate, You only need to change the water if it starts to get cloudy. Continue to add more water into the container/vase every so often when you notice the water level evaporating a bit. I found that by adding some water every so often, it kept the water clear. I hope this helps!

Hi Susan, I just went outside to measure the pots. They are each 7 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall. It's a good size to have the Dappled Willow cuttings continue to develop their roots and not get root-bound either. I hope this helps! 🪴 😊

Hi Lori, I'm so sorry I missed your question last year. I used potting soil, and I said it rather quickly in the video, so I apologize that it went by so quickly. 💚🌱

Hi Rachel, I’m in zone 7, in southern New Jersey basically at the shore. What zone do you garden in? 🙂