A plume bush not only looks great, it also smells wonderfully of honey. We'll show you how to propagate this wonderful plant.
The plume bush (Fothergilla) is popular with many hobby gardeners and garden owners because it provides a magnificent picture of flowers and is also visually striking in autumn with its many colors. The scent of honey, which is emitted by the flowers of the shrub in summer and attracts many insects, also speaks for the appealing plant. No wonder, then, that many try to propagate the plume bush - either for themselves or to give them away and pass them on. But what is the best way to proceed when propagating a plume bush? And does this even work at home?
What to consider when propagating
In general, you should know that the plume bush grows slowly and gets stronger. Therefore, when propagating the plant, you should have a lot of patience and not be too radical. It can also often happen with this plant that the propagation is not successful, which is why several attempts have to be made here. Precisely because the plume bush grows so slowly, many gardeners lose patience when checking the propagation progress and give up the young plant - if you want to be successful, you should bring a little more time and patience for the higher effort.
Ideal time to propagate
If you want to propagate the plume bush with seedlings, you can start doing so as early as summer. However, one should wait until the flowering period is over before taking the cuttings from the bush. If, on the other hand, you want to use seeds for sowing as propagation, they can be sown in autumn. If you have bought a young plant, it should be planted in the garden or alternatively in a bucket in spring or autumn at the latest.
Possibilities of propagation
There are usually two completely different ways to propagate a plume bush. On the one hand, propagation by cuttings and, on the other hand, propagation via seeds that are sown. For both types you need a cold frame or flower pots,as well as plant substrate and possibly compost, which serves as a source of nutrients.
Propagating by Seeds
If you want to propagate the plume bush by seeds, you should get a cold frame. Peaty soil is also very important in this case and can easily be enriched with compost as fertilizer. The important thing is to keep the seeds very moist and put them in the sun, but never let them dry out.
The germination of the plume bush might take a little longer, as well as the growth into a young plant. It is therefore very important to ensure that there is enough moisture and that some compost is regularly added to the potting soil. The weak seedlings should also be well protected from the weather to avoid damage.
If you store the seedlings outdoors, make sure that they are not exposed to autumn frosts. Because young plants only become winter-proof after about a year and a half. If the seedlings are large enough, they can be transplanted into larger flower pots. After almost two years they can then be planted in the garden, where there is plenty of space and a sunny, but not too hot and dry location.
Rhododendron fertilizer is very important, especially when young plants are first outdoors, to help them grow well. Seedlings and young plants that you grow yourself should never be pruned - this is only necessary for larger plants if the shoots are too dense. The less you prune the plume bush, the more undamaged it can grow. This procedure also takes a particularly long time with this type of plant, which is why you should bring a lot of patience and effort and invest in the seedlings.
Rhododendron fertilizers are available from Amazon, for example:
Propagation by cuttings
If you don't want to sow seeds and wait a long time until they germinate and become really strong young plants, you can start with cuttings to propagate the plume bush. These are separated from the plume bush itself and should be new shoots if possible, which may well be slightly woody. These should be at least 15cm long when cut and should not be the main shoots of the plant as this could damage them - so side shoots are a good choice for cuttings. Incidentally, this should only be done in summer after the plume bush has bloomed.
If you have decided on a few cuttings - there shouldn't be too many, sinceradical pruning will damage the crop - these can be planted in separate flower pots of a smaller variety. Peaty potting soil is ideal for growing the cuttings that need a lot of moisture and nutrients. If new shoots and leaves form, the cutting was probably able to form roots. So the multiplication was successful. Now the cutting can be transplanted into a larger pot so that it has enough space for its roots and can develop further. As already mentioned, however, the growth of the shrub can take a long time even with this method. When the young plant is two years old, it can be planted in its final location in autumn to overwinter. When growing in a pot, it needs a very sheltered but sunny spot, and should always be kept moist. It is important that excess water can drain away to minimize waterlogging.