Amy Draiss
While some plants have a moment of glory that seems to be over all too soon, there are others that maintain their charm and appeal all year round, whether or not they are in bloom. So when you have evergreen shrubs that deliver with multi-season texture, color and visual interest, many of which feature blooms or berries, why not increase their allure in your garden by taking evergreen cuttings in fall?
It’s possible – even easy – to propagate evergreens from plant cuttings taken in the fall. Broadleaf evergreen plants grow readily from fall cuttings, and this includes growers’ favorites like rhododendron and gardenias. You don’t need fancy equipment or techniques to start these cuttings yourself. All you need is a steady hand and a little patience, and you too can cultivate more evergreen beauty – without having to keep buying more of the same shrubs. Here are 7 evergreen fall cuttings that are sure to enhance your four-season garden.
Best Evergreen Cuttings in Fall
Depending on USDA region and plant health, cuttings can be taken from plants at different stages of growth. Softwood cuttings are taken from new growth. If you snip off the stem of a houseplant and plunk it in water, this is an example of a softwood cutting. The roots can appear in days. Softwood cuttings are usually the quickest types of cuttings to root. However, softwood cuttings from evergreen plants don’t have a great success rate. It’s better to use semi-ripe (aka semi-hardwood) or hardwood cuttings for the evergreens listed here.
Semi-ripe cuttings are taken from wood that has hardened a bit (between 60 and 90 days) but they can be bent without snapping (try bending a stem so test it). These are often the best types of cuttings of shrubs to take in fall, from September to October. Hardwood cuttings are clipped from fully mature wood from the prior growing season. This type of cutting is taken when the plant is completely dormant, usually in winter.
You can take these evergreen shrub and evergreen tree cuttings in fall to enrich and support existing favorites in your garden – or you can lean on the kindness of a friend or neighbor and snip a few of theirs. These cuttings can be used to bolster existing evergreen areas, or to create brand new points of evergreen interest elsewhere. So just grab a pair of clean, sharp pruners, and let’s get to work!
Make sharp, precision cuts with the Felco F2 Bypass Pruning Shears from Amazon – perfect for a range of semi-hardwood cuttings and minimizing injury to shrubs.
1. Rhododendron
The genus Rhododendron includes two species that are the workhorse shrubs of many gardens: rhododendrons and azaleas. Both are extremely popular flowering bushes, known for producing heavy loads of bright flowers, in masses of color ranging from bright white to rich fiery oranges and hot cerise pinks. It’s no wonder you might want to make a few more by growing some cuttings!
Not sure which one you have? It doesn’t really matter for propagation purposes, since the same method and timing applies to both rhododendrons and azaleas. But as a rough guide, rhodies are bigger, wider bushes with large, leathery leaves, while azalea shrub varieties tend to be smaller, with slender, pointed leaves.
2. Camellia
If rhododendrons are the staples of the garden, camellia bushes are the rock stars. Glamorous and showy, these popular evergreens have glossy green leaves and bright, beautiful flowers that are plump with petals. They seem to flower for months, astonishing with their crisp outlines and sumptuous petal tones.
Acid-loving plants, camellias thrive in the shade and can grow big enough to be considered trees. Just be warned that rooting camellia cuttings can take two months or more. Make sure your cuttings are kept in a safe spot with regular light levels.
3. Holly
Hollies are in the Ilex genus and you’ll find lots of different varieties, which can present with both smooth and prickly leaf edges. Holly shrubs and trees range in size, from 5 feet (1.6m) to heights taller than a house! Many popular landscape hollies are evergreen and offer bright red berries – perfect for decking the halls during the holidays. They also provide a vital food source for garden birds during the winter months.
In the wild, holly will propagate naturally from seeds inside the berries, scattered by the birds that feast on them. However, cuttings are a great way to bolster your own holly numbers in your own backyard. Your cuttings may root faster than you think. Incredibly, I’ve seen roots from mine in as little as two weeks.
4. Gardenia
Gardenia is another very showy landscape evergreen. Like camellias, these shrubs have shiny leaves, but their flowers are smaller and white. Add an intoxicating fragrance, and you understand why this potent beauty is a garden favorite.
Gardenia plants propagate well from softwood cuttings taken in spring. However, since fall is when you usually prune these shrubs back – after flowering – it makes sense to save a few of your semi-ripe trimmings for rooting. Just make sure they have stopped flowering before taking your semi-hardwood cuttings.
5. Cotoneaster
Yes, certain varieties of cotoneaster hold onto their leaves year-round. Their bright berries appear in clusters that seem to last indefinitely. These berries feed wild birds in winter, and also provide seasonal interest during the colder months.
Popular evergreen cotoneaster varieties include groundcover and also hedging varieties that catch your eye with their arching branches and crop of bright berries. Attractive evergreen cotoneasters include bearberry, C. franchetii and littleleaf varieties. When rooting semi-ripe cotoneaster cuttings, make sure you choose a site with bright indirect sunlight.
6. Japanese Skimmia
This broadleaf evergreen grows slowly, topping out at 7 feet (2.3m) tall. It is a densely branched, mounding shrub with glossy, leathery leaves. In springtime, it bursts into life with abundant creamy flowers. Brilliant red berry-like drupes appear in autumn and hang on the bush through winter.
Skimmia shrubs prefer a part-shade location that keeps it out of direct sunlight during the afternoons. Both the leaves and flowers offer pleasing fragrances – the foliage smells spicy, while the flower odor is sweeter.
7. Ceanothus
I can’t miss an opportunity to sing the praises of my favorite shrub, ceanothus. In California we call it the Californian lilac, since the plant’s flowers are a gorgeous lilac blue color, ideal for lovers of blue flowers. You can find tree-size ceanothus as well as short varieties, so consider the mature height when thinking about places to site new plants.
Ceanothus are native to California and require virtually no care in the proper site (as long as you find somewhere sunny, sheltered and well draining). The more you can grow, the better! I have three in my garden in San Francisco, but I'm definitely hoping to grow more via cuttings. If you’ve never grown one, you are in for a treat.
Taking Evergreen Cuttings in Fall
If you want to propagate evergreens with cuttings taken in fall, take semi-ripe cuttings of these broadleaf evergreens. The day before you take your cuttings, be sure to water your shrub. Then follow these steps:
- Collect 4-6 inch (10-15cm) long cuttings from the tips of healthy plants. Take a few more than you need, since it’s likely some won’t root.
- Clip off the foliage from the lower half of each cutting, leaving 4-6 leaves. With larger leaves, trim the surface to reduce the risk of evaporation.
- Dip the wound area of each cutting in a rooting hormone, such as Doff’s Natural Rooting Powder from Amazon,
- Plant in soil with good drainage. You can improve drainage in your potting mix by adding some perlite or horticultural sand.
- Keep cuttings in a humid area (cover with plastic in the shade outdoors, grow in a greenhouse, or grow indoors) and apply bottom heat.
You’ll need some patience, since rooting semi-hardwood cuttings can take a month or more. New growth takes even longer to appear. And don’t worry if your new young shrubs don’t flower for a couple of years – they will be busy building strong root systems. But if you can hold out, those eventual displays will be identical to those of the parent plants. Happy propagation!
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