270 GARDEN GUIDE 



Making Cuttings of Perennials 



This sort of cutting can be made of hundreds of perennials. If 

 you wish to increase your stock, merely take little slips in the Spring 

 when the plants are six or seven inches tall. Be sure to leave a few 

 buds below where the cutting is taken; it will not injure the plants in the 

 least, but will cause them to become branchy. Choose wood that is 

 a httle ripened. 



Perennials which are readily propagated by cuttings are: 



Leaf Cuttings 



Leaf cuttings are rarely made in the garden, but if some friend has 

 given the reader^a slip of a Rex Begonia he may attempt to root it. 

 Remove all but one leaf and oftentimes that leaf needs shortening. 

 The leaves removed can be cut up in small pieces so that each piece 

 has a portion of the heavy midrib at the base. When inserted in sand, 

 several inches deep in a warm greenhouse, the base will root and a 

 young plant starts. 



Root Cuttings 



Root cuttings are interesting to make. Plants with rather thick 

 roots can usually be propagated by this method . A box will be neces- 

 sary for such propagation; it should be about three inches deep and 

 nearly filled with a light loam. The roots are cut into pieces an inch 

 and a half long, and are scattered over the surface of the soil and 

 covered about one-half inch deep with light soil. The box should then 

 be placed in shade, watered and covered with a paper. In a short time 

 shoots will start and the young plant can be transplanted to another 

 location. The following plants can be propagated by this method : 

 Polygonum, Euphorbia, Plumbago larpentae, Saponaria, Coronilla 

 varia, Achillea, Japanese Anemone. 



There are a number of perennials propagated by root cuttings 

 which succeed better when the roots are planted perpendicularly with 

 a little piece of the end protruding. They are usually fleshy rooted 

 sorts. Among the plants are: Italian Borage (Anchusa), Plume 

 Poppy (Bocconia cordata), Dodecatheon, Stokes' Aster (Stokesia 

 cyanea), Bee Balm (Monarda), perennial Phlox, Gaillardia, Gyp- 

 sophila, Helianthus rigidus, Thermopsis, Papaver, Statice, Bleeding 

 Heart, Peony. Lily of the Valley is increased by separating the pips 

 or individual crowns. Among the vegetables, Horseradish is so 



