Thought I would share this with everyone. This is and was my first attempt at layering a bush.

Very nice! Great job!

One of my forsythia bushes layered itself in two places over the summer, and I'm so pleased to have two new shrubs for free.

merrygardens, Do some more come spring they layer really easy. I just love doing the plant thing here. I'm so addicted doing it I don't think I can ever not do it again. LOL really I have lots of fun at it also. Did ya also see my other post with my propagation beds also?

Yes, I did see your other post, and just had another look. I'm very interested in this. Are the cuttings on the right covered by the aquarium all the time? What kind of cuttings are they, when did you take them, and will they overwinter OK? Your junipers look splendid.

I did a number of conifers and hydrangeas when I lived in BC, Canada, Zone 8. I've moved here to Michigan recently, and am not sure about overwintering. I see you're Zone 6-7, so that's a bit warmer than here. I will sure do some more forsythia--can you have too many of them? I was just outside and saw a couple of branches that were very close to the ground. I've got quite a large property and wish to fill many areas with shrubs and flowers. A propagation bed would serve me very well. To reiterate--one side is coarse sand, the other a mix of peat and perlite. I do have books about this which I should haul out and read!

merrygardens, Yes the aquarium is over the propagation bed on the right hand side at all times. The cutting are in a mixture of peat and perlite. Right now I have hydrangeas, azaleas, 3 different species,crape myrtles and barberry cuttings in it. As far as wintering over the winter I think I will be just fine (I hope) All the cutting so far are doing pretty good. The blue rug junipers should also do fine, they are pretty hardy in doing them as cuttings, but they won't root until sometime in the spring. Just have to make sure the course sand stays moist. Any other questions you have please feel free to ask me, I love to share with people. And I'm not always right but do try to answer to the best that I may be able to. Also if the medium freezes up over the winter really it isn't no big deal. Most of the time they just start to perk up with very little problems. As far as layering that is an easy task really. Just take a branch and put it down to the ground bend it into a u shape, scrape the bark off a little where a leaf node is and force it down into the soil where you take and move the soil out a little. Then take the little bit of soil and cover the branch up. Put a rock over top of it and keep watered. Most people take the lower branches to do this. Also most of the lower branches don't have that many flowers on them. Right now I have some weigelia red prince that I'm doing the layering with. I don't know if they will take but it's worth trying for me. Maybe today I will take a look at them and see what is going on with them.

Thanks, Terry. I think this (the propagation bed) will be a project for the spring--my hubby is enthusiastic as well. I sure understand it when you say you're addicted to it. It's a thrill to see a shrub come from a small cutting.

How much sun does your bed get?

merrygardens, Right now only about 3 hours of afternoon sun and only using sun because of the lower temps here. In the spring you will want to have it setup in a shaded area because of the heat and dryer air. You can just use a 10 gallon aquarium to do the propagtion in. I just used a hand me down that I got for free some years ago. Yes it is something when you see a 4"-6" cutting come to life and grow roots then grow into a plant or bush.

Yes, a shaded area. That makes sense, and is pretty much what I've done in the past.

I have many azaleas around my gardens, and about every third year, I go through and dig all the self-layered branches, and give tham away. If you leave them alone, the low-lying twigs will bend down against the soil and take root on their own. Azalea does this so readily, that I have a friend who has filled a 2 acre hobby-lot with many kinds from a few mother plants over a 20 year or so period.