Does anyone else find propagation manuals frustrating? Whenever I get a plant propagating urge I go to the reference books only to find that whatever plant I look up should have been propagated several months ago.
To remedy the problem I have created my own 'Propagator's Calendar', listing the plants under the month they are best propagated. The calendar can only be a guide as successful propagating conditions depend on factors such as humidity and heat levels, rather than the exact calendar month. The calendar is designed for the British climate, but I have added seasonal headings as well, for Antipodean gardeners!
JANUARY (Winter)
Annual seeds (eg Begonia, Canna, Cineraria, Dianthus, Lobelia, Pelargonium)
Root cuttings (eg Acanthus, Aesculus, Ailanthus, Aralia, Campsis, Chaenomeles, Dicentra, Eryngium(left), Nepeta, Papaver, Phlox, Primula)
Hardwood cuttings (eg Laburnum, Salix, Sambucus)
FEBRUARY (Winter)
Annual seeds (eg Ageratum, Antirrhinum, Begonia, Canna, Cineraria, Dahlia, Dianthus, Gazania, Heliotrope, Lobelia, Tagetes, Mimulus, Nicotiana, Pelargonium, Verbena)
Perennial division (eg Arabis, Euphorbia, Polygonatum)
Perennial seeds (eg Catanache, Delphinium, Diascia, Hosta, Kniphofia, Lupinus, Penstemon)
Root cuttings (eg Acanthus, Dicentra, Echinacea, Eryngium, Lythrum, Nepeta, Papaver, Phlox, Primula)
Tree, climber & shrub seed (eg Callistemon, Cobaea, Cytisus, Eccremocarpus, Ipomea, Enkianthus, Eucryphia)
Tree & shrub cuttings (eg Camellia, Chamaecyparis, Cryptomeria, Mahonia)
Layering (eg Camellia)
Hardwood cuttings (eg Eleagnus, Laburnum, Parthenocissus, Salix, Sambucus)
MARCH (Spring)
Perennial seed (eg Achillea, Agapanthus (left), Ajuga, Alchemilla, Alstroemeria, Anthemis, Campanula, Catanache, Centranthus, Coreopsis, Corydalis, Crocosmia, Delphinium, Dianthus, Diascia, Echinacea, Euphorbia, Festuca, Geranium, Geum, Hemerocallis, Heuchera, Hosta, Liatris, Lysimachia, Penstemon, Phormium, Potentilla, Rodgersia, Stachys)
Perennial cuttings (eg Achillea, Anthemis, Chrysanthemum, Delphinium, Diascia, Dicentra, Kniphofia, Lupinus, Polygonum, Sedum)
Perennial division (eg Agapanthus, Alchemilla, Anemone, Arabis, Armeria, Aruncus, Aster, Astilbe, Astrantia, Bergenia, Campanula, Carex, Centaurea, Cicimifuga, Chrysanthemum, Coreopsis, Delphinium, Dicentra, Echinacea, Echinops, Erigeron, Euphorbia, Festuca, Geranium, Geum, Gunnera, Helenium, Hemerocallis, Heuchera, Hosta, Kniphofia, Liatris, Ligularia, Liriope, Lychnis, Lysimachia, Miscanthus, Oenothera, Paeonia, Papaver, Phormium, Polygonum, Potentilla, Rodgersia, Salvia, Sedum, Stachys, Stipa)
Annual seeds (eg Ageratum, Alyssum, Antirrhinum, Calendula, Clarkia, Centaurea, Cosmos, Dahlia, Delphinium, Dianthus, Eschscholzia, Godetia, Helianthus, Heliotrope, Impatiens, Lathyrus, Lavatera, Limnanthes, Lobelia, Mimulus, Nemesia, Nemophila, Nicotiana, Nigella, Papaver, Petunia, Phlox, Salvia, Scabious, Tropaeolum, Verbena, Viola, Zinnia)
Tree, climber & shrub seeds (eg Ailanthus, Callicarpa, Cercis, Cobaea, Cotoneaster, Eccremocarpus, Eucalyptus, Ginkgo, Gleditsia, Hibiscus, Ipomea, Paulownia, Robinia, Spartium, Thunbergia)
Tree & shrub cuttings (eg Camellia, Chamaecyparis, Fuchsia, Lavandula)
Layering (eg Camellia, Cornus, Corylopsis, Corylus, Cotinus, Hamamelis, Hedera, Jasminum, Kalmia, Magnolia, Parrotia, Parthenocissus, Rhododendron, Syringa, deciduous Viburnum, Vitis, Wisteria)
Hardwood cuttings (eg Eleagnus)
Root cuttings (eg Arundinaria, Catanache, Dicentra, Eryngium, Lythrum, Nepeta, Phlox)
APRIL (Spring)
Perennial seed (eg Achillea, Agapanthus, Ajuga, Alchemilla, Alstroemeria, Anthemis, Aquilegia, Campanula, Catanache, Centaurea, Centranthus, Coreopsis, Echinops, Erigeron, Iberis, Lupinus, Oenothera, Rudbeckia, Stipa)
