by Glory Lennon

Created on: May 07, 2009

The wonder of plants is their innate ability to survive with no help from, or perhaps in spite of, human intervention. Plants know how to perpetuate and increase their numbers through several different ways and it doesn't matter what the gardener wants. Plants will do as they please. Gardeners, however, are nothing if not masters of manipulation when it come to plants within their gardens and they will not allow propagation to take place in their gardens without their hand being in it.

Propagation is the ultimate in manipulation and gardeners love doing it with their favorite plants so they can have more plants for themselves and for friends and relations. By collecting seeds, dividing perennials, taking cuttings and rooting them gardeners can increase their supply of plants infinitely. But there is also the little known propagation by layering.

Propagation by layering is arguably the easiest way of propagating garden plants but perhaps also the least known. As every gardener should know of this method let us discuss the how and when of propagation by layering.

While some plants, such as Hosta, Daisy, Monarda Bee Balm, Daylily and Iris, take quite easily to being divided there are many others, mostly shrubs and delicate vines which take better to layering. Some plants, like Forsythia and Rhododendrons actually do this on their own. The branches lay on moist ground and eventually root. This rooted piece of the bush could then be snipped off the "Mother" plant and you have another plant, an exact clone on the "mom". Mimic nature and you can layer virtually any plant which doesn't take readily to other propagation methods.

In the case of a Rhododendron which isn't easy to propagate by cuttings, layering is the easiest way. You simply taking a branch low on the bush and bend it, without breaking it off the mother plant, until it can touch the ground. Where the branch actually touches the ground you will need to slightly rub at that spot until you see some green. This is called the cambium layer. For more of a chance of this working make certain this is also where leaves emerge on the branch. Roots are more likely to grow at the leaf node. With the cambium layer exposed place this on the ground and cover with some soil. If necessary place a rock or brick on this spot to ensure it doesn't dislodge.

Now for the hard part, you will have to wait. It could be a considerable amount of time depending on conditions like moisture in the soil and the temperament of

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