How to Propagate an Annabelle Hydrangea

Softwood Cuttings

• 1

  Make softwood cuttings in May or June. Use sharp pruners to cut growing tips from the bush. Each cutting should be about 6-inches-long and should include two or three pairs of open leaves. As you cut each stem, place the cuttings in a bucket or jar of water to keep the cuttings fresh. Softwood cuttings are made from the new, green growth, and do not extend down into harder lower portions of the canes that typically have a tough bark.

• 2

  Remove the lower pair of leaves with a sharp knife. If the next pair of leaves is oversized, some gardeners snip across each leaf to reduce its size by one-third to one-half. Leave the whorl of leaves at the growing tip untouched.

• 3

  Dip the cut end of the stem into water, then into rooting hormone, if you choose to use the hormone. Make sure that the lower leaf nodes where you removed leaves are covered with the rooting hormone.

• 4

  Make a hole in the growing medium with your finger, and insert the powdered end of the stem into the hole without scraping off the hormone powder. The lower leaf nodes should be about an inch beneath the surface of the soil. Firm the growing medium around the stem, and water the pot until the soil is just moist.

Divisions

• 5

  Prune back the canes of an established “Annabelle” Hydrangea in late winter or early spring. Cut the spent canes a few inches from the base of the plant.

• 6

  Dig around the pruned bush with a sharp shovel, loosening and lifting the roots as you dig. Use the shovel to tip the plant out of the hole.

• 7

  Cut apart the matted base of the plant with a sharp shovel or knife. Divide the base into sections that each include stems and roots.

• 8

  Plant each division section in a prepared hole, spreading the roots to make good contact with the soil. Set the divisions at the same depth they were previously growing. Plant the divisions directly where you want them to grow, or set them into pots if you plan to grow them in a sheltered location or a greenhouse for later transplanting.