If you have this shrub, please take a look at my lists and let me know if you're interested in a trade. Thanks! Tony

I have Korean Spice, perfumes the entire yard. They would be fresh cuttings. Phyllis

Generally the advice is to cut the spikes off at the base on complex hybrids. But seeing this orchid is half violacea the best thing to do is to let the plant do its thing. You will know when to cut the spike down to the base when the spikes become unsightly with many flower scars and are no longer things of beauty. Just wondering how this orchid will turn out because the parents of Cassandra are equestris and stuartiana. I cut the spikes down to the base on equestris and do not cut the stalled spikes on violacea because the plant will flower again from stalled spikes in my conditions when summer arrives. Do not know anything about stuartiana. No doubt someone will come up will the usual if its brown cut it down stuff which probably applies in this case but doesn't apply to many hybrids.

Hi Bev and Dee, Thankyou for your input. I love the term 'shrubette' - never heard it before, and if this water idea fails I'll go out and buy some pantyhose and try it! I hope I'm forgiven for bringing up the subject of propagation on this forum, perhaps a bit off subject, but the only propagation forum I know of is based in US and they sometimes use strange terms that I can't understand! Well, Dee, the cuttings are looking healthy in the water, and yesterday a friend told me her mother went to change some flowers and water at Gran's graveside, only to find all the hibiscus stems had taken root in the water since she was last there, so she took them home and planted them in ordinary old soil from the garden, and they're thriving. Acting on that, I went out yesterday and took some hibiscus cuttings and put them in with the snowball cuttings, plus a few lantana Calypso cuttings, and a couple of Yesterday Today and Tomorrow's, so I'll let you know what eventuates. If and when they do take root, I'll dip the ends of them all in pure (no glucose added) honey, as I did this with a load of pellie cuttings last Tues., and they've nearly all developed strong roots, so that might be the answer. Apparently the honey provides food for the cuttings. Another little hint of mine (I'm probably completely wrong, but have a lot of success) is to take a cutting when in bud or flower. I like to believe that this gives the cuttings incentive to keep on growing or something. My only real bugbears to get going (besides the snowballs) are YTT (Brunsfelsia), diosma, pittosterum(sp), magnolia, the tassel-bush (Garrya?) and the fringe-flower. Oh, and the Pyramid Tree. I've a huge one down the back corner, have tried cuttings in every season and even planted some of its horrible, itchy seeds, to no avail. Any hints/suggestions will be very much appreciated. Cheers, Venice