I cut back to above the first two Y's or at least 6 nodes above the initial Y to allow for dieback. I have to cut back or I would never fit them into my house. I don't even want to think about how many pots are coming inside this Fall- well over 100! 150??? I just use regular flourescent fixtures like Kristy. I have a ceiling fan in my sunroom, and might slap 1-2 plant growlamps up there. I run the lights for 18 hours, especially once I start my brug seedlings. The lights that Karyn suggested are expensive but Barry used them last winter and his seedlings and plants were just beautiful! Brenda

I've been propagating by cuttings for a good thirty years now, but still don't pretend to be an expert. The question of rooting in water or a mix is a good one. Rooting in water develops roots with large cells full of water, so when they are then planted in a potting mix, the roots have to change up rather fast in order to take up nutrients and many times they go into shock and die. I prefer to start everything in a soil-less potting mix. I have also found that for some reason I have a much better success rate by using styrofoam cups as the containers. I simply punch a small draining hole in the bottom, then fill with the mix and really water thoroughly. This means watering them until I am positive that they are damp all the way down. Most of my cutting are around six inches in length and I remove all the lower leaves but leave a few of the upper leaves. This is necessary so the cutting will have the leaves to help produce food and will be able to take up nurishment when the roots begin to develop. I then put the cutting in the center of the mix, take a bendable straw and insert in into the cup at the edge. This will hold up the plastic bag that will be placed down over the cutting, straw, label and cup and fastened on with a rubber band. The plastic bag needs to have a small hole put through both sides at the top so that excess heat can escape if necessary and provides for a bit of circulation. A knife point or icepick will do nicely for making the hole in the bag. I usually use sandwich bags, the foldable kind, not zip. The cuttings are then placed in a bright place, but not in direct sun and if put together properly need not be disturbed for at least a month. Many things this time of year will be rooted in a month, but I suggest checking for roots and perhaps giving them a drink at this time. If not rooted, they will then be alright for a couple more weeks or better, until they do root. There are very few things that you can expect 100% success with, but there are some. I've never lost a forsythia, miniature rose, african violet, spirea, and many houseplant varieties, but most things you will lose some. The most dangerous time for doing cutting is when they are amply rooted and you attempt to uncover them. Take your time doing this. Take the rubber band off and loosen the bag for a day or two, then pull the bag up a bit to expose one side to the air for a day or two. If that all goes well, then take the bag off, but at no time during the procedure allow the potting mix to dry out. Patience is all important in doing cuttings. Once you've been successful,you will be amazed at how much you will learn.

You're much colder than I am (Oregon, zn8), so you have a challenge that I'm probably not qualified to give advice on, but even here I have had difficulty overwintering young hydrangea plants. They tend to die back quite a bit (even established shrubs), and if the cuttings are small without many buds, you may lose them. I lost all of the 40 or so 4" pots of hydrangea that I tried to overwinter outside last winter, to a late freeze. This year I have a small greenhouse I will keep them in. I also work as a propagator for a wholesale nursery that does a lot of hydrangeas, and at work we overwinter them in a minimally heated greenhouse (kept above freezing) for the first year after rooting them. They seem to do fine once they get some size - they can tolerate a little dieback then. I think you'll be OK with the other shrubs - they're hardier. I agree that burying the pots and mulching them should work. Hydrangeas will also root from hardwood cuttings taken in late winter just prior to budbreak, so if you do lose the ones you have, you might try that. Then get just as much growth on them as you can prior to winter.

One note. I took three cuttings last winter after my season was over. Two from Hot Hungarian Wax and one from a Naga. Only one of the HHW made it. It basically didn't grow at all during the winter. While the other two eventually died and dried up, the one HHW stayed green all winter. It wasn't until the spring when I got it outside that it grew. And when it finally did grow, it never got as big as one that I might have grown from seed. I did get several nice pods off it but definitely not like a seed grown plant. After my experiment, I decided that using cuttings for propagation is possible, it just seemed more efficient to start fresh with seed. Now, if you don't have seed available and you don't want to lose the species, then either overwinter and/or cuttings are your other options for propagation. For me, cuttings weren't worth the hassle and lower production. I also think the super hots might be tougher to grow from cuttings than the regular varieties. The link below is to another thread on cuttings. It chronicles attempts at cuttings by Edymnion and myself last winter. Bruce Here is a link that might be useful: cuttings-giving it a shot