You nearly got me! I was about to tell you all about rooting roses, but this is a Hibiscus, right? I think you will find it difficult to root at this time of year, much easier in later spring when the plant is growing strongly. Try it in a 50/50 mix of soil and perlite, or a similar well-aerated type of soil. Just take about 6" from the end of a vigorous new shoot, older wood should be treated as a hardwood cutting. You might want to try hardwood cuttings at this time of year but the technique is completely different.

Hi C. There's been quite a number of posts regarding rooting figs that would help you get started. At the bottom of the main fig forum page, just enter "rooting" into the search box to see the links to those posts. If you have a question after reading those, I'm sure someone will chime in to give an opinion.

This is what was recommended to me and it worked well. I rooted some CF in water after a bad storm, but had trouble getting them to transition into a soil environment. Someone on gardenweb suggested this and it works everytime (so far). Plant the cutting in very wet potting soil and let it dry out naturally (inside, not in sun, but bright light). Then water as needed and harden off outside. Somehow the really wet soil helps the roots to get acclimated to the soil. I've done a dozen this way with great success. It may take a little longer to get them in the garden this way, but it works. Hope this helps JR

Yes, I have had that experience with Confederate Rose. Mine rooted faster than any other plant I've ever rooted. Which "angel trumpet" are you attempting to root, brugmansia or datura? Datura is an annual and is grown from seeds. I've never had any luck trying to overwinter them. Brugmansia is a perenial. In the warmer months, ie. spring and summer, they root quite easily in either water or soil. If you use the water method, remove all leaves except for the top leaf since they will lose their moisture by transpiration through the leaves. They need a leaf left because that is what manufactures their food. Put the cutting in about 1-1.5 inches of water in a clear glass or jar. Keep out of the sun and keep it away from cold. Change the water every day. Watch for the bottom of the cutting softening. If it does this, it might be beginning to rot. If this happens, cut the stem off above where the rot started, put in a clean glass and try again. With a little luck, sometime soon the plant will begin to develop little white bumps (lenticils), which are the beginnings of roots. If you wish, you can go ahead and pot the plant up at this time, or you can wait until actual roots develop. After the plant is rooted, slowly introduce it to more sunlight every day. These plants are heavy feeders and when growing, most require a good deal of water. You can also prepare the cutting the same way and plant directly in soil in a pot. Most brugs like a fair amount of water, so keep it moist, but not soggy for most of them. A few brugs prefer to be on the dry side while they are rooting. The ones I know require this are L'Amour and Hawaiian White, and Culebra. Usually the first sign of growth will be the develpment of leaves. Let me add that this time of year, brug cuttings are often very difficult to root using any method. If you have this problem, please don't get discouraged. Try again in spring and you will see how easily they root! Good luck! Kay