Helen- I need to keep it below my roof - you can see the gutter in the upper left corner of the picture, and the picture is one of the lowest branches. I didn't even realize that you could keep them compact until I saw them at Tom's house, where he has sort of a short hedge of them in front (that was years ago, to my recollection, which could be completely wrong) I'll take one of the cuttings and put it somewhere that it can grow as much as it wants and see what happens. My neighbor has a white one that's about 20' tall with a 12" diameter trunk and quite full - gorgeous in full bloom, and mother to many of the others around the yard. They are so easy to grow here - branches have fallen off that big tree and start growing right where they fell in the mulch. I'm looking for a deep, dark yellow one still. I've seen a couple driving around and I'm always tempted to just stop the car and run and break a piece off, but I don't have the guts to do it.

I usually root Hydrangea cuttings in Sept., so they will develop some roots before the first freeze. All are outdoors, in pots under evergreen shrubs. Some propagators "tent" the pots with clear plastic bags. I've tried it both ways and found no advantage to using the bags for conserving moisture. You just need to pay attention, so that they don't dry out or become overwatered. Be sure to use a well drained soiless mixture. I use a peat based potting mix (10%) and equal amounts of perlite & coarse (builders) sand. You will need to check the drainage holes in the pots periodically to insure that they don't become clogged! I once lost about 15 rooted cuttings of a rare blue lacecap sport, when that happened over the winter and the roots decayed. Your unheated GH should be fine. If an early freeze is forecasted, you could cover them with an old blanket, straw, leaves, conifer needles or any other insulating material, which should be removed on warm, sunny days. Roots should begin forming within 6-8 weeks. I leave them in the rooting medium overwinter and pot/plant the rooted cuttings in the spring, after new foliage appears. I have successfully rooted hardwood cuttings, by layering them in raised beds, with well drained soil and covering them with a couple of inches of soil and 6-8 inches of leaves, pine needles or both. Once they develop new stems and foliage, detach them from the old stem and pot/plant them where desired. I just purchased 3 new Hydrangeas and once home, I considered removing some of the new growth stems and rooting them. But after doing a search for more information, I found that all are Patented or PPAF, which after close inspection, I found disclosed in very small print on the nursery tags, which I had overlooked! Bummer!

Hi, My tree is out of control (I know there are worse problems to have). Last winter I could barely fit it into my house - it almost touched the ceiling! So, I know it's not going to fit this year, so I'm going to need to cut it down, but I'm nervous about how to cut it. The trunk is way too large to cut with pruning sheers. The trunk is 5-6 inches around. My husband said he'd just cut it with his reciprocating saw, but I'm worried that will be too harsh for the plant. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I already have several "cuttings" from it from when it's been blown over by the wind and branches broke off. Is it normal for a tree to have different color blooms from year to year? Last year was the first time it bloomed and it had beautiful pink flowers (see picture). This year when it bloomed it had creamy white blooms (see picture). With the plant being so tall, I couldn't even get near them to smell their beautiful fragrance! Oh yeah, one more question that I believe was already answered, but I want to make sure I understand correctly. Since the tree is so tall, can I cut the trunk into three pieces - so the middle will be cut from both ends - and the it will grow.., right? I'm relatively new to plumeria growing, but due to plants falling over, now I have 4 or 5 plants, but so far, only one - my original plant - has flowered. (The really tall one.) I have no idea why these pictures came out SO BIG, but you get the idea. Those pictures were taken last season. They've been outside all summer, so I know they're taller now.

I have had good success starting cuttings in the Fall, but not indoors. I'm sure others can do it but I can't. What works for me is to plant the cuttings on the South side of a building to protect them from the North wind and to get what sun that comes through the Winter. I do everything else the same as I would other times of the year except that I plant them a couple inches deeper. I remove some of the bark and apply rooting hormone and keep the soil damp. I also like to peg or layer roses in the Fall and let the root begin to develop through the winter. Since I'm in a warmer climate this may or may not work for you but I have had at least a 70% success rate with cold weather cuttings outside. Scott