Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - November 03, 2009
From: Nassau Bay, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation
Title: Propagation of American Beautyberry
Answered by: Nina Hawkins
QUESTION:
Hello. I would love to know how to propagate the American Beauty (Texas Location) as I think it is most gorgeous. We lost most of our shrubs/plants in Ike and are replacing them. If I do these from seeds, what is the procedure to follow? Can I just put it in the soil as is, will it root this way?ANSWER:
Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry) is most often propagated by seed but can also be propagated by root cuttings or soft wood tip cuttings. According to How To Grow Native Plants of Texas And The Southwest by Jill Nokes, "American Beauty-berry can be produced by sowing the cleaned seeds lightly in a greenhouse kept just above 40 degrees in November. They will germinate in January and February, and are ready to plant outside under shade by April... Simple cold stratification for 1 month produced adequate germination for one grower." Softwood tip cuttings should be taken from "early May through June, just after the first flush of growth but before the plant has flowered." The cuttings should be 4 to 5 inches long with the leaves from the bottom half removed. Treat the cuttings with rooting hormone (5,000 ppm) and place gently in your rooting material. Roots should begin to grow within 1 to 2 weeks. Hardwood cuttings should be 5 to 8 inches long, treated with rooting hormone (10,000 ppm), and placed under intermittent mist. While we don't think that putting cuttings directly in the ground will work very well, you may successfully separate large clumps of mature plants in the winter.
We wish you the best of luck with your propagation endeavors! Callicarpa americana is a beautiful shrub that does well in many different soil types and whose lovely purple berries attract a variety of birds. It is one of our favorites!
More Propagation Questions
Propagating agarita from berries in Leakey TX
August 09, 2010 - I would like to pick the berries off my agarita and plant them in other areas. When can I plant the seeds and do I need to prepare or dry them first? What is best way to plant in ground?
thanks
view the full question and answer
Harvesting seeds on the American basket flower (Centaurea americana)
May 30, 2010 - Where are the seeds on an American basket flower? How do I get them out to propagate them? When can you get them out? Thank you.
view the full question and answer
Plants for church gardens in Ft. Worth TX
November 07, 2013 - Second attempt.
Our church has many gardens in Fort Worth, TX. There are gardens for blue,red,yellow,white,purple,orange,pink,mixed,community garden,roses, and more.
I am interested in the la...
view the full question and answer
Choosing the right Coreopsis species for Tennessee
November 28, 2015 - I live in Bristol Tennessee and have replaced most of my lawn with native plants. I have been trying to learn more about the Coreopsis genus. In TN, we have C. auriculata, grandiflora, lanceolata, m...
view the full question and answer
Obtaining seeds for mutant white bluebonnet
April 18, 2007 - I have seen a white bluebonnet in Brenham on Easter and wondered how rare the white ones are and how you get seeds for those. Are there any special directions on collecting seeds for planting next fa...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |