Re: the quiet gardeners/ romneya coulteri

Title: Re: the quiet gardeners/ romneya coulteri
I have a huge bush of romneya coulteri and, of course, everybody
wants a bit of it. I've heard it is very difficult to propagate and that one
have to divide it from the roots. How can I do and when?

Romneya is propagated by root divisions, done in the winter when the plant is most dormant.  I say most because here in Southern California, it never dies back, but rather goes into a state of suspended animation.

If you have a large clump, cut it back to about 10 inches tall, dig it up carefully so as to limit the amount of disturbance to the roots.  Gently divide the roots it into as many plants as you can.  Some will survive the division but not all.  You will know quite quickly as the roots will send up new shoots.  Still, you are not guarenteed that all of the new plants will survive transplanting.  Romneya is known to be touchy when it comes to transplanting.  I've never had a problem, but supposedly, the roots are loath to be disturbed.  One trick is to cut the bottom out of the nursery can and then place the plant in the hole, can and all.  This method limits disturbance to the roots, which will have no problem growing out of the bottom of the nursery can.  Alternatively, you can cut out the bottom, place the can in the hole, and then cut down the sides and remove the can before filling the hole.

One more bit of advice -- be sure that the new site is very well draining and in full sun.

Nan

--
**********
'''''''''''''''''''''''
Nan Sterman
San Diego County California
Sunset zone 24, USDA hardiness zone 10b or 11
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index