Whether you can easily propagate a flowering dogwood really depends on the specific plant you’ve got in your yard. If you’re working with a wild-growing variety, it’s actually pretty straightforward! However, if you have a fancy cultivar or a hybrid shrub, things get a little trickier. Here’s the lowdown on how to expand your dogwood collection.
Why some dogwoods are harder to propagate than others
Many hybrid varieties produce blooms that are sterile. This means they won’t produce any viable seeds for you to plant. In these cases, you’ll need to rely on methods like taking cuttings, dividing the plant, or using layers.
Here’s a quick cheat sheet for propagation:
- For hybrid plants: Use cuttings.
- For grafted plants: Use seeds or “layering” (more on that below).
- For wild dogwoods: You’ve got options! You can use almost any method.
Keep in mind that if you have a grafted plant, trying to grow a new one from a root sucker won’t work the way you expect. Grafted plants are basically one variety “hitched” onto the root system of another. This means the roots don’t actually belong to the flowering part of the dogwood you love! For these, your best bet is layering or sowing specific seeds. With wild plants, seeds are great, but just remember you won’t get those specialized “designer” traits found in grafted nursery plants.
How to propagate your flowering dogwood
If you’re lucky enough to have viable seeds, you’ll first need to clean off any fruit pulp. Once they’re clean, dry them out and pop them in the freezer for a few days to simulate winter (this helps them germinate). After their “cold nap,” you can plant them in a starter pot with some high-quality potting soil.
The other two popular methods are division and layering. As long as your shrub hasn’t grown into a giant yet, you can actually divide it. Just carefully split the plant in half and move one part to a brand-new spot in your garden.
Layering is another cool trick. Find a strong, flexible branch and bend it down until it touches the ground. Secure the middle of the branch to the soil with a landscape staple or a heavy stone, and cover that section with dirt. Once it develops its own root system underground, you can snip it away from the mother plant, and voilà—you have a brand-new baby dogwood ready to grow!
