The Caryopteris is a lovely small shrub with a bushy habit, renowned for its abundant summer and late flowering. From August until October, this ornamental bush produces clusters of small flowers in pink or blue hues. This nectar-rich bloom will delight both butterflies and gardeners. Its decorative leaves come in shades of dark green, soft green, grey-green, golden, variegated, or with silvery undersides. This aromatic foliage releases a subtle fragrance when crushed. Often called 'blue spirea' or 'bluebeard', this compact shrub is equally suitable for hedges, shrub borders, mixed with perennials, as a standalone feature, in pots, or even in rockeries. It's enough to make you want to propagate it to brighten every corner of your garden! Especially since this shrub is easy to grow and hardy. Cuttings also allow you to obtain new vigorous young plants.

Discover when and how to propagate Caryopteris very easily with our illustrated tutorial.

The Caryopteris clandonensis 'Heavenly Blue' is a very floriferous variety with beautiful grey-green foliage

When to take cuttings from Caryopteris?

There are two periods and methods for propagating blue spirea:

  • The first involves taking a so-called "closed-case" cutting in July, or early August. Indeed, this time of year, being very bright and warm, promotes root development and cutting success. This method is easy and results are quickly visible.
  • The second method involves taking hardwood cuttings in November.

Note that all varieties of blue spirea can be propagated by cuttings.

Required materials

To take your bluebeard cuttings, you will need:

How to take closed-case cuttings of Caryopteris?

1- Fill your pot or tray with seed compost up to 2 cm from the rim. Firm it down with your hands.

2- Moisten the compost well with your spray bottle.

3- Use the pencil to make a hole 4 to 5 cm deep.

Moisten your compost, then make a 4 to 5 cm deep hole using a pencil

4- Identify healthy lateral shoots on the Caryopteris. The stem should be from the current year, green and without flowers. If the stem has flower buds, particularly in August, you should remove them.

5- With your secateurs, cut 5 to 6 stems of 10 to 20 cm just below a node. It's from this node that future roots will emerge.

6- Remove leaves from the lower part of the cutting. Keep only half of the upper leaves. By doing this, you'll prevent the plant from exhausting itself too quickly due to excessive leaf transpiration.

Cut healthy stems below a node, then remove lower leaves

7- To enhance root development, you can optionally use rooting hormone. To do this, gently tap the base of the cutting in the hormone before potting.

8- Plant your stem in the pot.

9- Firm the compost around the stem.

10- Place a cloche or bottomless plastic bottle, plastic bag, or mini greenhouse over your cutting. This saturates the cutting's atmosphere with moisture (hence the term "closed-case"). Be careful, the stem and leaves must not touch the cloche to avoid mould!

Plant your stem, firm down and place the protective cloche

11- Keep the compost always fresh, slightly moist, but without overwatering. Lift the cloche for half an hour every 3-4 days to ventilate and renew the air.

12- Place your pot in a bright spot without direct sunlight.

13- Roots will be well developed after 2 to 3 months and you can then repot your Caryopteris into a larger pot.

14- During winter, keep your young plants in a cold greenhouse or in a bright, unheated room. Limit watering, especially during frosts.

Note that the leaves of this flowering shrub are deciduous, so there's no need to worry if the foliage falls.

You can plant your young plants in open ground from early spring onwards. Choose a sunny spot, even in full sun, in well-drained soil, even chalky soil. Its roots don't appreciate waterlogged conditions.

Very decorative, it will work wonders in hedges, alongside other deciduous or evergreen shrubs, in borders, rockeries and even at the foot of roses.

For a beautiful and long flowering, don't hesitate to add flowering plant fertiliser at the end of winter or a handful of well-rotted compost at its base when planting. Once these flowering shrubs are well established, they'll even tolerate temporary drought.

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