48. Doomed Winter Cuttings

Testing out my DIY capillary trays.

I created a prototype for a cheap DIY self-watering tray. Today I did an experiment using these trays with winters cuttings for Dogwood Shrubs (Kelsey and Ivory Halo) , Periwinkle (store bought and wild), and Green Mountain Boxwood. I have a hunch that this will fail. Will I be wrong?

Misfit Parent Plants

Here are the parent plants. They are all misfits. The boxwood came with yellow tinged leaves. The dogwood shrubs arrived tiny, and missing labels. The periwinkle, not pictured, is something I bought in May of 2023 and tried doing the cutting in water over the summer, without success.

Tray #1 - Boxwood

Photo from today, January 27, 2024.

Plant Description

• Full Tray Green Mountain Boxwood (Buxus x Green Mountain)

Tray #2 - Dogwood

Photo from today, January 27, 2024.

Plant Description

• Half of tray Kelsey Dogwood (Cornus sericea 'Kelseyi')*

• Half of tray Ivory Halo Dogwood (Cornus alba 'Bailhalo')*

Note, this is the case where I don’t know which is which since the parent plants were not labeled.

*Seeing the Latin name, I had to wonder, what is the difference between Sericea and Alba? Found an answer, see it below.

Tray #3 - Periwinkle

Photo from today, January 27, 2024.

Plant Description

• Left side and middle of tray Periwinkle (Vinca Minor)

• Right side of tray “wild” Periwinkle (Vinca Minor) — found this in the front yard

Dogwood Sericea vs Alba

I asked ChatGPT to clarify the difference between cornus sericea and cornus alba? Here is what it said:

Cornus sericea and Cornus alba are both species of deciduous shrubs commonly known as red-twig or red-stem dogwoods. While they share some similarities, there are differences between the two species:

1. Scientific Classification:

   • Cornus sericea: Also known as red-osier dogwood.

   • Cornus alba: Also known as Tatarian dogwood.

2. Native Range:

   • Cornus sericea: Native to North America.

   • Cornus alba: Native to Europe and Asia.

3. Habitat:

   • Cornus sericea: Often found in wetlands, along riverbanks, and in other moist habitats.

   • Cornus alba: Tends to grow in a variety of habitats, including moist areas, but it is more adaptable to drier conditions than Cornus sericea.

4. Leaf Characteristics:

   • The leaves of both species are opposite and simple, with a similar oval shape and a pointed tip.

5. Stem Color:

   • Cornus sericea: Known for its bright red stems in winter, which provide visual interest when the leaves have fallen.

   • Cornus alba: Also has red stems, but the color may vary, and some cultivars may exhibit a deeper red or purple hue.

6. Size and Form:

   • Both species are deciduous shrubs that typically grow to a height and spread of 6 to 10 feet, forming a dense thicket.

7. Flowers and Fruits:

   • Both produce small clusters of white flowers in late spring to early summer, followed by white or bluish berries in late summer to fall.

8. Cultivars:

   • Both Cornus sericea and Cornus alba have various cultivated varieties and hybrids with different characteristics, such as specific stem colors or variegated leaves.

Thanks ChatGPT!

My next step is to see how well the DIY self-watering trays work, and hopefully, fingers crossed, get some roots to emerge in a month or two. I don’t have a lot of faith that this will work, but for the sake of documenting my experience, here we go. Why I don’t think they will work? I read somewhere that dogwood cuttings should be a pencil thickness size to work well, and the cutting I used are maybe a pencil lead thickness. For the boxwood, there was obviously something weird going on with the leaves, and another propagation rule I have heard is to only use healthy plants. The periwinkle, well, not having had success before, I am pessimistic. With all that being said, I would love to be wrong!