I checked my gaillardia (Blanket flower) and oenothera (Missouri evening primrose) cuttings today for roots. I planted them in clear plastic cups so it would be easy to see the roots when they develop. One of the gaillardias has already produced extensive roots, starting to wrap around the bottom of the cup! Another has one little root showing at the bottom of the cup. None of the oenotheras has produced any roots I can see, but I suspect some roots are developing, because some of them have vigorous-looking leaves.
I took the cover off of them this morning, and I’ll monitor them through the day to see if they can handle it without wilting. They’re still in a shady place on my deck.
I’m excited about these gaillardias — they’re from a unique specimen that produced solid yellow flowers, unlike the typical yellow and red patterns usually produced by these. If I can get enough to grow, I’m going to mass them together in a group in my front flowerbed. My goal is to get them ready to plant this fall so they’ll get a head start on growth next spring.
Yes, Bruce, the Missouri Primroses responded well. I ended up leaving them in the plastic cups all winter and brought them inside my unheated basement, which kept them safe from freezing too hard, but was cool enough to let them go dormant for the winter. I planted them outside in the spring, and I believe every one of them thrived. See this post for a photo of one of them blooming this year.
Were you able to root the yellow missouri primroses?
I guess “already” is a little too strong in describing their progress, since it’s been 19 days since I potted the cuttings. Not exactly speedy.