Mike's Backyard Nursery

The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Bibs On!

  • Home
  • Recommended Tools
  • Products
  • Categories
    • Complete Guides
    • Gardening
    • Growing
    • Landscape Design
    • Plant Care
    • Propagation
  • Contact
  • About Mike
Home » Gardening » Annabelle Hydrangea Propagation, How to Root Cuttings

Annabelle Hydrangea Propagation, How to Root Cuttings

Updated : April 18, 2020

29 Comments

Annabelle Hydrangea, never fails to bloom.

Annabelle Hydrangea, never fails to bloom.

 

Looking for a plant to grow and sell that is crazy popular, super easy to grow and sells like hotcakes?  Annabelle Hydrangea is that plant.  People love Annabelle Hydrangea because of the great big snowball type blooms.

The Hydrangea that never fails to bloom.

Annabelle never fails to bloom because unlike many other hydrangeas, Annabelle blooms on current years growth.  That means that in the spring the plant leafs out, starts putting on new growth then about mid July it stops growing and starts making flower buds on the tips of all of the branches.  A few weeks later the plant is in full bloom with striking white flowers.

In other words, the flower buds never have to survive winter weather.  Many other hydrangeas in the macrophylla family of hydrangea make a flower bud during the summer for next year.  That flower bud has to remain healthy for almost 12 months before it actually opens into a bloom.  So many times harsh winter weather kills the flower bud before it ever has a chance to open.

Annabelle is a vigorous grower but it also loves to be heavily pruned in the fall.  The more you prune it the fuller it is the follow growing season.

Annabelle is tough as nails.

Hardy in zones 4-9.  As a plant seller that gives you a really large area that you can sell plants into.

The market for a plant like this is huge.  At the time of this writing there are people in Our Private Members Area practically begging for this plant.  Why?  Because they want to propagate it and grow it, but before they can do that they need a few plants that they can take cuttings from.    There is a never ending parade of people looking for plants like this.

Homeowners want them to plant in the yard.

Landscapers need them for commercial plantings such as movie theaters, shopping malls and medical office buildings and so on.  That market alone is huge.

Retail garden center need them to meet the endless demand for this amazing flowering shrub.

Small growers need rooted cuttings and liners that they can grow out and sell.  A rooted cutting is exactly as it sounds, a cutting, pretty much a stick, with some leaves and roots on the bottom.  A liner is a rooted cutting that has been grown out for one growing season.  It is starting to branch out and has a much heavier root system than a rooted cutting.

These are just a few of the Annabelle Hydrangea that I have planted around the nursery to take cuttings from.

These are just a few of the Annabelle Hydrangea that I have planted around the nursery to take cuttings from.

Annabelle Hydrangea is super easy to propagate via cuttings.

This is insane, you are not going to believe your eyes.  There are a few lessons to be learned here.  One year ago I had not one Annabelle Hydrangea in my nursery and none planted in my yard at home.  I desperately wanted some, needed some that I could take cuttings from.

I wanted to grow and sell them, but you can’t do that if you don’t have stock plants that you can take cuttings from.  So this is what I did.  I visited a  local grower/friend of mine to see if he had any I could buy.  He said; “I have some in one gallons but they are unpruned.  I’ve been letting them grow out so I can get Hardwood Cuttings From them.  If you want them I’ll let you have them for $4.00 each.

Perfect!  Absolutely perfect.

I bought 100 of them, a $400 investment.  I took them back to the nursery and put them in my container area.  That was probably in October.  In December, yes the dead of winter, I went out and took cuttings from them.  Well, I did more than just take cuttings from them.  I cut them almost down to nothing, leaving just a few stubs in each pot, less than 2″ tall.

Honestly, I cut them down to stumps!

I collected all the branches and took them up to the barn and cut the branches into as many hardwood cuttings as I could get from the pile of branches that I had.  The cuttings looked like this . . .

Annabelle Hydrangea, hardwood cutting.

Annabelle Hydrangea, hardwood cutting.

I dipped the cuttings in a rooting compound, Dip n Grow, then I stuck them outside in a bed of sand.  From those 100 plants I got about 400 cuttings.  That’s it.  That’s all I did and I did it in the dead of winter.  More about “Dead of Winter Plant Propagation Here.

Come spring two things happened.

  1.  The cuttings that I stuck in the sand started to leaf out and at the same time they produced roots.
  2. The plants in the containers, that I cut down to stumps to get my cuttings started growing like crazy and I sold them all in May.  I cut them down to stubs in December and by May they looked great and I sold them all for $5.97 each.

I didn’t actually sell all of them because I took about 12 of them and planted around the nursery so I could get cuttings from them each year.  Think about that.

I bought 100 plants @ $4.00 each.  I sold 88 of them @ $5.97 each a few months later.  I turned my $400 investment into $525.36 in a matter of months, but more importantly, I now have a lifetime supply of Annabelle Hydrangea cuttings.  Those 12 plants will yield thousands and thousands of cuttings!

The hardwood cuttings that we stuck in December were well rooted by June.  We pulled them out of the sand and potted them up.  This is the part that you won’t believe!

I took this picture in September.  This is one of the rooted cuttings that we potted up in June.  From a cutting stuck outside in December . . .

Annabelle Hydrangea grown from a cutting in one season.

Annabelle Hydrangea grown from a cutting in one season.

Isn’t that amazing?  From a single cutting, a stick really, this plant grew out to this in one season.  I sold a bunch of these in the fall at $5.97 each!  Most plants take longer that that, but these grow like crazy.  And because it loves to be pruned hard, it never gets too unruly.

Annabelle Hydrangea in bloom.

Annabelle Hydrangea in bloom.

This bloom is on one of the plants that I grew from a cutting.  Stuck the cutting in December, this beautiful flower in September.  This business never ceases to amaze me.

Let’s talk about something that seems completely “Whackadoodle Crazy”.

We’ve got people waiting in line to buy sticks of Annabelle Hydrangea.  Yes, sticks!  In Our Members Area, it’s quite routine for members to buy and sell hardwood cuttings to and from one another.

I bought this box of plants from one of our members. I happily, delightedly really, paid $120 for this box of Gold Flame Sprirea rooted cuttings.

I bought this box of plants from one of our members. I happily paid $120 for this box of Gold Flame Spirea rooted cuttings.

Hardwood cuttings are so durable they can easily be stuffed into a priority mail box like the above photo and shipped across the country to another grower.  That grower unpacks them, sticks them outside and presto!  Come spring the cuttings leaf out and root at the same time.

I am creating this blog post in mid October and the growers know that in less than four weeks they can buy hardwood cuttings from other members and they are eager to do so.  Anxiously waiting to do so.

Inside of the Backyard Growers Business Center we have a Buy/Sell Area where transactions like this take place every single day, pretty much year round.  It’s amazing what I see offered for sale in there.  Dogwood tree seeds, Japanese Red maple tree seeds, Lilac rooted cuttings, Rhododendron cuttings or liners.

And of course you can also buy dogwood trees, Japanese red maple trees, really rare Japanese maple trees and so on.  All at wholesale pricing or below.

You name it, I’ve seen it for sale in the members area.

And the members who have been around for any length of time know who has what.  They know who sells Japanese maples, who sells grape plants, who sells the blueberries, who sells hydrangea cuttings, rooted and unrooted.  It truly is an amazing place.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much stuff I have Bought in the Members Buy/Sell Area, but I can assure you, I’ve spent well over $10,000 in there!  I bought every thing from rooted cuttings, unrooted cuttings and thousands of dollars worth of rare Japanese maples.

Yes, I routinely buy plants from own customers and I am very happy to do so.

If you have questions or comments post them below and I’ll answer them for you.

If you are interested in all of the Resources that We Offer, Check them Out Here.

Finnegan loves to give hugs.

Finnegan loves to give hugs.

And if you are a Fan of Finnegan and Fergus, our miniature donkeys, you can see their latest antics here.

Annabelle Hydrangea
Annabelle Hydrangea

Take a gander at these posts...

  • Pruning Azalea Bushes
  • Growing Japanese Maples
  • It’s time to Make Baby Plants! Make Baby Plants! Make Baby Plants!
  • Do You Have Shotgun Fungus?
  • 37 Ways to Know You’re Addicted to Gardening

Comments

  1. William says

    August 2, 2022 at 9:51 pm

    What is your advise on cuttings from a Burning Bush, are they easy to reproduce by using the hardwood?

    Reply
    • Mike says

      August 3, 2022 at 8:23 am

      William,

      As hardwood cuttings I’d say they are fair. Much easier as softwoods but you have to get them early. This about my “Six Week Rule”.

      In northern Ohio the six week rule is typically June 1st. So that means that in southern Ohio the six week rule would probably be around the third week of May.

      You have to find your own six week rule.

      The Six Week Rule

      Here’s the thing with softwood cuttings. Forget about what they say online (as if I’m not online pumping out info online!) about bloom date etc. If you follow the six week rule you can’t go wrong as far as timing is concerned.

      From the day plants get their leaves in the spring, count ahead six weeks. During that six week period the plant actually produces, for you, about 5 or 6 inches of new, soft growth that can be used for softwood cuttings. That new growth needs six weeks to harden off enough to be used as a softwood cutting.

      If you take the cuttings too soon, they will wilt down and fail, but most importantly you will have wasted those cuttings. You can take a few, stick under mist, and see how they hold up. If they stand up, you’re good to go. Some wilting is normal, but not laying flat on the rooting medium.

      So anytime after the six week date is good until the wood starts to harden off near the end of summer.

      Reply
  2. Steve Mills says

    July 31, 2018 at 9:39 pm

    Hi Mike, it seems like we’ve always lived paycheck to paycheck and over the years I’ve tried many things to try to make some extra money to no avail. You have inspired me to start working with growing plants and it’s something I can do with out spending much money at all. I read every email and all your articles. Have watched many of the videos. Most of what I’ve done so far has done well and things that fail teach me lessons.
    Keep it up and keep inspiring me.
    Steve Mills

    Reply
    • Mike says

      August 1, 2018 at 8:04 am

      Thanks Steve I appreciate that and keep up the good work.

      Reply
  3. Victoria Johnson says

    May 19, 2018 at 4:52 pm

    Hi Mike
    It’s May and I just realized I want one of these hydrangeas! Can I pot a stick now and hope to plant it in June?
    Thanks, Victoria.

    Reply
    • Mike says

      May 20, 2018 at 8:14 am

      Victoria,

      All I can say is give it a try.

      Reply
  4. Jenny Willey says

    March 3, 2018 at 6:14 pm

    Hi! Thank you so much for sharing all your wisdom!

    I am very new at this and have a beautiful Annabelle that I would like to take hardwood cuttings from. So I could have this beautiful flower at our new house in 2 years. However, I’m not sure how long I can keep them in pots.

    I cut a bunch of them below the node in late winter.
    Next can I buy a big tubbware container and fill in 4” with sand?
    How often do I need to water these?
    And nothing else other than sand?

    Thanks so much

    Reply
    • Mike says

      March 4, 2018 at 8:51 am

      Jenny,

      Once it warms up you should water them daily and maybe put them in a shade spot. Come mid summer re-pot them or plant them in a bed.

      Reply
  5. robert j giese says

    May 15, 2017 at 9:29 am

    Hey Mike. I stuck some hydrangea in the fall and they are leafing out fine, but do not see roots on the bottom. What gives? I know you’re busy but hope you have time to answer. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Mike says

      May 15, 2017 at 5:31 pm

      Robert,

      Just keep them watered and be patient. Hardwood cuttings usually make leaves before they root.

      Reply
  6. John hurley says

    October 18, 2016 at 8:55 pm

    Mike
    I have been following you for some time now & now I’m ready to start I think but i din,t know what I have paid for or not. I would like to buy some plants to great started I have the sand bed and I am in zone 5. Please help me get started I would like to do something before the ground freezes and I have a ft of snow to deal with
    John

    Reply
    • Mike says

      October 19, 2016 at 8:24 am

      John,

      There are two things you can do to get started. Our Backyard Growers University is a great value, it contains 17 years worth of archived content and videos, most have never been shared publicly. The second that you can and should do right now is at least test drive the members area. You can do that for only $7.00.

      The members area is here; http://backyardgrowers.com/join

      You can learn more about the university here; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/10/backyard-nursery-tools-of-the-trade-things-to-turn-you-into-a-successful-grower/

      Reply
  7. GJR says

    September 27, 2016 at 10:05 pm

    Hi Mike,

    Thanks for the great info here. I managed to get one Annabelle late this season and want to grow cutting indoors through the winter. Bad idea? Any tips specific to propagating indoors? I have a nice warm area with plenty of artificial light and ability to control humidity.

    Thanks!

    GJR

    Reply
    • Mike says

      September 28, 2016 at 8:35 am

      GJR,

      This really is a bad idea. If you do them outdoors they will root nicely. Inside is not good at all, they need to go dormant. See this https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2016/09/hardwood-cuttings-winter-of-20152016/

      Reply
      • Grant says

        September 28, 2016 at 3:09 pm

        Thanks Mike.

        Is there any method then via softwood cuttings? Or should hydrangeas always go dormant each year?

        As you can tell if really like to get started so they can be as large as possible come spring.

        Reply
        • Mike says

          September 28, 2016 at 5:58 pm

          Grant,

          You can do hydrangeas as softwood cuttings. They can be a bit touchy as softwoods but it does work. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/

          Reply
  8. Mike B, in CT. says

    September 18, 2016 at 6:56 am

    Hi Mike,
    Can I start now, Sept 18, taking hard wood cuttings from my Annabelle Hydrangea for next Spring potting?

    Reply
    • Mike says

      September 18, 2016 at 7:15 am

      Mike,

      No, they are likely to fail because they are not yet dormant. Wait until after you get a hard freeze, not a frost, but a hard freeze. Around here zone 5 that’s usually mid Nov, usually just before Thanksgiving.

      Reply
  9. Sharon says

    May 20, 2016 at 10:23 pm

    Thanks for sharing this info on hydrangeas. I love them and am thinking of focusing my energy on propagating them. Can you tell me of any other varieties that, like the Annabelle, do not produce buds until spring and therefore can be trimmed down completely?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Mike says

      May 22, 2016 at 7:41 am

      Sharon,

      Any hydrangea in the Panniculat family bloom on current growth. Most of the macropyllas do not.

      Reply
  10. David Sprague says

    November 3, 2015 at 9:03 pm

    Just wondering if you can start other similar plants, and how deep dose the sand need to be, lastly, what about the plants with patents? Will the plant police bust me?

    Reply
    • Mike says

      November 4, 2015 at 8:43 am

      David,

      There are a number of plants that can be rooted as hardwood cuttings. I do red twig dogwood, rose of sharon all kinds of willows including pussy willow, forsythia, weigela, potentilla and purple sandcherry. The sand should be at least 3″ deep. I make mine deeper just to keep the roots from rooting into the soil below because I tend to leave mine in the sand for the entire growing season.

      The plant police? The “plant police” are not actually officers of the law but private contractors hire to make sure nobody is violating plant patents. It is against the law and you should not be propagating anything that is patented. That’s just one of the reason why you really need the original plant tag, especially if you are rooting things that you intend to sell. But it is unlawful to propagate any patented plant, no matter what your intent for the plant is. See this https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/05/patented-plants-and-plants-with-registered-trademarks-and-the-tale-of-white-fountain-weeping-cherry-trees/

      I only do about 10 or 20 percent of my cuttings as hardwoods. The rest I do in June as softwood cuttings. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/

      Reply
  11. Leslie says

    October 26, 2015 at 4:56 pm

    Thank you for sharing this great technique. I recently took cuttings from my mom’s very established hydrandgea ‘tree’. I don’t know the variety. It’s been around and healthy for many years. My cuttings did very well and have produced new leaves over the past few months. My question is: how do I winter these new little plants? They are currently all in one big planter. I live in Massachusetts and feel that it is too cold to transplant now. Any thoughts? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Mike says

      October 26, 2015 at 6:20 pm

      Lelie,

      You can transplant them now. All of my rooted cuttings spend the winter outside in the bed of sand right where I rooted them. They do fine. Just keep them watered as needed over the winter. But they should be in the ground, not in an above ground planter. Watch them after planting to make sure that freezing and thawing doesn’t push them out of the ground.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        October 27, 2015 at 10:46 am

        Thank you Mike. If I do not know where I ultimately want them planted, should I still put them into the ground only to be moved in the spring? Also, they are currently in a compost like mixture, should I remove them from the soil I am using now and into a bed of sand for the winter? Really appreciate you sharing your wisdom!

        Reply
        • Mike says

          October 27, 2015 at 6:02 pm

          Leslie,

          The soil that you are currently using is fine, probably better than sand for cuttings that are already rooted. Yes, you can heel them in the ground now for the winter, just be sure to move them in the spring before they are rooted in permanently. Ideally move them before they leaf out in the spring.

          Reply
          • Anonymous says

            October 28, 2015 at 9:17 am

            Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!

  12. MOHD PAUZI JUSOH says

    October 24, 2015 at 4:27 am

    Dera Sir,
    l really appreciate what you did. l very new in growing plants BUT am very interested to have small gaeden near my house or may be will be able to make out some money on it. Please show me how to do the most perfect cutting.

    Thanks and all the best

    Reply
    • Mike says

      October 24, 2015 at 7:22 am

      Mohd,

      And that’s the thing. You don’t have to make a perfect cutting, just make the bottom cut below a node. Top cut? Doesn’t even matter. More here https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-winter-time-plant-propagation-can-home/

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Rooted cuttings of variegated weigela in bunches to harden off.

Over Wintering Rooted Cuttings.

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

Mike's Big Perennial Bed.

Mike’s Big Perennial Garden

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

A Profound Thank You from Mike.

Posted On September 1, 2022 By Mike

Finnegan keeping the sun off his head.

An Old Guy, Two Donkeys, a Puppy and a Hammock. What could possibly go wrong?

Posted On July 17, 2022 By Mike

This upside down donkey is a hoot!

An Upside Down Donkey and Cute Puppy.

Posted On July 14, 2022 By Mike

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Complete Guides

Growing, Rooting and Propagating Dappled Willow in Tree Form from Cuttings.

Growing Seeds, Winter Sowing, in Milk Jugs and Kitty Litter Jugs.

The Correct Way to Pot Rooted Cuttings, Nursery Stock Liners and other Plants.

Training Arborvitae and other Conical Evergreens to Grow with a Single Leader.

How to Propagate, Root Cuttings, of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

Recent Posts

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

'Blue Angel'hosta is by far one of my favorite blue hostas. A big hosta like this in a perennial bed covers a lot of area and that keeps a ton of weeds at bay! These giant heart shaped leaves are very slug resistant. We have this plant in full sun. With … Read Full Article

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

'Big Daddy' hosta is one of my favorite big hostas, mostly because it's big, it's blue and it has very interested leaves that are a bit dimpled. Big Daddy hosta gets about 24" tall and 36" wide. It's hardy in zones 3 through 9, the flowers are blends of … Read Full Article

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

We sold out of 'Humpback Whale' hosta pretty early this year. Humpback Whale is pretty impressive hosta and this one really hasn't matured yet because they can get three feet high and 7 feet wide. I've also seen photos of them that show them to be a lot … Read Full Article

Ice Plant, delosperma

Ice Plant, delosperma

How pretty is that? And it's a ground hugging perennial that comes back year and year. These plants were new to our nursery last year so Pam and I planted three of them in our landscape at home. Not only did they do really well last year but they wintered … Read Full Article

Electric Red Dianthus

‘Electric Red’ Dianthus

I've been working on my perennial bed at the nursery and this Electric Red Dianthus caught my eye and was screaming "make my picture". So I did! Dianthus in general are great perennials for your garden. They are super winter hardy even here in cold … Read Full Article

Copyright © 2023 · Hill Country Digital Media, LLC · Privacy Policy · Earnings Disclaimer · Terms of Service