Hi I live in Devon, South West of England and have a beautiful shrub sized Chionanthus virginicus (Fringetree) which has flowered for the last couple of years. I have tried to propagate by hardwood cuttings but no success so far. The branches are not really suitable for layering as likely to snap. Would anyone recommend air-layering? Or is there a special technique with cuttings? Many thanks Anne
Hi Anne, Dr. Michael Dirr has spent a great deal of his career trying to propagate this plant from cuttings and has so far been unsuccessful - and that's using all of the equipment available at the University of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This plant must be grown from seed to start new plants. Sorry. The seeds are also kind of tricky to germinate - the first year the root shows itself and the second year the stem starts to grow. Mike
Thanks Mike, did not realise I had taken on a difficult task. As a practising medical herbalist here in the UK I was interested in cultivating some Chionanthus virginicus for my own supplies of root and bark - the tincture is medicinal. I believe this is a member of the olive tree family and am curious as to why it should be so difficult to propagate. I have also ordered seed. Would be interested in any advice on germination! Anne
