Burning Bush

Anne,

I have a question concerning our Burning bushes that we have in Tennessee. Can you cut off 6" limbs and directly transplant or is there a special way to make roots grow from a cut limb? We bought our first Burning Bush six years ago and our only dwarf bush was only 6" in height and had a root composite from which looked like a cut limb.

Keith


Anne's response:

Keith,

Many burning bushes in the wild are actually grown from seed. Collect the seed in the winter and plant it in an outside area where it will get cold and freeze. They usually sprout in late spring. I think the plant you have was a seedling that someone cut off at ground level. It sprouted a new top the following year. You can also “layer” a burning bush. Just pull a stem down to the ground, scrape the bark on the bottom of the limb. Push it into the dirt and put a rock or brick on top to keep it moist and in good soil contact. By fall the plant is usually ready to cut away from the mother plant. Many people consider Burning Bush Euonymous an invasive plant and encourage people to destroy the plants – not continue to grow them.