I really didn’t expect to get flowers from the cuttings of Persian Shield I made in the fall. It’s been an added bonus but I was only trying to keep the cuttings alive long enough to plant them in the ground this spring. I’ve kept them in jars of water so far even though I should have long ago planted them into pots. Still they seem to be doing fine without soil as long as water is kept in the container.
I didn’t use any rooting hormone when taking these Persian Shield cuttings. I treated them a lot like I do coleus, a couple nodes under water and a couple leaves on top is all that was needed.
You can see the root system pretty good in this photo. That’s one advantage when taking cuttings in water – you can see the roots as they form.
A few overwintered flowers here and there are more than welcome to help overwinter ourselves!
What a treat!
The blooms of Persian Shield seem to be day-length related. I've only seen them bloom in the winter, or very early spring. They are an oddity, since the leaves are considered the most attractive part.
Everything I'm growing in water through the winter will get haircuts and the tops rooted when the weather starts to warm. How about you?
This is one of the few plants (so far) that I have zero luck with in the garden…I might try again this year as I love the purple foliage…Hope your cutting does well for you.
I had a Persian Shield growing in a pot several years ago but it froze one winter. I haven't tried one since then – don't know why because I like them. Now I know the flowers are pretty too:) Thanks for dropping by my blog. So far the river is holding steady, but more rain predicted tonight and tomorrow. Hope they are wrong!
How nice is that? Just the thing to brighten these days.
What a bonus Dave. I like the Persian Shield plant but have had bad luck with it the past 2 yrs. I think my problem has been not enough water for it. If I find one this yr. I will certainly make sure it has lots of water to see if that is my problem.