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Penstemons & salvias flopping/bending over

NoSlugsPleaseNoSlugsPlease Posts: 120
in Problem solving
Hi all,
I took a few cuttings from my penstemons and salvia hotlips last autumn. They seemed to be growing fine initially but after getting to about 8 inches, most of them started to bend over and (sometimes) curve upwards again. They were on a south-facing windowsill all winter and were put into a cold frame a few days ago. 
I am hoping  to plant them out in the next few days. Is there anything I can do to "straighten" them out? Is it better to cut them off at the point where they start to bend and start over again? Or should I just plant them out as they are and hope for the best? 
Gardening newbie here, so any tips or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks. 

Posts

  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    Yes pinch them back you'll get bushier plants and more flowers . After a trim I give them a little bit long in the coldframe until grow commences .
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Are they rather leggy? It is quite difficult to get the right balance of warmth and light and sometimes they get very tall and thin and flop. In winter, cool and bright is the best, but it isn't always easy to achieve on a windowsill.
  • NoSlugsPleaseNoSlugsPlease Posts: 120
    Thanks, Perki, I'll try that.
    Posy, the plants do have plenty of leaves but yes, the stems are still quite thin. If I do take any cuttings again this autumn, I'll try putting them in the cold frame. I didn't have one last year so that's why they were on the windowsill.

    Thank you both for your advice.
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