Q.I Have Cuttings Of Gardenia And Forsythia Shrubs Which I Rooted In Water And Then Planted In Small Pots. They Are Doing Well And P
utting out new growth. I wonder when I should plant them in the ground in order to let them get established before winter.
Not sure about the forsythia but I would transplant the gardenia to a bigger pot as needed and only plant gardenia in the ground if confirmed that this cutting's parent can grow in z7b. Many gardenia cultivars do not perform well in z7, even those advertised winter hardy to z7. My z8 ones fairled poorly until I switched to very hardy cultivars. If ok to grow outside then plant them in Spring 2022 once the chance of frost has passed (last week in April for Greensboro). If not, grow in pots and bring it inside once overnight temps are below 50°F. Forsythia is more winter hardy than gardenia so a cutting may perform better but make the choice depending on how developed it is at the end of the summer. If the forsythia cutting is not much developed then keep it potted inside during winter and plant it outside in Spring 2022 also.
