September marks the perfect time for South Carolina gardeners to propagate shrubs. The warm soil and mild temperatures create ideal conditions for cuttings to develop strong roots before winter arrives.
Getting started now means you’ll have beautiful, established plants ready to thrive next spring without spending a fortune at nurseries.
1. Oakleaf Hydrangea
Native to the Southeast, oakleaf hydrangeas thrive in South Carolina’s climate and soil conditions. Take 6-inch cuttings from semi-hardwood stems, remove lower leaves, and dip in rooting hormone.
Plant in a mix of perlite and potting soil, keeping consistently moist. These beauties offer year-round interest with their dramatic white flower clusters and magnificent fall foliage that turns brilliant burgundy.
2. Carolina Allspice
Known for its intoxicating fragrance, Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus) deserves a spot in every southern garden. Look for semi-hardwood cuttings from this season’s growth with at least two leaf nodes.
Remove flowers and buds, then place cuttings in a well-draining medium. The reddish-brown blooms emit a sweet strawberry-banana scent that perfumes the garden. As a native plant, it requires minimal maintenance once established.
3. American Beautyberry
Dazzling purple berries make American Beautyberry a showstopper in autumn landscapes. In South Carolina, September is prime time to take 4–6 inch softwood cuttings from the tips of branches.
Remove lower leaves, dip in rooting hormone, and plant in a sterile medium. Keep soil consistently moist but not soggy. Birds love the vibrant berries while deer typically avoid this native shrub, making it perfect for woodland gardens where wildlife visits.
4. Butterfly Bush
Butterfly bushes earn their name by attracting countless pollinators to your garden. Take 4-inch cuttings from new growth, strip the lower leaves, and apply rooting hormone before placing in a lightweight propagation mix.
Mist regularly to maintain humidity. These fast-growing shrubs establish quickly, often blooming the first year after propagation. Their fragrant cone-shaped flower clusters come in purples, pinks, and whites, creating a buffet for butterflies from summer through fall.
5. Glossy Abelia
Glossy Abelia offers nearly year-round interest with its arching branches and pink-tinged white flowers that bloom from summer into fall. September provides the perfect opportunity to take semi-hardwood cuttings.
Choose healthy stems and remove the bottom leaves before dipping in rooting hormone. Place in a mixture of peat and perlite, covering with clear plastic to create a mini greenhouse effect. The glossy foliage takes on bronze-purple hues in winter, adding seasonal interest.
6. Japanese Camellia
Southern gardens treasure camellias for their spectacular winter blooms when most plants are dormant. In South Carolina, gardeners often take semi-hardwood cuttings in September, selecting stems with mature leaves that aren’t too woody.
Wound the bottom inch slightly with a knife to encourage root development. Keep soil consistently moist and provide bright, indirect light. Camellias prefer acidic soil, similar to azaleas, making them perfect companions in woodland gardens where they can receive dappled shade.
7. Sweet Olive
Sweet olive (Osmanthus fragrans) fills the air with an intoxicating apricot-like fragrance from its tiny white flowers. September is ideal for taking 4-6 inch semi-hardwood cuttings from branches that aren’t flowering.
Dip in rooting hormone and place in a well-draining mix under humid conditions. A single sweet olive can perfume an entire garden, especially in the evening hours when the scent intensifies. These evergreen shrubs maintain their beauty year-round with glossy, dark green foliage.
8. Virginia Sweetspire
Virginia sweetspire offers spectacular fall color with leaves turning vibrant shades of orange, red and purple. Take softwood cuttings in early September before the color change begins.
Remove lower leaves, dip in rooting hormone, and place in a perlite-peat mixture. Mist regularly to maintain humidity. This native shrub handles wet soils beautifully, making it perfect for those troublesome low spots in the yard where other plants struggle. Graceful white flower spires add spring interest.
9. Loropetalum
With stunning purple foliage and pink fringe-like flowers, loropetalum adds dramatic color to South Carolina landscapes. September provides the perfect window for taking 4-inch semi-hardwood cuttings from healthy stems.
Remove lower leaves, dip in rooting hormone, and plant in a sterile medium. Cover with plastic to create humidity. Fast-growing and deer-resistant, these Asian natives have become southern garden staples thanks to their ability to thrive in our hot, humid climate.
10. Tea Olive
Not to be confused with sweet olive, tea olive (Osmanthus heterophyllus) boasts spiny, holly-like foliage and incredibly fragrant autumn blooms. Take 5-inch semi-hardwood cuttings, removing lower leaves while keeping several at the top.
Wound the base slightly to encourage rooting before applying hormone powder. Tea olive’s sweet perfume can travel hundreds of feet on a breeze. These long-lived evergreens can reach 10-15 feet tall but respond well to pruning if you prefer a smaller specimen.
11. Gardenia
Nothing says southern garden quite like the intoxicating scent of gardenia. In South Carolina, September offers the perfect opportunity to propagate these beloved shrubs from semi-hardwood cuttings taken from stems that bloomed earlier in the season.
Choose healthy stems with at least two sets of leaves. Keep soil consistently moist and humidity high. Patient gardeners will be rewarded with glossy evergreen foliage and pristine white blooms that perfume the garden. Their heady fragrance is especially noticeable in the evening.