Question
HELP please I am in Danville, VA.  and the mimosa are so plentiful around and full of bloom at this time how can I start one with seed They are starting to get pods now. Do I go indoors,and set them out when, do I grow outdoors and protect from the cold coming up, do I place in full sun, etc. Also how can you make a start from a 3 yr. old Leland cypress?

Answer
Mimosa seed are in the (bean). Let the seed pod dry on the tree and then collect the seed from it.
Seed - pre-soak 24 hours in hot water and sow March/April in a greenhouse or sow as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Germinates in 2 - 3 months at 19癱. . There are about 11,000 seeds to a pound, about 25 - 33% of which germinate. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of fairly rich soil when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter or two outdoors.

Leland cypress.
Leyland cypress do not produce viable seed, thus the rooting of vegetative cuttings is currently the best method for propagation.

Selection of cutting material is critical. The age of the tree, location within the tree crown, and time of year are all factors to be considered. Generally, the most successful and consistent rooting is achieved with cuttings taken from trees less than 10 years old, or from new shoot growth on older trees. Cuttings should be 6 to 8 inches long and show some brown coloration in the lower part of the stem. January, February or March are the best months to take cuttings. Rooting may be successful at other times of the year, but rooting percentage will be low. After cuttings are taken, keep them cool and moist and process as soon as possible. Do not let cuttings heat up by leaving them in the sun or bunched together.

Have the containers prepared so cuttings can be rapidly processed. Initial rooting can be done in small volume containers like 2?in. square rose pots, or containers of comparable size provided they have sufficient drainage. Fill the containers with a porus rooting media such as a 1:1 peat-perlite mixture. Make a two inch deep hole in the media to accept the cutting.

Prepare the cuttings by pruning them to approximately six inches long, and strip the leaves off the bottom two inches of the stem. Dip the base of each cutting, or groups of cuttings, into water and then into a rooting hormone powder containing 0.8% Indole 3-butyric acid (IBA). This is a formulation commercially available for hard-to-root woody plants. Tap off excess powder, place the cuttings into containers and firm in place. Quick dips for two to three seconds in an alcohol solution containing 0.3 to 0.8% IBA have also been successfully used.

Maintain the cuttings in a warm, humid environment. A good target temperature to maintain the cuttings is 68癋. A greenhouse is ideal for propagation, but containers can be draped with plastic to maintain temperature and humidity. An alternative method is to fill a one or five gallon plastic bucket with rooting, media, and stick the cuttings into the media. Be sure to put drain holes in the bottom of the bucket. Then, put several boards vertically on the inside edges of the bucket and lay plastic over them, creating a miniature greenhouse.

Once cuttings have been rooted, they need to be transplanted into larger containers such as six-inch or one-gallon pots. Cuttings transplanted to one-gallon pots generally show better growth.