Question
I have several mature bushes.  I am wanting to now border a fence row with the same bushes.  Since I already have mature bushes, I would like to how to get starts off of my existing bushes.

Thank you

Answer
Hi Kitty,
Thanx for your question.  There are a number of ways you can propagate your red twig dog woods.  You can take 6-9 inch cuttings with a bud slightly above each cut.  Remove all but the last couple of leaves.  Dip the cutting in potting soil.  Dig a hole 1 inch deep in the soil and put the cutting in the hole.  Water.  You should have rooted plants by next spring.  You can also take the longer branches and bend them down to the soil without breaking them.  Remove the leaves except from the ends.  Scrape the branch part that touches the ground.  Dig a hole a few inches deep.  Place the scraped side of the branch down in the hole and cover with the soil.  Place a rock on top of the soil that will keep the branch in place.  This is called layering and eventually, the scraped area of the branch will root.  In the spring, cut the branch free from the mother plant and either leave the cutting there or dig up and move to a new location.  The other thing you can do is remove suckers or new sprouting twigs from the mother plant and plant those in the desired locations.  Just make sure they have enough roots around them after you dig down and carefully remove them from the mother plant.  I hope this helps.
Tom