Once the roots are well formed, you can cut and plant it separately. I recently did this on a Tangautica. I have two of these now.

This is a propagation technique known as "layering" and is an excellent way to propagate clematis. This is quite different from cuttings, where you sever a portion of the plant away from the mother before it forms roots. Much harder to do and less likely to produce great results with clems.

Thanks, Aluvaboy, congrats on yours, too. :)
Gardengal, what kind of other plants does this work on? Would it work on wisteria, or things like a small crabapple? Our lilacs do that all by themselves, too.

Layering works on many kinds of plants, herbaceous and woody stems (or maybe I should say semi-woody...the time when it is still somewhat young and bendable).

It is a large topic unto itself, too, so lots of fun reading up ahead if you want to dig into it more.

This post was edited by gardenper on Tue, Oct 14, 14 at 10:33

Ever since I learned this, I have been experimenting with other plants. So far it has worked with a persian lilac, a smallish maple leaved shrub, and a gardenia. I am glad that I have friends with lots of plants who will let me test these things! Should I leave the layers connected to the mother plant until spring, or should I cut them now? Some have a lot of roots already.

IMO it depends on your winters and how much time the plants can re-establish themselves in the ground before the really low temperatures hit. You may also want to pot them for the winter and bring them inside, for added protection in case you don't have enough time outside.

Or, alternatively, now that you know you have been successful on a few attempts, you can prepare that kind of propagation for the spring.