Now is a good time to divide an existing one to fill in the hole.

Try air layering some of the peripheral branches into the soil from either side's sister plants.

I didn't know I could divide my Hummingbird clethra. This is good to know since it is getting floppy.

Layering branches should work well with new growth in spring and rooting in summer.

What is air layering or layering branches? I don't understand how to do this -- you are speaking to a greenhorn :-)

Thanks!

I am sure I have posted this too many times, but I had great success with rhododendrons by scraping the bottom of branches near the ground, pegging them down and covering the scraped part with soil, leaving the end leaves showing. A year later, the new plant could be severed with a shovel from the parent. A mat of roots had grown where I had scraped the stem.

Wow, bogturtle, that's cool. The mother plant tolerates having part of itself severd off?

Steve, can I just sever one of my plants in half and divide? Is the time to do this now or Spring? BTW, I have been saving pots for you.

Birdsong, I still do not understand air layering.

Thanks!