I have done splits w/ anise hyssop and it works. As you know, this plant is pretty hardy, and an amazing bee plant. Duration of blooms and their bee atrractiveness are amazing. I've never done cuttings your way, and I'm going to try it too!. I have rooting hormone already. It really helps give it a good start. Thinking out loud, I think your system will give you more , but smaller plants. They do grow, quickly though. When I do a split, I usually make just two from one plant, and they are both completely full grown by fall. I'd imagine you could get four or five cuttings from each plant w/o harming it.
Konasdad. OK. That is good to know. I am still going into my herb cultivation book to discover what I want about the hyssop. It is extremely hard, we both know that. You surely must try the method of stem cuttings, it is simple and you will not be disappointed. You say that when you do a split, you usually make just two from each plant. In the realm of cuttings, that is not many per mother plant. Listen to what I am saying.
If you have a plant that has been established, you can take many, many times more than four or five cuttings per plant, without any harm whatsover. You must simply remember to leave enough new foliage for the mother plant to do its photosynthesis thing. OK, you think that the cuttings give smaller plants. Maybe so, maybe not. This is what occurred with me:
I took only a few stem cuttings (to the count of six), last year because I was doing an experiment with the plant to see if the cuttings bloomed first year. I know if seed is taken, because of the perennial nature of this plant, it is most likely that the plants started from seed would not bloom until next year. That was my wish for the experiment, to see if the cuttings would bloom same season.
My account of the experiment. I took approximately 6 stem cuttings, when the mother plant had sent up her myriad of new shoots. I waited until the mother plant had shoots that had developed several sets of leaves. This one mother plant I worked with. The other mother plant I left alone to her own devices. The cuttings that I took from the one mother plant did not change the growth of her one iota, not even slightly, she still set heavy, heavy flower growth. The other untouched mother plant bloomed as much, neither was stronger or weaker. (get that eh?).
The cuttings rooted very easily and within two weeks (I know, I dumped one of the cutting pots gently in my hand to see if roots were developing, and yes, they were). I gently put the cutting back into its pot to carry on with growth. I left these cuttings untouched for a little while longer. I planted them out after our last frost free date, which is about April 30.
By the way, I looked at the two original mother anise hyssop today, and the new shoots are starting to poke their nosy little noses above the ground level. I anticipate taking cuttings in about 3 weeks time.
Once in the soil these cuttings took off like wildfire. They bloomed approximately 2 weeks after the mother plants set flowers, and of course, as the anise hyssop does, it bloomed strong and hard until frost kill. Approximately 3rd week of October.
At the maturity of the baby "stem cutting" plants, I would say there was absolutely no less than 30 to 40 flower stocks on each plant. Of course the mother plants had more than 100. I don't believe that there is an exageration on my part about the numbers of flower stalks. This is an amazing plant and it is one that is covered with bees. An added bonus to this plant is the sweet smell of licorice that pervades the air when one walks by the plant, especially if the leaves are touched. Incredible.
Flowers that I highly recommend for bee forage (that I grow here with extreme ease) (and will grow beautifully in most conditions) are:
borage officinalis
phacelia tanacetifolia
anise hyssop (perennial) -- (or agastaches) (which are mostly treated as annual here)
all types of sunflowers that not sterile (which basically means, not the pollen free cultivars)
California poppy
bachelors buttons (cornflower)
wallflowers (for early spring pollen)
canary creeper vine
migonette (stock)
comfrey (cousin to borage)
cosmos
These are just to name a few, but these I am familiar with and grow en masse by seed saved from previous year and the seeds that dropped off the plants, that germinate in spring when they are good and ready. Annuals are wonderful, in that many self-seed, and once you have them, they are yours forever more.
Oops, told you all that I can ramble. Awesome day. Cindi