Propagation
Take hardwood cuttings during winter.

Apical grafting during spring and shield budding during summer.
Take greenwood cuttings during early summer and apply bottom heat.

Culture
Avoid pruning during winter or early spring as the oozing sap may encourage fungal disease and the flowers appear on one year or growth. Prune after flowering period and thin at the centre of the tree for air penetration.

On grafted trees, remove any growth below the graft union. When used as a cut flower cut back stem to the nearest node on the stem.


Botanic information
Leaf: The dark green ovate to oblong leaves are up to 120 mm (4ľ in) long and havea cuneate base and a long acuminate apex. The petiole is up to 25mm (1in) long and the margin is serrate to biserrate. The new growth is bronze turning green, then turning reddish during autumn with better colour in cooler climates.

Flower: The drooping crateriform flowers have 5-petals with a long pendulous pedicels that appears from spurs in an axillary umbel before the leaves in spring. The colours range from white to pink with some cultivars have double or ruffled and semi-double flowers.

Fruit: The fruit is fleshy with a single hard centre (stone) pea size. The small seeds are viable but the plant is commonly reproduced vegetatively.