Taking cuttings through the year: softwood, semi-ripe and hardwood

01Which cutting, when

• Softwood: spring to early summer (about April to June), from soft new shoots. Fast to root. Examples: penstemon, pelargonium, fuchsia, hydrangea.
• Semi-ripe: mid-summer to early autumn (about July to September), from this year's shoots that are firm at the base but still soft at the tip. Examples: lavender, rosemary, sage, hebe, box, bay.
• Hardwood: mid-autumn to late winter, after leaf fall, from fully ripe stems. Slow but almost no effort. Examples: dogwood, willow, currants, gooseberries, roses, forsythia.

02Softwood cuttings

1. 1
   Take up to 10cm of young shoot in the morning, while the plant is full of water.
2. 2
   Trim just below a leaf joint (node) to 5–10cm long.
3. 3
   Remove the lower leaves and pinch out the soft tip.
4. 4
   Insert into a pot of cuttings compost.
5. 5
   Cover with a clear bag or propagator lid, in good light but out of scorching sun. Gentle bottom heat helps.
6. 6
   Air them at least twice a week for about ten minutes, and remove anything rotting.
7. 7
   Pot up once rooted, usually within about two to four weeks, after a couple of weeks of hardening off.

03Semi-ripe cuttings

1. 1
   Take a 10–15cm shoot that's firm at the base and soft at the tip.
2. 2
   Trim just below a leaf joint and leave about four leaves; halve any large leaves to cut water loss.
3. 3
   Insert into a mix of half peat-free potting compost, half sharp sand.
4. 4
   Keep warm and light, out of direct sun. Summer cuttings rarely need extra heat.

Some plants root better from a "heel" — a side-shoot pulled away from the main stem with a sliver of bark attached.

04Hardwood cuttings: the no-kit method

1. 1
   Choose healthy, pencil-thick stems from this year's growth, after the leaves have fallen.
2. 2
   Trim the soft tip off and cut to 15–30cm long.
3. 3
   Top cut: sloping, just above a bud, so rain runs off. Bottom cut: straight across, just below a bud. That way you always know which end is up.
4. 4
   Make a slit trench with a spade in a sheltered spot, with a little sand in the base.
5. 5
   Insert each cutting two-thirds deep, 10–15cm apart, leaving a few buds showing, and firm in.
6. 6
   Leave them until the following autumn, then lift and plant. Re-firm any that frost lifts in spring.

Avoid taking hardwood cuttings in very cold spells.

05Mistakes to avoid

• Strong sun on softwood cuttings. They wilt and die before rooting.
• No ventilation. Covered cuttings rot without fresh air.
• Lifting hardwood cuttings too early. Give them the full year.