Softwood cuttings are one of the easiest and most affordable ways of producing new plants, and this month is the perfect time to start taking them. Most plants are currently at their most urgent surge of growth, so you'll stand a very high chance of success. I remember my astonishment, as a child, that the cuttings my grandmother gathered on garden visits sprung roots in just a matter of weeks!
The softwood propagation technique I'm about to explain is one that I use regularly for plants I buy that I want more of but are more expensive than I can afford. So, if you like to share plants with friends, save money and repeat a particular species through your garden or pots, then this is the technique for you.
Success with cuttings
Most softwood cuttings are taken in spring and early summer from the season's new growth, but potting up in midsummer will also allow them to develop roots that will survive winter
1 Take cuttings early in the morning. If you can't pot them immediately, place in freezer bag with a few drops of water to retain humidity.
2 Remove all but the top four or so leaves with a sharp, sterile knife or blade. If the remaining top leaves are large, halve them to reduce water loss.
This story is from the May 2023 edition of BBC Gardeners World.
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This story is from the May 2023 edition of BBC Gardeners World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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We love June
We're cruising towards midsummer: this is a month full of love and abundance. Wherever you look there will be something in your garden that lifts the spirits and makes you glad to be alive. We have colour to cheer us, we have leaves that still have the bounce and freshness of small puppies, we have the first berries fattening up, there are birds frantically parenting very demanding broods of chicks, the bees are all over the place, it's prime barbecue and picnic season, and we have lawns as lush and green as billiard tables. What a month to fall in love.
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