Propagation

Some customers have been asking if there are any plants they can propagate at this time of year? Well now’s the perfect time to take semi-ripe cuttings from a wide range of shrubs such as Hebes, Rosemary, Lavender, Weigela, Ceanothus and Hydrangeas. You need to remove 4-5 inch long cuttings from this year’s growth, pop them in a plastic bag to help prevent them drying out. Then prepare the cuttings by trimming them just below

a leaf. Carefully remove the leaves from the lower half of the cutting and dip the end in hormone rooting powder or liquid. Then you can insert the cuttings up to the lower leaf in pots of a gritty, cuttings compost. Cover the pots with a polythene bag or put them in a propagator and place them somewhere warm and sheltered but out of strong, direct sunlight and they should be ready to pot on in a few weeks. Plants that can be difficult to root – such as Rosemary and Lavender – are best propagated from heel cuttings. Carefully tear off a sideshoot about 4-5 inches long from the main stem ensuring there’s a small sliver of bark – or heel, then treat the cuttings in the same way as we’ve just discussed.