TAKE CUTTINGS

LARGE tender plants will become unsafe outdoors within the next few weeks. Move the manageable- sized plants into a conservatory or frost- free greenhouse.

Alternatively, take cuttings. These will root rapidly in a heated propagator, but will also take in pots on a windowsill.

Select small, non-flowering shoots. Remove the lower leaves and cut each stem across a leaf-joint. Use small pots — 7cm or 9cm is ideal — filled with a mix of potting compost and coarse sand or Perlite. Insert your cuttings into the compost mix, up to about five per pot.

Keep them watered and in full light but shaded from sun. Rooting should take place within a few weeks.

Plants which are borderline stand a chance of surviving winter. Protect their roots from penetrating frost and make sure the plants are in welldrained soil. But root some cuttings anyway, just in case.