Take spring cuttings
It’s an enjoyable and rewarding job to do on a lovely sunny day
What an exciting time April is, when everything is springing to life, and we can be planting, sowing and, possibly, most satisfyingly of all, taking spring cuttings. There’s something about creating new plants from bits of stem and leaf that’s always fun and rewarding – when it works, of course!
That’s why it’s best to take more than one or two cuttings from your favourite plants. Some may not take if they’re not strong enough, so hedge your bets with four or five.
Softwood cuttings can be taken now, mainly from new, young shoot growth on deciduous plants such as pelargoniums, fuchsias and penstemons. These fresh new pieces of plant are likely to root easily from non-flowering shoots in time for autumn and winter, when they can overwinter as strong, rooted specimens.
Somewhere between softwood and hardwood cuttings are semi-hardwood (or semi-ripe) cuttings, which is what you can take from evergreen plants such as wallflowers and pinks, that are bursting into new growth around now, too.
From now and through summer you can take semi-ripe cuttings as long as there’s fresh foliage growth. It’s important to choose healthy, undamaged material that looks typical of the plant and clean and crisp. Otherwise it’s quite an easy task to do, and one to relish on a sunny spring day! Pop your cuttings in a cold frame or greenhouse, keep them moist, and check over the next few months for good rooting.