Take cuttings of perennials

If you have favourite perennials growing in the garden, early to midsummer is a good time to propagate them from tip cuttings. Propagating your own cuttings is a great way to build up your stock and create replacement plants, or plants to share with friends, and it costs next to nothing. Pelargonium, fuchsia, penstemon, salvia, lavender, osteospermum (above), plectranthus and many others are easy to strike now.

Give the plants a deep drink the day before taking cuttings so the stems are well hydrated, and gather your cuttings in the morning before it gets hot, so shoots are still plump with moisture. Choose firm cuttings from the tip growth, remove flowers and soft growth at the tips and remove all of the leaves except for two at the top. Then trim the base of your cutting, just below a node, to create cuttings about 10cm long with about three nodes. Fill pots with an equal blend of compost, sand and perlite and push your cuttings into the mix. Place the pots in a shaded spot and keep the mix moist.

Plants with glossy leaves, such as fuchsia, benefit from having a clear plastic bag over the top, to help maintain humidity around cuttings. Push one or two sticks into the pot first to keep the bag clear of the cuttings. It's best to leave pelargoniums, plectranthus and other perennials with downy leaves uncovered, as they may rot in the humid conditions. Once roots have formed, pot into individual containers to grow on. If you're in a warm area, plant out in autumn. Otherwise, keep them in a protected spot such as a glasshouse over winter, and plant out in spring.