Pot up shrub cu ings

You could have enough new plants to grow a low hedge!

Most people grow veg and flowers from seed or take cu ings of tender plants but it’s rewarding to take cu ings of shrubs, too. Late autumn is the time for hardwood cu ings and if you did so, now’s the time to move them into their next pots.

Young plants rooted in autumn should be kept undercover and protected from cold and excess wet. Now the weather is improving and they’ll be growing and filling the new compost with roots, it’s the perfect time to get them into their next pots.

In spring you’ll be able to take soft, young shoots from some plants, especially evergreens, and these will take root. These provide a perfect way to grow lots of new plants so you can plant lavishly! Take cu ings of slightly tender plants so you can keep youngsters under cover in case the parent plants are lost. Some, such as hebes, cistus and sage, are always best as young shrubs and become less a ractive as they age, so take a few cu ings every few years.

If nothing else, rooting cu ings will help you provide useful pots for the local plant sale (when we can have them again!).