Hardwood cuttings season

Ruth explains this easy, effective method of propagation

- Ruth Hayes

AS deciduous trees continue to lose their leaves and enter dormancy, the sap withdrawing to their deepest recesses for winter, we can start to take hardwood cuttings.

This is the most reliable way of propagating trees and shrubs, though it can take up to a year to see results, and is used for a wide range of ornamental and edible plants.

Roses, currant bushes, figs, and many ornamental spring and summer-blooming trees and shrubs can all be grown from hardwood cuttings.

It also works on evergreen shrubs including holly, skimmia, cotoneaster, and privet, though these cuttings are best treated as if they are semi-ripe and grown in a pot of compost that has been sealed in a plastic bag and placed somewhere light and frost-free undercover. This is because evergreen shrubs are more susceptible to wound bleeding and cold damage when cut or pruned in winter.