Semi-hardwood cuttings

Anne Swithinbank masterclass on: success with cuttings

- Anne Swithinbank

Q Following the seasonal advice in magazines and online to ‘take semi-hardwood cuttings of shrubs in July and August’, I am not having much luck as they usually wither and die. Where am I going wrong? Paul Harding, Kendal, Cumbria

A The time is right to take semi-hardwood cuttings, and I’m sure instructions have been carefully followed, but as the old saying goes, ‘There is many a slip between cup and lip’. The process of collecting stem material, choosing containers and compost, and looking after the cuttings while they root requires attention to detail for a good success rate. I have often killed cuttings simply by moving them 5in (13cm) so they suddenly received too much direct sun or accidental overwatering. Some shrubs (ceanothus, for instance) are notoriously tricky from cuttings.