Taking cuttings from hardy and tender perennials is often quite straightforward. It’s a perfect way to get plants for free. Because they’re clones of the original, you’ll get identical specimens, with exactly the same colour of flower and shade of leaf.
And why not be kind to your back and make better use of any limited frost-free space you’ve got? In the time-honoured way, I’m guilty of carting too many muckle pots into the greenhouse instead of taking more cuttings to stack in neat little lines along a shelf.
Last winter’s severe weather was an object lesson. As usual, some of my pots were pressed up against a window, with fatal consequences. Better-placed Dianthus even had a near-death experience despite my temperature controlling heater. Luckily, though, my dinky little cuttings saved the day for me.
With some of my favourites, like scented leaved Pelargoniums, it’s the special orange, rose, mint or cinnamon scent you’re after. And the Victorians were just as keen. The plants were arranged in tiers in glasshouses to let visitors enjoy the scents as they ambled past.
You can take cuttings from most plants at different times of year, but I’ll look here at some you can do just now. This includes Pelargoniums and Dianthus, and semi ripe cuttings from herbs such as Lavender and Rosemary. They’re easy and this is a good time.
Unlike hardy Geraniums, most Pelargoniums originate from South Africa, and were even known as Geranium africanum in the early 17th Century when first introduced to Leiden. They can grow into 5ft shrubs in their native environment, while our largest ones only reach 2-3ft.
When selecting shoots for propagation, look for fresh, vigorous new growth. Avoid any with flower buds, but nip them out if necessary. Cuttings should be 7-10cm long but, as with so much during the recent drought, plants have been growing very slowly. When taking cuttings a fortnight before you read this, I was still struggling to find long enough shoots.
Using a sharp knife - the indispensable tool of any gardener - make a clean cut just below a pair of leaves that are close to last year’s growth. Lay the cutting on a bench and cut off all but the top 2 leaves or if, like me, you’ve got sharp finger nails, nip them off.
Fill a 9cm pot with a 50:50 mix of coarse grit and low nutrient compost: spent commercial compost is ideal. And don’t waste money on hormone rooting powder. Like compost activator, it makes little discernible difference.
Make 6 holes round the edge of the pot with a pencil or finger and insert the cuttings almost to the leaves. Then label, water and put in a cool, shady, but not dark, place. Keep the compost moist and the cuttings should have rooted within a few weeks.
Once they’ve grown on, why not treat them as mini house plants, adding a little fragrance to the room?
Many other tender perennials, like Dianthus, are treated this way. If propagating from young plants, you’ll find new shoots low down round the perimeter. Again, cut off all but the top couple of leaves. With older stragglier specimens, use the technique known as pipe cuttings. Grasp the stem just below and just above the join between old and new growth and gently pull apart. You have your cutting!
With woody herbs, like Lavender, Sage, Thyme and Rosemary, gently pull a new 10-15cm stem from a branch to give you a ‘heel’ at the base of the cutting. This contains hormones useful for rooting. Treat as for Pelargoniums.
Plant of the week
Pelargonium ‘Lemon Fancy.’ Pretty pink flowers marked with purple on a neat bushy bush. They have a true lemon scent and flavour and are ideal in desserts and baking.
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