August and September are the perfect time to take softwood cuttings. Many plants, including shrubs and tender perennials, have produced fresh, green growth over summer, which can be used now to make new plants.
These types of cuttings root faster than hardwood cuttings and you’ll soon have an army of young plants ready to march into the garden when spring arrives. Taking and rooting cuttings to grow on is also a very good insurance policy for plants which are on the tender side and may not make it through a harsh winter like salvias.
You can try taking cuttings from any shrub that has suitable shoots: new, young shoots on a non-flowering stem. For softwood cuttings, you are looking for exactly that, new soft or green, bendy shoots rather than older hardwood stems which will be brown and woody. The best time to take cuttings is early in the morning when shoots are full of sap.
Invariably, some shrub cuttings will be easier to root than others. Hydrangea, viburnum, buddleja, philadelphus, flowering currant, and fuchsia are good ones to try but you can also try taking cuttings around the garden from salvia, Lavatera, rosemary, Dianthus, pelargonium, penstemon, and even clematis.
The joy of seeing new roots protruding out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, and strong, new growth at the top is sheer bliss, and when you remember that you have just created new plants for your own garden for free, your serotonin will go through the roof!
We’d love to see your cutting skills in action so do pop a picture on our readers’ Facebook Group, or send it to us at mail@scotlandgrowsmagazine.com.