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2009 Schools Appeal

Taking hardwood cuttings

Dogwood
Dogwood (Cornus) -
when the leaves fall these
are just right for cuttings

When the leaves have fallen from deciduous shrubs, now is the time to take hardwood cuttings.

Easy plants to try include willow (Salix), buddleja and dogwood (Cornus).

Follow these easy steps to increase your shrub displays (or beg a cutting from your neighbour).

  1. Cut pencil thick lengths (15-20cm) of woody, new growth. Make the cut above a bud at the top and below a bud at the bottom of the cutting
  2. Choose a sheltered spot in the garden, out of direct sunlight but not in heavy shade.
  3. Push the cuttings into a slit made in the soil with a spade. Fill in with soil, leaving a couple of buds exposed.
  4. If you have heavy soil, line the slit with sand for drainage.
  5. Label
  6. Water in dry weather
  7. Leave the cuttings until the following autumn when they will have rooted and be ready to move either into pots or to their planting position

Grow a deciduous hedge from hardwood cuttings - space cuttings 1 foot apart, placing extras at the end of the row to replace those that fail to root.

An article, by Pauline Pears, on propagation 'Simple Multiplication' appeared in issue 168 of The Organic Way magazine.
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