Many garden shrubs can be propagated for free simply by taking a cutting from a healthy stem and encouraging it to form roots of its own. It costs nothing beyond a sharp pair of secateurs and a bit of patience, and it is a satisfying way to turn one favourite shrub into several.
A good cutting is usually taken from a stem that is neither too soft and new nor too old and woody, since both extremes tend to root poorly. The lower leaves are removed before the cutting goes into soil or a rooting medium, leaving just a few leaves at the top to keep the cutting alive while it works on growing roots.
Giving cuttings the right conditions
A sheltered spot out of direct sun helps prevent the cutting from losing more moisture through its leaves than its rootless stem can cope with. Covering the pot loosely with a clear bag or similar creates a humid little environment around the cutting, reducing water loss while the roots are still forming underneath.
Checking the compost regularly, without letting it become waterlogged, keeps conditions steady while the cutting settles in. A gentle tug after a few weeks, feeling for resistance, is usually enough to tell whether roots have begun to take hold, without needing to disturb the cutting by lifting it out completely.
Not every cutting succeeds, and that is perfectly normal, so taking several at once from the same shrub improves the odds considerably. With a bit of luck and steady care, a single favourite shrub can quietly multiply into a whole row of new plants within a year or two, all for the price of a few cut stems.
Once well rooted, a young cutting still benefits from a gradual introduction to its final spot outdoors, rather than being moved there directly from its sheltered corner. A slowly increasing exposure to sun and wind over several days helps it settle in without a noticeable check to its growth.
