Give cuttings a go!

Most of My Garden Was Free

That usually surprises people when I say it. They walk through the garden and assume it must have cost a small fortune. But the truth is that a large number of the plants here began life as cuttings.

Gardening used to work that way more often. Someone admired a plant, took a small piece home, and tried their luck. And quite often, it worked.

When I walk around the way. Lavender is just as cooperative, as is abelia. If the plant is healthy, there’s a good chance a cutting will root if you simply give it the opportunity.

Geraniums and pelargoniums are probably some of the most familiar examples. They’ve travelled from garden to garden for generations because they root so easily. Hydrangeas are another one that rarely make a fuss. A cutting pushed into the soil will often grow without much encouragement at all.

Even dahlias can be grown from cuttings, which surprises some people. We tend to think of them only as tubers, but they respond very well this way.

Around the garden here there are also plenty of hebes, another plant that roots readily. And over near the fruit area, the currants started the same way. They grow remarkably easily from cuttings.

The method itself is very simple. Take a healthy piece of growth, cut the stem on a slight angle, remove the lower leaves, and push it into the soil. Keep the soil lightly moist and see what happens.

I like to keep a small cutting area near the back door. Nothing complicated—just somewhere I can stick things into the ground and keep an eye on them. When you walk past them every day, you remember to water them and check how they’re getting on.

Not every cutting will succeed, of course. But many will.

And when they do, you end up with a new plant that cost nothing, started from a moment of curiosity, and sometimes came with a story attached.

In gardening, that’s often how the best parts of a garden begin.

You simply give it a go. 🌿