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I have a dogwood problem. Not a small one either – a proper, taking-over-the-border, “we need to have a conversation about this” problem. It started innocently enough: I was doing the usual spring cut back a few years ago, had a handful of bare stems in my hand, and instead of putting them on the compost heap I just shoved them straight into a gap in the border. No fuss, no rooting powder, no plan. Within a season each one was a mini shrub in its own right.
I did this every year after that, because it worked and because it filled out the border beautifully. I have now got more dogwood than I know what to do with, and some of it will have to come out. Which is, if you think about it, the best kind of gardening problem to have.
That’s the thing about taking cuttings. You snip a bit off something you already own, stick it in the right place at the right time of year, and mostly leave it alone. The plants do the actual work. You just need to stop getting in their way (a lesson I am apparently still learning, given the current state of my shrub border).
Softwood and hardwood cuttings are the two methods that’ll get you furthest at home, and between them they cover most of the shrubs, climbers and perennials you’d ever want more of.
Three questions. Two minutes. A flower list chosen for your actual garden, not some idealised one.
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What’s the difference between softwood and hardwood cuttings?
The names describe the state of the stem you’re cutting from, not the plant itself. Softwood cuttings come from the new, flexible growth a plant puts out in spring and early summer. Green, bendy, still actively growing.
Hardwood cuttings come from the mature, woody growth of the same plants, taken in late autumn or winter once the plant has gone dormant. Stiff, brown, no longer pushing out leaves.
Both work. They just suit different plants and different moods, honestly. Some root more reliably one way than the other, and plenty will oblige either way (dogwood, it turns out, will oblige almost any way you treat it).
When should you take each type?
Timing matters more than technique, which is good news if, like me, your technique is “shove it in and see.”
Softwood cuttings are taken from late spring through early summer, when the stem bends without snapping but is firm enough not to flop. This is my favourite time to take cuttings full stop – results come quicker, and there’s something satisfying about seeing new growth within weeks rather than months.
Hardwood cuttings are taken from late autumn through mid-winter, after leaf fall, when the plant is properly dormant. The wood should be from this year’s growth, firm and mature but not old.
There’s a middle ground called semi-ripe cuttings, taken in late summer, but you can skip that for now. Softwood and hardwood between them will get you most of what you want.
How to take softwood cuttings
I took my first successful batch of softwood cuttings almost by accident. I’d been struggling to grow verbena bonariensis from seed (endless sowing, very little to show for it), so out of mild frustration I took a few cuttings off the one plant I did actually have. Several new plants later, I had more verbena than seed-growing had ever given me. (I filmed the whole process for my YouTube channel if you’d like to see exactly what I did.)
Softwood cuttings root fast, often within a few weeks, but they wilt quickly if you don’t move fast yourself. Take them in the morning when the plant is well hydrated, and have your pots and compost ready before you cut anything. Make sure you put all your cuttings in a sealed plastic bag once you have taken them and before you put them in the pots, to retain as much moisture as possible.
Choose a healthy, non-flowering shoot from this year’s growth. Using sterilised secateurs or a knife, make a clean cut just below a leaf node (the little bump where a leaf joins the stem) – this is where roots are most likely to form. Make sure your cutting has at least three sets of leaves. Strip off the lower leaves so you’ve got a clean stem to push into the compost, and pinch out the very soft tip if it’s floppy. If the upper leaves are large, cut them in half to reduce water loss.
Dip the cut end in hormone rooting powder if you have some, though plenty of plants (verbena included) root without it. Push the stem into a pot of free-draining compost so at least a third is buried. Water gently, cover with a clear plastic bag or propagator lid to keep the humidity up, and put the pot somewhere bright but out of direct sun.
Good candidates for softwood cuttings include lavender, salvia, penstemon, fuchsia, hydrangea, verbena bonariensis, and most soft-stemmed perennials and shrubs.
What to watch for
The main risk is rot. Softwood cuttings are full of water and easily overwhelmed by damp, stagnant conditions. Air the propagator lid every few days, and remove anything that’s gone black or mushy before it takes the others down with it.
You’ll know they’ve rooted when you see new growth at the top, or gentle resistance when you tug the stem. Don’t dig them up to check. Just wait.
If you want plenty of flowers without turning gardening into a second job, The Flower Files might be just what you need.
How to take hardwood cuttings
Hardwood cuttings are the lazy gardener’s dream, and my dogwood border is living proof. You take them in winter when there’s not much else to do, stick them in the ground, and more or less ignore them until the following autumn.
Choose a stem from this year’s growth, roughly pencil-thick, and cut a length of about 20 to 30cm. Make the top cut just above a bud at a slight angle (so rain runs off), and the bottom cut straight, just below a bud. The angled top and flat bottom also double as a handy way to remember which end goes in the ground.
Dig a narrow slit trench in a sheltered corner, or fill a deep pot with gritty compost. Push the cuttings in so two-thirds of each stem is buried, leaving just the top third exposed. Firm them in, water once, and leave them well alone.
Good candidates for hardwood cuttings include roses, dogwood, willow, currants, gooseberries, forsythia, and most deciduous shrubs.
The waiting bit
Hardwood cuttings take patience above everything else. They’ll sit through winter looking like sticks, start pushing out leaves in spring, and won’t have a proper root system until the following autumn. This is normal. Don’t lift them to check (I know it’s tempting).
By the next autumn, roughly a year on, they should be ready to pot on or plant out. Success rates are usually good, which is why it’s worth doing them in bulk. Take more than you need – ask my shrub border how that goes.
Do you really need rooting hormone and heated propagators?
No. Both are useful, neither is essential. Rooting hormone can improve success on tricky plants, and a heated propagator speeds up softwood rooting, but plenty of cuttings root perfectly well in a windowsill pot with ordinary compost.
If you’re starting out, skip the kit. Try a few cuttings with what you already have. If you enjoy the process and want to do more, invest in a small propagator. Not before.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take cuttings from any plant?
Most woody shrubs, climbers, and many perennials will root from cuttings, but some are much easier than others. Roses, willow, dogwood, lavender and salvias are famously willing. Others, like magnolias, are notoriously stubborn. Start with the easy ones.
Why do my cuttings keep dying?
The most common culprits are wrong timing, drying out, or staying too wet. Softwood cuttings need humidity but also airflow. Hardwood cuttings need patience above all. If a whole batch fails, it’s usually the timing, not you.
Can I take cuttings from a friend’s garden?
Yes, and it’s one of the loveliest ways to build a garden. Ask first, take clean cuts with sharp secateurs, and if you’re travelling, wrap the cut ends in damp kitchen paper and pop them in a plastic bag to stop them wilting on the journey home.
The point of all this
Taking cuttings rewards low effort and a bit of trust, which is really the whole ethos round here. You don’t need a greenhouse, expensive kit, or a horticulture degree. You need a sharp pair of secateurs, some compost, and the willingness to wait (and, apparently, an eventual willingness to dig some of it back out again).
If you want a hand knowing exactly when to take cuttings for what you’re growing, rather than trying to remember it all yourself, that’s exactly the kind of thing the Growing Companion app quietly nudges you on through the season.
A quick aside: I built a little app for flower growers who want gentle reminders about what to do and when - without it turning into another thing to feel guilty about. It's called the Flower Grower Companion. You tell it your location and your flowers, it tells you what actually needs doing this week (and just as importantly, when there's nothing to do at all)
Have a look
