3 Plants You Can Easily Take Cuttings From and Propagate in July

Taking cuttings is a great way to get free plants that are often much quicker than growing the same plant from seed. July isn't often thought of as the time of year to take cuttings from plants but this is one of the best times of year to take semi-ripe cuttings which can be treated like a softwood cutting taken earlier in the season.

These 3 plants: hydrangeas, lavender and rosemary, are all easy to propagate and don't necessarily need rooting hormone to put on root growth (although it does always help). I usually use compost made from years of putting chicken poo and other assorted organic matter in a pile from when my mum kept pet chickens!

Hydrangeas

This traditional favourite can be propagated easily from semi-ripe cuttings. This is where you cut a non-flowering shoot at 8-10cm (cutting to just above a bud). You then cut the lower leaves off and place into potting compost. The RHS also suggests to prevent water loss to cut the remaining leaves in half (cutting the end half of the leaf off effectively). Here is a step by step guide from Gardeners' World detailing how to take these cuttings.

Lavender

Lavender cuttings are a great beginners way to start propagating from plants you already have. Just like the hydrangeas, taking cuttings from this year's non-flowering growth in the summer is an easy way to get started. An easy way to do this is to pull off the side shoots of the lavender stems and pull off the bottom leaves, then cut the bottom to tidy this up and place into potting compost. This is the detailed guide on how to take and propagate lavender cuttings from Gardeners' World.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a beloved herb that is notoriously slow to grow from seed, it's much easier to take a cutting and effectively clone the original plant! To take rosemary cuttings, cut 10 -15cm of new growth and remove all of the lower leaves. This will stop water loss and allow you to easily cut off -the bottom below a leaf node ready to place in potting compost. This guide from Gardeners' World shows you exactly how to do this.