Martin Fish's MASTERCLASS
Propagate less hardy plants now so you have new ones ready to go
TV and radio broadcaster Martin is an RHS judge and former head gardener
In late spring and early summer, I take cuttings from some of my short-lived and tender perennials, such as pelargoniums, osteospermums, argyranthemums, erysimums, penstemons, tender salvias, plectranthus and aeoniums.
Although you can take cuttings through summer and into autumn, I do it now because they’ll root quickly, so by late summer you’ll have good-sized plants to overwinter. Propagating not only produces more plants, it also helps to keep plants healthy and vigorous, which is important in short-lived perennials. They tend to get leggy and weak after a few years or can be damaged in a hard winter, so by raising new plants, you can replace the old.
With my tender perennials that are outside in summer and in the greenhouse in winter, in time, they too can get old and woody and lose vigour, so it’s always a good idea to take cuttings.
Short cuttings can be taken now and should root quickly. Use non-flowering stems and trim the cuttings below a leaf joint, and remove the lower leaves. Insert in plug trays or around the edge of a pot using a free-draining compost.
I tend to mix a little Perlite to multi-purpose compost. Keep cuttings and compost moist on a shaded windowsill or shady part of the greenhouse, and mist with water occasionally to create humidity.
TOP TIPS
1 Short pelargonium cuttings will produce strong plants within acouple of months that will flower until early autumn or longer in agreenhouse.
2 Argyranthemum produces masses of white or pink flowers all summer and can easily be inc
