Use the winter months to take root cuttings
If you fancy a spot of effortless propagation this autumn and winter, may I point you in the direction of root cuttings?
This is one of the easiest ways of boosting plant stocks of perennials such as Oriental poppies, sea holly, Acanthus, Phlox and Japanese anemones that spread via new suckers emerging from their roots.
The established plants are dug up while dormant, a small amount of root material is removed, and then the plant goes immediately back into the ground, is firmed in and watered well, none the worse for wear.
One of the benefits of using rootstock as cuttings, is that they take easily and the resulting plants are much less likely to be afflicted by pests and diseases lurking among the top growth.
We do, however, advise washing the roots before taking the cuttings to remove any soil-borne pests such as vine weevil eggs and larvae.
Fleshy roots from plants such as verbascum, oriental poppies and acanthus should be inserted vertically into your pots of gritty seed compost.
Cuttings from thinner roots, such as those found on Japanese anemones, phlox and hardy geraniums, should be between 5-10cm (2-4in) long and laid on top of the compost before being topped with a fine layer of vermiculite
Don’t overwater your cuttings, and next spring watch out for leaves starting to appear. The cuttings can be potted up next year when they are large enough and planted out the year after.
RHS seed scheme 2025
Join charity to obtain rare seeds
The RHS seed scheme for 2025 opens on November 21 and will be open to RHS members online from that date.
If you are not already an RHS member, you can join the charity and sign up to the initiative.
Each year, the seed list is put together by a team of experts at the flagship garden RHS Wisley who collect, clean and package the seed for customers.
The range covers 180 varieties including perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs and some are considered rare.
The seeds are collected from open-pollinated plants, so may not come true to form, and staff at RHS Wisley do their utmost to ensure that no potentially invasive seeds are mistakenly added to the collections.
For further details visit www.rhs.org.uk/membership
How to take verbascum root cuttings
1. Remove 5-10cm (2-4in) sections of root from your plant and carefully remove the spindly side rootlets.
2. Make a horizontal cut at the top end of the root and an angled one at the bottom to create a larger surface for root growth.
3. Insert your cuttings into a pot of dampened gritty seed compost so the flat top is flush with the compost surface.
4. Place the cuttings in a cold frame or greenhouse. Keep the compost damp but not soggy and growth should appear next spring.
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