Gardening is one of those occasions when you can actually get something for nothing nowadays. All is needed is a little effort, a little soil, and a little hope. Pelargonium cuttings are easy. I have never used hormone powder for these as it's not necessary. The cuttings I took 5 days ago seem to be taking well, just as the cuttings that I took last year did, and the leaves of the cuttings remain healthy and green. It's encouraging. Today I took cuttings of the lovely white dianthus flowers that I buy as cut flowers from Marks and Spencers. I have noticed that, with the white dianthus, there are often healthy, non-flowering sideshoots. I don't know if the cuttings will take but, if they don't, the effort of removing the lower leaves and sticking them in damp compost has cost me nothing but the effort itself.
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| Cuttings of white dianthus (pinks) |
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| White dianthus, bought cut flowers |
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| Pelargonium cuttings taken a few days ago. |
However, I don't think that the rosemary cuttings I took will do well at all. I believe you are supposed to take them from young shoots (according to Monty Don of BBC television's Gardener's World) but these were not particularly young. The rosemary bush that I have had growing in a pot for a few years doesn't seem very happy this year and half the plant has died off. I might just have to discard it and replace it this year. First I'll see what the cuttings do.
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| Rosemary cuttings from hard wood |