The days are shortening, the temperatures are dipping, and gardeners have begun committing small acts of plant-based piracy (politely, of course) by taking hardwood cuttings in October.
Don’t be fooled by the very unsexy name: hardwood cuttings are, quite honestly, propagation at its most satisfying. All you have to do is snap off a stick from your favourite shrub, shove it into a pot of compost, and...
Well, all you have to do is wait patiently for that stick to take root and grow into one of the lovely and best plants to grow from cuttings. Free plants! For doing almost nothing! Botanical sorcery at its very best, quite frankly; we love a brilliant budget garden idea.
The best hardwood cuttings to take
'One of the easiest but rewarding tasks to do in the garden at this time of year is to take hardwood cuttings. This is when mature, woody stems of deciduous plants are used to take cuttings from after leaf fall,' explains Morris Hankinson, Managing Director of Hopes Grove Nurseries.
Morris Hankinson is the founder and managing director of Hopes Grove Nurseries Ltd, the UK’s only specialist grower-retailer of hedging plants. He established the thriving business in 1992, shortly after graduating with a Commercial Horticulture Degree from Writtle College, Essex.
'Hardwood cuttings root over winter so they are ready to shoot in spring when the weather warms up,' he adds. So, which hardwood cuttings to take in October?
Well, grab yourself a set of sharp pruners (we're fans of the Magnusson Adjustable Bypass Secateurs from B&Q) and some Westland Organic Rooting Gel from Amazon, as Morris says there are many deciduous plants worth snipping from.
To help you on your way, here's a list...
- Fruits – 'Gooseberries, blackcurrants, red-currants, and white-currants root well from hardwood cuttings taken at this time of year,' he says promisingly.
- Dogwood (Cornus) – 'The colourful stem varieties which light up the landscape in winter are particularly easy to root from cuttings,' says Morris.
- Willow (Salix) – 'Willow roots easily from cuttings and will grow quickly,' he adds.
- Roses – Yes, you can grow roses from cuttings; in fact, 'many can be propagated from hardwood cuttings,' says Morris, 'and who doesn’t want more roses?'
- Forsythia – 'Another plant easy to grow from cuttings which will later brighten up the garden,' he finishes.
Writing on his blog, Monty Don agrees with Morris, noting that 'fruit bushes, roses, and any flowering shrub or tree are ideal [hardwood cuttings to take in October].'
The best part? If you want to learn how to take cuttings from Monty Don, you don’t need to spend ages perfecting your precision or wielding dainty tweezers like you do with softwood plants; these are low-effort, high-reward clones for even the most chaotic gardener.
Why? Because if you take hardwood cuttings in October, it'll time it to coincide with when plants stop growing for the year and become nothing more than dormant sticks. If it’s woody, then assume you can multiply it... so long as you do so after cleaning your garden tools.
Shop hardwood pruners
FAQs
What cuttings can you take in October?
As a general rule of thumb, you can take cuttings from most woody plants in October. Think fruits, dogwood, willow, roses, and forsythia, to name just a handful. 'It's a remarkably straightforward way of creating new shrubs, bushes and even trees from existing favourites,' promises Monty Don via his blog.
How to take hardwood cuttings in October?
If you want to learn how to take hardwood cuttings in October, you'll be pleased to know the process is relatively straightforward.
'Look for healthy, non-flowering stems which are about the thickness of a pencil. These are the best stems to take cuttings from,' says Morris Hankinson of Hopes Grove Nurseries.
Noting that you should take cuttings about 15 to 30cm with sharp, clean secateurs, he says 'the cut should be straight at the base just below a bud and then an angled cut at the top above a bud'.
'Insert the cuttings into a trench in the garden, or a deep pot of gritty compost, burying two-thirds of the stem. Drainage is really important so a mix of compost and perlite is ideal,' he continues, 'and keep in a sheltered spot outdoors and let nature do the rest over winter. The soil should be moist, especially during dry weather.'
He finishes by noting that it's important to remember 'that the cuttings must be planted with the top pointing up', which is why the angled cut is so helpful.
If you need any further encouragement to read up on the hardwood cuttings to take in October, it's worth remembering that this isn't just a nice, easy way to score some free plants; there’s also something wildly comforting about doing this gardening task in the autumn.
After all, your garden may be turning to mush, and everything above ground might look doomed, but beneath the soil? Well, things are quietly beginning, and those hardwood cuttings – if you do them justice – will serve as a staunch little reminder that next year will come back greener.
Happy snipping...
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