When to Take Cuttings: A Seasonal Guide

Timing is the single most important variable in cutting propagation. The same plant, taken as a cutting in the wrong month, may have a zero percent success rate that rises to over 80 percent when taken at the correct stage of the growing season. This is because the physiological state of the stem — its water content, auxin levels, stored carbohydrates, and degree of lignification — changes dramatically through the year and determines whether root initials form quickly or not at all.

Spring: Softwood Season Begins

Late April through to early June is the primary softwood cutting window. New growth produced from mid-spring onwards is actively dividing, hormonally primed, and roots with remarkable speed when given the right conditions. Plants to target in this window include fuchsias, pelargoniums, salvias, all tender perennials overwintered under cover, and the new growth on many deciduous shrubs. The challenge with spring softwood is its fragility — work fast, keep moist, and use a humidity enclosure immediately.

Midsummer: Semi-Ripe Window Opens

From mid-July through August, this season's growth has firmed up at the base while the tips remain green and growing. This is the semi-ripe window, and it is the best time for many evergreen shrubs: lavender, rosemary, ceanothus, escallonia, choisya, viburnum, and most conifers. Semi-ripe cuttings are more robust than softwood and tolerate slightly less perfect conditions, but still benefit from a cold frame or propagator. This is also a productive month for taking rose cuttings — semi-ripe sideshoots with a heel root well in this period.

Autumn and Winter: Hardwood Time

From late October through to late February, once leaves have fallen and growth has ceased, hardwood cutting season begins. Currants, gooseberries, dogwoods, willows, roses, forsythia, elder, and many ornamental shrubs can be propagated with long, pencil-thick cuttings pushed into open ground. This is by far the easiest cutting method — no humidity tent, no propagator, no heating. The cuttings sit in the ground through the cold months, form roots as temperatures rise, and are typically ready to move by the following autumn.

Reading Your Plant for Readiness

Beyond the calendar, learn to read the plant itself. A softwood cutting should be flexible throughout its length with no firmness at the base. A semi-ripe cutting should feel springy at the base and soft at the tip. If the base snaps cleanly, it is fully hardwood. Test a shoot before committing a whole batch — this physical check is more reliable than the date, particularly in years where temperatures run early or late. The plant tells you when it is ready; the calendar is only a guide.