Home Gardener's Propagation (UK Only). David Squire
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also usually produce just one new plant, although several grafts are used when rejuvenating an old apple tree through methods such as crown grafting.
When new plants are produced from seed, there is a chance that a few of the progeny will differ from the parent plant. With all non-seed methods (cuttings, layers, division, grafts and budding), however, the ensuing plants will be identical to the parent. Softwood cuttings are the most popular type of cutting, used for many soft-stemmed plants.
Annuals
Plants that grow from seed, produce flowers and die within the same year. However, some plants that are normally raised as annuals are not true annuals.
A vibrantly coloured display
Biennials
Plants that are raised from seed, making initial growth one year and flowering in the following one. Some plants raised in this way are not strictly biennial.
Alcea rosea (Hollyhock)
Herbaceous perennials
Usually refers to hardy border plants that die down to ground level in autumn at the end of their growing season, then produce fresh growth in spring.
Medley of herbaceous plants
Roses
Woody and mainly deciduous plants with a permanent framework, regularly pruned to encourage healthier and better growth and the development of flowers.
Rosa ‘Paul’s Scarlet Climber’
Climbers
Known in North America as vines, climbing plants include a wide range of growing types, including annuals, woody plants and herbaceous perennials.
Vitis (Ornamental Vine)
Shrubs
Woody and perennial, with stems growing from soil level and with no trunk. However, through training, some plants can be grown either as a shrub or as a tree.
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. repens
Trees
Woody and perennial plants that have a clear trunk between ground level and the lowest branches. They can be evergreen or deciduous, depending on the species.
Amelanchier lamarckii
Soft fruits
These have varied habits, ranging from strawberries that grow at ground level to cane fruits such as raspberries, and bush fruits including gooseberries and black-, red- and whitecurrants.
Redcurrants
Fruit trees
Many fruits grow on trees, including apples, pears, plums, apricots, damsons, cherries, peaches, nectarines, mulberries and quinces.
Apple ‘Cox’
Vegetables
These vary both in their growing habits and in the ways in which they are propagated. Most are raised yearly from seed, while others are grown from tubers and a few from bulbs.
Range of lettuces
Culinary herbs
Herbs include a range of plant types: for example, Parsley is a hardy biennial raised as an annual; Sweet Bay is an evergreen shrub; and others are herbaceous perennials.
Herbs in pots
Indoor plants
Plants grown indoors, in greenhouses and in conservatories, range from those raised from seed to those produced from cuttings or by division.
Begonia
Equipment and materials
What equipment do I need?
Depending on the plants you are raising, everything from seed-trays (flats), pots and dibbers (dibbles) to greenhouses and garden frames comes in handy. Increasing woody plants by hardwood cuttings needs only a sheltered piece of land, sharp sand and a spade, and layering a shrub requires just a few pieces of equipment. Sowing half-hardy annuals in late winter and spring needs a greenhouse, a method of heating, seed-trays (flats), compost and a sieve.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
Once bought – and if regularly cleaned and maintained – many pieces of gardening equipment last for ten or more years. The ‘consumable’ elements, such as compost, seed-trays (flats) and pots, will, of course, need to be bought more often – perhaps yearly, and usually in late winter or early spring. Compost will also be needed in summer when transferring seedlings and cuttings into pots.
When not in use, place equipment such as propagators and heaters in a dry, well-ventilated shed. Ensure they are clean and dry, then seal them in polythene bags. Check yearly that cables and plugs on electrical equipment have not perished or cracked. Where compost is saved from one year to another, seal the bag’s top to prevent it becoming dry and contaminated with pests.
Composts
Several types of compost are available, including loam-based and peat-based varieties.
• Most home gardeners use bags of ready-prepared seed compost when sowing seeds in pots and seed-trays (flats), rather than buying separate ingredients and mixing their own. Never just use garden soil.
• For rooting cuttings, a mixture of equal parts moist peat and sharp sand is best.
Compost