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Moving house - cuttings etc
Good Morning
I'm expecting to be moving before the end of August (fingers and toes crossed etc). I don't want to dig up half the garden as quite a few of the plants are still fairly young and not that well established and the ones which are growing here are quite happy where they are. Also i have been keeping new plants in decent sized containers on the patio as rather than planting them out. I'm also expecting to be moving to a different type of garden with plenty of it's own mature trees and shrubs and much less sun.
I would like to take plenty of cuttings though and maybe see if I can divide anything, pot it up and still leave a decent plant behind. There are also a few plants which happily self seed so I think I could dig up and pot some of those.
Last year I tried taking some cuttings from a sage plant and some roses. They all quite spectacularly died without exception....
Any advice or thoughts on what to do, or tips for a high success rate would be welcome!
Thanks.

I'm expecting to be moving before the end of August (fingers and toes crossed etc). I don't want to dig up half the garden as quite a few of the plants are still fairly young and not that well established and the ones which are growing here are quite happy where they are. Also i have been keeping new plants in decent sized containers on the patio as rather than planting them out. I'm also expecting to be moving to a different type of garden with plenty of it's own mature trees and shrubs and much less sun.
I would like to take plenty of cuttings though and maybe see if I can divide anything, pot it up and still leave a decent plant behind. There are also a few plants which happily self seed so I think I could dig up and pot some of those.
Last year I tried taking some cuttings from a sage plant and some roses. They all quite spectacularly died without exception....
Any advice or thoughts on what to do, or tips for a high success rate would be welcome!
Thanks.
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Posts
Generally tips for success are to select good non-flowering growing tips. Sounds easy but sometime hard to find ones that are not too big or too small, look vigorous and in growth.
Never let the cutting sit uncovered in the sun/light. I put them immediately on damp newpaper and cover up with more, until I get into house to actually plant them.
Use the sharpest knife you can. I don’t use secateurs because it can bruise the delicate stems. Don’t leave too many leaves.
Use gritty soil and firm the cuttings in well.
I regularly take sage cuttings successfully... I use heeled cuttings around the edge of a terra-cotta pot of damp gritty compost.
Pop a plastic bag over them and keep indoors on a shady windowsill for a few weeks. Keep an eye on them and don’t let the compost dry out but don’t soak them either.
Remove the bag when you see new green growth at the tip and separate and pot on when you see white roots at the bottom of the pot (drainage hole).
Good luck with the move 😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
There's a blue hardy geranium that I love because it is a perfect blue - I might dig that up, but it is very happy where it is and its a perfect blue for that spot.... maybe I will leave it.
The roses - well I don't know where I would put them yet, may as well wait until I've really seen what's already there - some of them are possibly from the local supermarket and I still have the label of the one I really love, so can always buy a new one.
Yep - I'll have a go with a few things and not stress too much, the above suggestions are good tips and now I think back, I was probably a bit rubbish with watering and didn't pick a shady enough windowsill, plus I don't think I added grit - just cut a bit off and stuck in pot of compost...
Thanks
That way you and the new folk will have one each ... by the time they move in the original plant will
have regrown and it’ll all look just fine. 😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
However - now I've thought about it - my view is that the plants are fine where they are and I don't want to move them for that reason! Even the geranium - and I'm sure I can find similar if I need it.
I reckon its 2 months until we go anywhere. Shall I do it now or wait a bit longer?
Its part of normal gardening practise, dividing plants ... don’t think anyone reasonable would object.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.