Gardeners’ World star Alan Titchmarsh has questioned so many gardeners making the same ‘mistake’ when it comes to planting new shrubs in their gardens and recommends what to do
Gardeners’ World legend Alan Titchmarsh is baffled over why green-fingered enthusiasts keep making the same blunder when planting new shrubs.
The horticultural expert can’t fathom why so many opt to buy new seeds when sowing plants in their plots rather than embracing a ‘free alternative’.
Penning his thoughts in Gardeners’ World magazine, Alan revealed: “I really can’t understand why more gardeners do not propagate shrubs and soft fruit bushes by hardwood cuttings.”
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Whilst it might seem like a challenging endeavour to many, Alan champions creating new plants by taking hardwood cuttings from existing specimens already thriving in a garden, reports the Express.
Explaining that autumn through winter months offer the perfect window for taking the cuttings due to the condition of the plants, Alan highlighted even more benefits to this cultivation technique: “The great advantage of hardwood cuttings is that they need no protection during the rooting period.”
He continued: “You won’t need a propagating frame, a greenhouse or even a cold frame. Hardwood cuttings are rooted outdoors in a patch of bare earth and that makes them the easiest of cuttings to accommodate.”
The Royal Horticultural Society confirms: “Hardwood cuttings provide an easy and reliable method of propagating a range of deciduous climbers, trees and shrubs, and as bonus, they are taken from mid-autumn until late winter when more time is usually available to the gardener.
“Some evergreen plants, hollies for example, can also be taken at the same time of year as other hardwood cuttings.”
Whilst numerous plants possess the capacity to generate hardwood cuttings, Alan identified his six top choices for taking clippings during the winter period; raspberry, forsythia, currants – both flowering and fruiting varieties, roses and philadelphus.
Having established himself as one of the most highly regarded figures in the horticultural world over recent decades, it’s arguably his stint presenting Gardeners’ World from 1996 to 2002 that he’s best remembered for.
However, beyond his television career, he received recognition for his contributions to horticulture and charity in the New Year’s Honours list at the start of the year, marking 25 years since Alan was awarded an MBE.
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