Now is the time to take hardwood cuttings.
Hardwood cuttings should be successful from most deciduous trees and shrubs, try buddleja, forsythia, philadelphus, ribes and roses.
The best time to take the cuttings is during early and mid winter but don’t take them if frost is forecast.
Take a good look at your chosen tree or shrub and select a branch/shoot which is about pencil thick and is fully mature. Don’t select anything which looks diseased or has any signs of pests.
Remove the soft tips and cut to about 20cm in length. Trim the top just above a bud using a sloping cut, cut the bottom just below a bud using a straight cut. If you want you can dip the bottom of the cutting into hormone rooting compound but it is not always necessary for it to take successfully.
The cuttings can be bought on either in large pots left in a cold frame or greenhouse, or direct into a well drained, sheltered spot in the garden. Push the cuttings into the soil leaving about a third above the soil level. The important thing is not to let the cuttings dry out.
Leave the cuttings until next Autumn when they should be ready to plant out.