With a fantastic range of herbaceous perennials (those plants that die back to soil level in the autumn and reappear the following spring) and shrubs available at the garden centre you may not have given much thought to increasing your plant stocks in other ways. However you can do these fairly easily by taking cuttings this time of year provided you supply them with the right conditions. Clematis, Honeysuckle, Fuchsia, Lavender, Penstemon, Hydrangea, Rosemary and Pinks will root fairly easily in pots filled with a mixture of 2/3 multi purpose compost and 1/3 perlite or horticultural sand to aid drainage.

Gently pull new shoots away from the parent plant rather than cutting them, leaving a small portion of older wood, called a heal, at the base of each cutting. Where you cannot pull stems off as in the case of Penstemon or Heliotrope, cut the stem with a very sharp knife half way between the leaf joints leaving one pair of leaves. With Clematis, cut the stem halfway between the leaf joints leaving one pair of leaves.

With all the cuttings trim large leaves to reduce the surface area and dip the bases of all into hormone rooting powder. Ensure that any leaves that would go below the surface of the compost are removed and place the cuttings into the compost mixture.

Water and cover the entire pot and cuttings with a white, not clear, polythene bag. This will provide good light but blocks direct sunlight that would otherwise shrivel the leaves.

Every ten days or so water the cuttings lightly and spray with a fungicide if necessary. Let the air circulate around them for five to ten minutes. Once the cuttings have developed roots, transplant them into individual pots and gradually harden them off. As a general rule 'softwood' cuttings, those cuttings from the tips of new shoots, are taken in spring tend to root more readily. 'Greenwood' cuttings are those garnered from early to mid summer when the wood is more mature. Although these type of cuttings can be slightly more difficult to root they do tend to survive better than softwood cuttings.

In late summer take semi-ripe cuttings - those shoots that are from the current season's growth, soft at the top but firm at the base. Remove any side shoots from the main stem and trim side-shoots to four to six inches (10-15cm) long, making the cut just below a leaf node. Trim off the soft tip of each cutting and remove the lowest pair of leaves. To help stimulate rooting 'wound' the cutting by slicing away a piece of bark one to one and a half inches (2.5 Ð 4cm) long from one side of the base. Dip into hormone rooting powder, tap off the excess, and pot up.

Hardwood cuttings, as the name suggests, are those that are fully mature and are taken at the end of the growing season from autumn right through to spring. They are, by far, the easiest to maintain but can be quite slow to root. Shrubs such as Holly (Ilex) and Rhododendron are better propagated as semi-ripe or hardwood cuttings.

Other ways of propagation may sound complicated but can be quite simple and fun to do. 'Layering' is one such method and many deciduous and evergreen shrubs can be successfully multiplied this way although it is fair to say that you do need a little bit of practise!

The principle behind layering is to actually encourage a stem to produce roots before severing it from the parent plant. In spring or early summer select a stem or branch low to the ground (Clematis is a good one!) and strip off any leaves and side shoots except for those on the growing tip. Partially cut through the stem, dust with hormone rooting powder and peg the stem either side of the cut into a small, prepared trench. Infill the trench, leaving the growing tip exposed, firm the soil and ensure the area remains moist. By the autumn the stem should have developed its own root system at which point it can be severed from the parent plant and potted up or planted out.

Propagating your own plants, by whichever method, can not only save you money but also offers a great sense of satisfaction. Why not try it yourself?