Hardwood cuttings - plant list
Make more shrubs and trees for free, by taking hardwood cuttings. Browse our suggestions for species to try.
Autumn and winter are the perfect seasons to concentrate on one of the easiest methods of making new plants for free – hardwood cuttings. These are cuttings that you take when the stems have become hard and woody.
One of the challenges when taking other types of cuttings is making sure they don’t lose moisture and shrivel up, while ensuring they’re not so sodden that they rot. They need to be kept in a moist atmosphere, so they'll quickly form a healthy root system.
Taken in late autumn or winter, hardwood cuttings don't have leaves, so they lose less moisture than other types of cutting.
Taken in late autumn or winter, hardwood cuttings don't have leaves, so they lose less moisture than other types of cutting. Also, the stems are already so mature they're less susceptible to rotting than younger stems. You do have to be patient though, because they take months, not weeks, to root. However, while they may take longer than other types of cuttings, they're among the most successful.
Related content:
- How to take hardwood cuttings of blackcurrant plants
- How to take hardwood cuttings in autumn
- How to take hardwood rose cuttings
Which plants grow well from hardwood cuttings?
Almost any shrub can be propagated from hardwood cuttings – those that make good strong straight stems will produce the best shaped plants. Blackcurrants, dogwoods, shrub roses, viburnum and Physocarpus are good examples, but there's little to lose by experimenting with almost anything. Spireas, forsythia, hydrangea cuttings, deutzias and weigela are certainly worth trying, as are a few large shrub and tree varieties: elders, white poplar and willows are the most likely to succeed.
Native hedges such as hawthorn are fantastic for wildlife, and can be grown easily from hardwood cuttings. While you’re at it, why not try taking hardwood cuttings of a few climbers? Honeysuckle roots well and, to decorate fences and walls, ornamental climbers such as vines and jasmine make successful candidates.
Browse our list of the best plants to take hardwood cuttings from, below.
Blackcurrant
Currants, whether red, white or black, produce straight, thick stems that are ideal for this method.
Height x spread: 1.5m x 1.5m
Shrub roses
Shrub roses are slightly easier to propagate from cuttings than climbers or ramblers.
H x S: 1.5m x 1.5m
Physocarpus opulifolius
You can make more of this with softwood cuttings, but hardwood cuttings will root easily given time.
H x S: 2.5m x 2m
Buddleja
Although Buddleja self-seeds, if you want more of a specific variety, you have to increase it vegetatively.
H x S: 3m x 5m
Mock orange
If well-pruned after flowering, philadelphus should make nice strong canes too.
H x S: 2m x 2m
Forsythia
Any strong new growth resulting from early pruning is ideal to make more of this spring-flowering shrub.
H x S: 3m x 3m
Viburnum opulus
Fat flower heads, then autumn colour. Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’ is also good on heavy soils.
H x S: 4 x 4m
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