How to take hardwood cuttings – Monty Don explains why this is the ideal way to reproduce your favorite plants

Hands preparing lilac cuttings on wooden table.

The process of taking hardwood cuttings is so straightforward it almost feels too easy. But rest assured, it is a tried-and-tested way of propagating shrubs, bushes and even trees. 

Any flowering shrub such as roses, viburnum, butterfly bush, lavender or hydrangeas, and even fruit bushes including blackcurrants, can be successfully propagated in this way.