Hydrangea cuttings

I have had a hydrangea plant in my garden for many years now. It is a beautiful blue variety and I keep it that way with ericaceous soil and hydrangea colourant, both of which can be purchased in garden centres or online.

All photos by Toni Abram.

The plant is a real conversation starter, so a couple of years ago I decided to experiment to see if I could take cuttings to give to neighbours and was really happy to find how easy it is to do in just four easy steps.

Step one

Take a cutting from a branch of the hydrangea about 5 – 6″ long just underneath a leaf node.

Step two

Remove all but the top two leaves.

Step three

Cut the remaining top two leaves in half.

Step four

Plant and water cuttings (you can use rooting powder at this stage but I never have). The cuttings are best taken when the plant is looking its best – sometime from July onwards.

Don’t expect the cuttings to do anything much over the autumn/winter, however from March onwards you will begin to see new growth and you can expect to have a reasonable sized plant the following summer.