Commercial growers propagate roses by “budding”, this involves putting the bud of the variety of rose you wish to grow onto the root of another variety of rose “rootstock”. The two reasons are some varieties grow better this way and the grower can get a lot of plants from a single stem.

If you have a rose you would like to propagate have a go by taking cuttings, they are simple to take with little risk and the rose bushes usually grow well.

Start with a deep pot or you can put the rose cuttings directly into garden soil.If your putting them into the garden try to locate a well drained area where the soil is not too heavy.Digging in some coarse sand or grit will help with drainage and encourage root growth.If rooting in a pot fill the pot with a well drained mix such as multi purpose compost with added grit or perlite.

To take cuttings you want shoots that have grown this year and have flowered, the rose cuttings will flower next year and be ready to plant in the garden next autumn.

• Look for strong shoots about the thickness of a pencil in flower or with dead flowers on.Avoid shoots that have not flowered because these will be too soft at the tips.

• Trim the shoots just below a leaf the cutting should be about 1ft (30cm) in length. Then cut the top just above the leaf there can be upto 5 or 6 leaves on a cutting.

• Remove the leaves from the base of the cutting leaving just 2 or 3 at the top.Insert the cutting so that two thirds of the stem is in the compost.Water and put the pot in a cold frame.If your planting the cuttings in the soil outside cover with a cloche or fleece in cold weather.

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