Take hardwood cuttings in autumn and winter

Hardwood cuttings are suitable for many deciduous shrubs, and are taken from the current year's growth at or after leaf fall and before new leaves emerge the following spring.

Choose plants that are pest and disease free and typical of the mother plant. Select stems of pencil thickness and using sharp secateurs cut a long section of stem just above a node.  Discard the top of the shoot which may have few food reserves and cut the remainder of the stem into 15 - 25cm (6 - 10in) lengths each with a minimum of three buds. 

Use a slanting cut at the top and a straight cut at the base of the cutting to ensure they are planted the right way up!  A sliver of bark can be removed from the bottom 1 - 2cm (0.5 - 1in) of the cutting to encourage rooting.

Dip the cutting into hormone rooting powder and tap off any excess.

Fill a deep pot with cuttings compost plus 50% horticultural grit. 

Insert the cuttings to half their length and firm the compost or soil around them.  Water lightly and place pots in a sheltered position. Or prepare a slit trench in spare ground by working a spade back and forward in the soil.  Add some grit or sand to the base of the trench to aid drainage

Rooting may take several months.  Rooted cuttings may be potted on or planted out individually and grown on for planting in their final position when established.