Don’t Buy These Backyard Plants Next Spring, Propagate Them This August
August gives gardeners a chance to turn plants already growing in the yard into new plants for next spring. Growth produced earlier in the season has begun to firm at the base while the tips remain green, making many stems suitable for late-summer cuttings.
Lavender, hydrangeas, salvia, roses, and hostas can all be propagated this month, but the method changes from plant to plant. Some grow from cut stems, while established hostas can be divided at the crown.
Take Semi-Ripe Cuttings From Lavender
Lavender can be propagated from semi-ripe cuttings in August, when current-season stems have developed a firm base while the tips remain green.
Choose a non-flowering stem and cut a 3- to 4-inch section just below a leaf joint. Remove the lower leaves and place the stem in a mix of sand and perlite. Keep the medium moist without leaving it saturated. Roots can take about 4 to 6 weeks to form.
Use Non-Flowering Hydrangea Shoots
Hydrangeas can be propagated from shoots that have not produced flowers. Cut about 5 inches from a healthy stem tip, remove the lower leaves, and cut large upper leaves in half to reduce water loss.
Place the cutting in a moist peat and perlite mix. A clear cover can retain moisture around the leaves, but keep the pot away from direct afternoon sun, where heat can build beneath the cover. Hydrangea cuttings can root in about 3 to 4 weeks.
Cut Fresh Side Shoots From Salvia
Post-bloom salvia can produce side shoots that work as propagation material in August. Select a non-flowering shoot about 3 to 4 inches long and remove the leaves from its lower section.
Insert the cutting into light, moist potting soil and keep it in bright, indirect light while roots develop. Salvia is one of the faster plants in this group, with cuttings taking about 2 to 3 weeks to root.
Save Rose Stems After the Flowers Fade
Rose stems that have finished flowering can provide cuttings instead of heading to the compost pile. Choose a stem that bore a flower and cut a section about 6 inches long.
Remove leaves from the lower two-thirds of the stem, apply rooting medium to the base, and insert it into moist garden soil. A glass jar placed over the cutting can retain humidity during root formation. Rose cuttings take more time than the other flowering plants here, with roots forming in about 5 to 8 weeks.
Divide Hostas at the Crown
Hostas do not grow from stem cuttings. Instead, established clumps can be divided in late August, giving each new section time to establish before winter while the soil remains warm.
Dig around the clump and lift the root ball. Use a clean spade or knife to divide the crown, making sure each section keeps healthy roots and at least one growing point before replanting it. Root growth can begin in about 2 weeks, although the plants will continue establishing through the season.
Reddit user u/Luna_Luxxxx asked whether newly separated hostas with roots should go into the ground or into pots. Gardeners responding to the post recommended replanting rooted divisions right away in the ground or in containers with drainage, then keeping the soil moist while the roots establish. That approach gives the new divisions the best chance to settle before cold weather arrives.
August gives these plants time to establish before winter, but success depends on matching the propagation method to the plant rather than treating every cutting the same.