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Summer is the ideal time to take leaf cuttings from your houseplants. A single leaf can produce many young plants, and this technique is particularly useful for foliage plants such as Begonia rex.Healthy begonia plantClean, sharp knife and cutting

. Remove a generous bunch with secateurs.Squash the berries onto a sheet of kitchen towel and clean away the skin and flesh to expose the bare seeds. Alternatively, clean away the flesh by running them under the cold tap in a sieve.Fill a small pot

of paper indoors, to dry for a few days. Once dry, separate the seeds from the seedhead. Place the seeds in a clean, labelled envelope.Place a sachet of silica gel in the container to prevent any moisture developing, and add the envelope of seeds. Seal

. Choose non-flowering sideshoots from either side of the main stem.Trim below a leaf joint to take a cutting about 7.5cm long. Carefully remove lower leaves so that the cutting has a length of bare stem that can be cleanly inserted into the compost

people use a soft brush, which is fine if you're only making one cross, but if you are making more a black plastic pen top is better, as you can see clearly if the top is clean of stray pollen grains, whereas they can hide in brush bristles. Simply take