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Roses can be grown successfully from cuttings and will grow on to make good flowering plants. Choose healthy stems of the current season's growth and follow our step-by-step advice to be sure of success. Roots will be produced over the winter months

and overwinter them in a coldframe.Keep the cuttings watered and shoots should start to appear next spring. Leave plants for at least 12 months before transplanting.AdamRemove a 1-2cm sliver of bark from the base of any variety that is shy of rooting, e

Watering can with rose attachmentPolythene bagSheet of glass or a propagatorJanuary - April30 minutes to sow and 30 minutes to pot onFill small pots or seed trays with seed compost. Use a watering can fitted with a fine rose to moisten compost. Leave pots

. Practice the basics of rooting softwood cuttings with our step-by-step advice and you'll be able to use these skills for more complex cuttings. 10cm flower potCuttings compostPerlite (optional)Sharp knifeRooting hormone liquid (optional)Polythene bag

boardPotsFree-draining compost, equal parts multi-purpose and perliteClear polythene bagsJune - September1 hourRemove a healthy leaf, lay it on the cutting board and, using a clean, sharp knife, cut it into pieces the size of a large stamp. Each portion

will form at the end that was furthest away from the parent plant, so this end should sit in the bottom of the planting hole.More advice on propagating plantsCarol Klein's video guide to taking basal cuttingsSarah Raven gives instruction on taking dahlia

and shape of its flowers.The day before you intend to pollinate your plant, cut at least one fully open flower from the father plant, making sure it has 2.5cm (1in) of stem. Bring this flower into the house and float it in a shallow bowl of water overnight