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are at their freshest.Remove the polythene bag once a day and shake out excess water to prevent conditions becoming too humid inside.More plant cuttings projectsTake dahlia cuttings - advice from Sarah RavenLearn how to take basal cuttings, with Carol KleinHow to take

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

- September45 minutesYou can take cuttings from any type of rose you choose, but just make sure you select long, strong, healthy stems from this season's growth, not old wood.Make the cuttings 25cm long, cutting above a bud at the top to remove the shoot tip

.Verbena plantsSharp knife10cm potsFree-draining compost (multi-purpose and perlite mix - see Adam's tip)Rooting hormone (liquid or powder)Clear polythene bags and rubber bandsJuly - September45 minutesTake cuttings in the morning when shoots are at their firmest

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

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

While you can't take cuttings from rhododendrons, there is a much simpler technique you can try - layering. Do it over the summer and by the following spring you'll have the beginnings of many new rhododendron plants.Established rhododendron plant

, woody rhizomes and replanting only young, healthy plants into freshly-prepared soil. IrisesGarden forkSharp knifeTrowelJuly - August30 minutesUse a fork to dig up a congested clump of irises. Ease the plants from the soil, taking care not to spike

the ground level.Dig a trench, 30cm wide by 20cm deep, and part fill with soil down its length to make a mound 10cm high. Take the asparagus crowns and sit them 30cm apart on top of the mound, spreading the roots on either side. Cover the crowns with 5cm

It's really easy to extract and sow seed from fruits you've collected, and it's also free. Plants grown from seed aren't always exactly like the parent plant, unlike those grown from cuttings, so look forward to results that could be new, different