Any gardener with well established woody herb bushes like sage, rosemary or lavender will around now be considering cutting back the lush growth, especially in a small garden. In my case, the sage is shading out some of the chives. Before cutting back the excessive growth, I had an idea to propogate new herb plants from cuttings. Cuttings are easily taken either using a sharp knife to slice below a bud on a side stem diagonally, or by pulling back a short 6 – 10 cm side shoot until it pulls away from the parent plant. This wound will grow new roots if the cutting is put into a plant pot filled with half potting compost and half horticultural sand mixed before planting the cutting. Firm in the cutting, water and leave to stand in a bright place avoiding direct sunlight, so the pot does not dry out. (Fat chance this weather, I hear you say!)
Potting up cuttings pulled of the overgrown sage bush in the herb patch. When established, these sage plants will be for sale in Balbriggan Fish & Farmers’ Market, Friday, in aid of Sonairte.
