Growing Herbs from Cuttings

   
Today's Cuttings are Pineapple /Variegated Mint. 
I'm undecided about the smell of this one - nothing like Pineapple to my nose - but, with its variegated leaves its always attractive.

Tried some lavender today No luck at all with growing or propagating in the past. Best to start with the worst...maybe.

Think positive dj. Take many more than you need and hope for the best. If only one takes, you've one more than when you started!!

   

A box of 15 herb plants has been delivered - most of which I haven't grown before. Hopefully, I'll be able to take cuttings from some of them in the next few weeks and fill the garden with more scents (not sense!).

      

   
Two plants had slight damage so they are today's cuttings.  The plant on the left with fleshy leaves is Cuban Oregano/Plectranthus amboinicus which I have grown before. Not frost hardy IIRC.

          African Blue basil

Today's cuttings taken from the 2 plants that arrived yesterday. The smell is so appetising - not overwhelming like some basils. Its also a beautiful plant with purple undersides to the leaves. 

A perennial basil - recommended by Mark Riga in another thread. Thanks Mark.

For the record, I've just planted the rosemary cutting in #6 and a couple of variegated Pineapple mint and ?Black peppermint cuttings I'd prepared earlier.

Weirdly, watching my cuttings is not making roots sprout. Will stare harder tomorrow.

I've taken cuttings of various quality and size from lavender, rosemary, feverfew, oregano, and what I believe is a lemon balm. (Oregano and lemon balm were already growing on the plot when we took it. That's why I'm only pretty sure about them. I don't think it's marjoram...)

Also cheated and dug up some free oregano plants that had seeded around the plot.

I stare at mine every day - and top up their water. Nothing yet.
Took some more Rosemary today . YOu can never have too many Rosemarys.

I need more Herbs in my life and I know how to get them FREE!! 
I'm challenging myself to take cuttings every day until.......................I forget.

Today's Herb is Pineapple Sage  - Salvia Elegans aka Salvia Rutilans. I love the smell of the leaves (its pineapple in case you can't guess) and the bright red flowers. Its hardy outdoors here and easy to grow from cuttings. The Flower photo was taken in November so its extra valuable to have flowers at that time of year.

I've taken cuttings of this year's side shoots; removed the lowest leaves and woody bit at the bottom of the stem and stuck them in a jar of water on the window sill.

These have started to root.
Cuttings taken 15/8, roots 27/8 on 6 of the 12 cuttings. 
I love this plant so much I might edge a path with it - it grows to 5-6' so nobody will see me as I wander through, sniffing leaves. 

I obviously forgot about this Challenge to myself!!

Useful information from Norfolk Herbs (my herb suppliers )

Norfolk Herbs
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It’s cutting time again. This week we are starting secondary mint cuttings. We thought we would show you the process and we may even take a video next week! Ignore what you may have seen on the tv - There is no scalpel cutting the stems, no stem preparation or anything complicated. Snip and sink is what we call it here on the nursery. Snip between two leaf nodes and sink into compost. Then they tray is off to mist or capillary benches!  Some varieties don’t mind the leaf touching the compost either! It isn’t true for all but is a good rule of thumb for softer tip cuttings. Remember - NO ROOTING HORMONE. We don’t need it here! Some is even banned for culinary herbs anyway! This method is true for many herbs but not all. Harder stem herbs such as lavender and rosemary are slightly different and we would clean stems of ‘foliage’ before the ‘sink’. #cuttings #herbs