Yahoo News Alan Titchmarsh's trick to get roses blooming for free
Alan Titchmarsh has shared a nifty trick for garden enthusiasts to grow their own rose bushes without spending a penny. The gardening expert said his top tip in a video for BBC Gardeners' World Magazine.
He said: "Roses remain one of our most popular garden flowers, if not the most popular, coming in all shapes and sizes. Shrub roses, bush, floribunda, hybrid tea, climbers, ramblers, you name them we've got them.
"They cost quite a bit to buy, especially if they're container grown. You can of course plant them bare root in autumn between November and March."
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But Alan then revealed an alternative method for cultivating roses that won't cost gardeners a penny by using cuttings from existing bushes.
He said: "What you can also do is take cuttings and root your own. One benefit, no suckers, or any suckers to do come are not from a briar but from the actual variety.
"I quite like taking rose cuttings in autumn in about October, about a foot long, and putting them in a slit trench in the garden. But there is nothing to stop you in the height of summer, provided you don't let them dry out, from taking some shoot tip cuttings now."
For the best results when snipping cuttings, Alan advises cutting just above a leaf joint to ensure new shoots emerge directly from that point rather than leaving behind a snag that could die back.
When planted, these cuttings can potentially grow into a rose bush, meaning you can have a beautiful garden for free.
Sharing how to prepare the cuttings to be planted, Alan added that rose cuttings "aren't the most comfortable things to prepare" as the thorns have to be removed. This can take a bit of time to do but is necessary so the thorns don't start to rot.
After the thorns are removed you can start preparing the cutting for planting. Alan said: "We can now prepare it by taking off the flower at the top. Now cut it off just above a leaf. And then at the bottom strip those bottom leaves off. Where the leaf joint was make your lower cut just below it."
And when it's time to plant the cuttings, Alan recommends dipping the stem in water and a dab of hormone rooting powder. The cutting should then be buried to at least half its length, so just the top leaves are sticking out.
The plants will start to root by the end of summer and should be kept somewhere sheltered as they don't need any heat. Alan recommends waiting a year before taking the cuttings out of their pot and planting them in the garden.
