Who doesn’t want more plants for free? September is a great time to harvest native plant seeds you already have in your yard and expand your gardens. Or if you want to try new native plants, exchange seeds with friends or harvest from the wild in permissible areas.

Many native perennials need a moist, cold treatment, called stratification, before germinating in spring. The cold, wet weather during winter signals the seeds to prepare for germination when the weather warms.

You can harvest those seeds now and store them till late fall or early winter, then plant the seeds in the ground or in containers for more control. If planting in containers, keep an eye on the moisture level till the ground freezes and again in the spring. To keep birds and squirrels out of the plantings, cover them with tulle, hardware cloth, or chicken wire.

Flower seeds to harvest in fall that do not need cold stratification can be planted right away. The ground is warm so seeds germinate quickly. Even if they do not germinate right away, they should emerge on their own timetable in spring. Here are the easiest-to-grow native plant seeds you can harvest in September to expand your garden for free.

Seed Saving Essentials

Native Plant Seeds to Harvest Now

When you are giving plants a haircut in midsummer, be sure to leave a few untouched so they can go to seed. Cutting off the faded flowers will also cut off seed production for that flower. And leave a few seedheads for the local wildlife, too. Birds and small mammals eat the seeds in winter when foraging for food.

The plants you want to collect seeds from should be native species and not cultivars of native plants. Most cultivars do not come true from seed. Here are five native plant species you can harvest from now to get more plants for free.

1. Purple Coneflower

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is one of the showiest and easiest native plants to grow from seed. Its flowers – drooping, dark pink petals surrounding a center cone – are popular pollinator and songbird favorites in USDA hardiness zones 3 to 9.

It will reseed and grow on its own whether or not you collect the seeds. To start them in a different area, all you need to do is cut a few stalks with the dark brown seedheads, place them in the new area and – presto! – instant coneflowers next spring. But if you want to save seed for yourself or share with others, there should be plenty of dry, brown center cones in September.

To collect the seedheads, wait until they are completely dry then cut the dark brown, stiff cones from the stalk and drop them into a small, labeled paper bag. To remove the seeds, you can tap the heads on a table and they should fall out. Or, with gloved hands, lightly rub the cones.

Coneflower seeds benefit from cold stratification to awaken from dormancy so direct sow the seeds shallowly outdoors in the fall. Or, simulate winter by storing them in moist sand or moist paper towels sealed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for eight weeks.

To transplant seedlings in spring, sow seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the average last frost date. Lightly cover the seeds with soil and mist them daily till they germinate in about 10 to 20 days.

2. Butterfly Weed

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is one of my top five garden plants. It is drought tolerant, blooms off and on all summer with bright orange clusters of nectar-filled flowers, and is a host plant for the monarch butterfly, growing in USDA zones 3 to 9. The seedpods split open when the seeds are ripe and dark brown seeds float out on fluffy silk. Butterfly weed reseeds on its own, but you can collect the seedpods before they open.

To harvest the seeds, cut off the pods when they are turning light brown and the seam separates easily when pressed. If you can see dark brown seeds inside then they are mature. Green or white seeds or an unyielding pod indicate the seeds are not ready for harvesting.

Once ready, break open the seam, and to keep the silk rope intact, grasp it firmly at the top and gently remove it with the seeds attached. Continue holding the top of the silk while using a finger to lightly push the seeds off the silk.

Milkweed seeds need cold stratification to break dormancy. Sow seeds shallowly outside in late fall in a sunny, permanent location with well-draining soil. Seeds remain in the soil through winter, then germinate in spring. To simulate cold stratification, store the seeds in moist sand or in a moist paper towel in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for one month.

To transplant seedlings in spring, start seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the average last frost date. Sow them in deep, 4-inch (10.2 cm) cells to accommodate the growing taproot. Use a heat mat if available. Perennials spend their energy the first two years growing roots and foliage, so they may not bloom for three years.

3. Wild Bergamot

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is the lavender-colored, fragrant monarda that blooms abundantly in early summer, forming a large mound that increases by rhizomes as well as seeds. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love the nectar-rich flowers that grow in USDA hardiness zones 3 to 9.

When the flowers fade, seeds mature within two months, forming dry, brown seedheads. Cut off the seedheads and place in a labeled paper bag. Allow to dry further indoors, then pull the seedheads apart to reveal the tiny, brown, oval seeds. Remove the chaff and place seeds in a paper envelope or paper bag and store in a cool, dry location.

Monarda does not need any pre-treatment to germinate, so the dry seeds can be stored until planting time. They can be planted outside in full sun in well-drained soil right now or in spring after the danger of frost is past.

To transplant seedlings in spring, start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the average last frost date. Plant them in seed starting trays or containers using a moist, soilless potting mix.

These plants need light to germinate, so sprinkle them on the surface of the medium and press down. Set the trays in a sunny window or under grow lights. Mist the soil daily till germination occurs in about one to three weeks.

4. Blanket Flower

Blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) is a short-lived perennial with bicolor red and yellow, daisy-like flowers that attract butterflies. There are many annual and perennial varieties to choose from, but they all require well-draining soil in full sun to thrive and are hardy in zones 3 to 10.

Blanket flower blooms from midsummer to early fall, and flowers left on the plant will dry and produce seed in a rounded center that's relished by goldfinches. To harvest the seeds, cut off dried seedheads when the heads are brown or gray and seeds pull away easily. Remove the chaff and allow the seeds to thoroughly dry before storing in paper envelopes or bags in a dry, cool location.

For earlier blooming, start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost. Press the seeds onto moist, soilless potting mix and do not cover. Gaillardia seeds need light to germinate such as from a sunny window or grow lights. A heat mat is beneficial, too.

Mist daily until they germinate in two to three weeks. You also can direct sow seeds into the ground after the last frost but they may not bloom till the second year.

5. Threadleaf Coreopsis

Threadleaf coreopsis (Anacis verticillata) is a showy perennial with lacy, airy leaves and yellow daisy-like flowers that blooms from late spring to late summer. It grows best in full sun and well-drained, poor soil in USDA zones 3 to 9.

Threadleaf coreopsis grows easily from seed and attracts birds and butterflies. Collect the small, golden, dried seedheads about four weeks after the flowers fade. Seeds are small, black or gray, and oblong. Separate them from the chaff and store in paper envelopes or bags in a dry, cool location.

Plant threadleaf coreopsis seeds in late fall or early spring without cold treatment. They need light to germinate so press seeds lightly into the soil. To transplant seedlings in spring, start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the average last frost.

Press the seeds onto moist, soilless potting mix and do not cover. Place the container in a sunny window or under grow lights. Mist daily until the seeds germinate.

Taking cuttings is one of gardening’s most exciting leaps of faith. Cuttings that start life in little glass jars of water might be the ultimate next-generation lottery. And you know what? I don’t have a hundred percent success rate. I’m constantly drawn to preserve an old favorite or bulk out a collection of living color, but heck, I’ve seen my share of stubborn, root-free stems eventually collecting funk in jars.

Case in point: earlier this year, I nurtured a few cuttings from my prized Kong coleus through late winter, gripped with a desire to enjoy that lush magenta foliage again. Those little water cuttings rooted like troopers on my cozy windowsill, and by early spring, I was looking forward to potting them on. Imagine my dismay when just before potting day, I woke up to find these tender plant cuttings had inexplicably blackened overnight. What made it more galling was seeing the healthy white roots that still supported those lifeless stumps. Those roots were like a lush support act for a main event I would forever be denied.

Yet moments like this don’t dampen my enthusiasm for water-based cuttings. The way I see it, those heartbreaking fails make the windowsill triumphs sweeter. For every lost coleus, I’ve nurtured a stash of new plants using jars and tap water. This simple process removes many of the guessing games of pot propagation, allowing you to watch new life taking shape every day. September is the perfect month to safeguard the future of some of our most well-loved plants. Here’s my trio of personal favorites that can be rooted in water this month to multiply your blooms and fruit for free, including one that might surprise you. So grab your snips and let’s dive in.

Great Cuttings to Root in Water

If spring propagation feels like a bit of a gamble, September water cuttings are a reliable victory lap. By late summer, key plants have spent months basking in the sun, stuffing their stems full of rich plant sugars. Taking semi-ripe cuttings (stems firm at the base but bendy at the top) capitalizes on these energy reserves. Choose the right cuttings, and your stems are packed with fuel and ready to sprout. I’m tackling 3 backyard favorites this month, including one widely believed to rot in water.

Because these stems are past the tender, rot-prone softwood stage of spring, but haven't hardened into dormant wood, they are primed for fast, vigorous root growth. Placing these stems in water allows you to watch the initial white callus tissue transform into robust root networks day by day. Placing them in jars turns your kitchen windowsill into a dynamic lab where you watch new life begin in real time.

The right cuts do matter. Dull blades will crush delicate tissue, impeding water uptake and inviting bacteria. To really enjoy the benefits of propagation, it’s worth investing in a pair of highly rated Fiskars Micro-Tip Pruning Snips from Amazon for razor-sharp cuts that don’t harm the plant. Clean blades before and after use with isopropyl alcohol or diluted neem. Make a crisp diagonal cut right beneath a leaf node, where growth hormones are concentrated. Strip off lower leaves, though, as a single leaf floating underwater will quickly turn your jar into a swampy mess.

Don't grab stems showing off big blooms or heavy fruit. You want stems that have finished their seasonal display, so all energy goes into pushing out roots instead of feeding fading blooms or crops. For an extra boost, give the freshly cut nodes a quick tap in Garden Safe TakeRoot Rooting Hormone Powder from Lowe’s before they hit the water. This rooting hormone (or a water-soluble rooting liquid) is like giving your stem a double espresso before it starts its rooting marathon. Ready to meet our trio?

1. Hydrangea Cuttings in Water

If you want an instant propagation win, hydrangeas are a dream to start in water in September. Panicle types (like Limelight) and smooth varieties (such as Annabelle) root like gangbusters in water, and classic bigleaf hydrangea types (like Endless Summer) are equally rewarding. So head out into the yard with your snips or a pair of bypass shears for sturdier stems. If you want the best of the best, Swiss-designed Felco 2 Bypass Pruners from Amazon slice through stems with ease and efficiency.

Hunt for fresh, non-flowering shoots from this year's growth. You want 4-6 inch (10-15cm) stem tips that are firm at the bottom but still have some give at the top. So no thick, crusty old branches or stems weighed down by fading mopheads! Cut just below a healthy leaf node. The thing that really makes a difference to the speed of hydrangea propagation is leaf reduction. Strip off the lower leaves, and trim the top remaining leaves straight across the middle. It looks a bit silly, but halving the leaves stops the cutting from pumping out moisture faster than its fresh stem can drink.

You can pop your hydrangea stems straight into fresh water without waiting for it to harden first. A simple jar is fine for hydrangea cuttings if you are grouping a few together. However, it’s not a bad idea to split them up into separate chambers to give each root room to grow (and you’d be amazed how fast these babies can root). I like the sturdy wooden propagation stations for hydrangea cuttings. For instance, the Yibot Propagation Station with Wooden Frame, available from Amazon, has generous glass capacity for hearty hydrangea roots without risking stem slippage. Place it on a warm, bright windowsill, but keep it shaded from harsh direct sunlight.

You should start seeing little white root nubs popping out of the submerged nodes in just 10-14 days, with a full root system ready by the fourth week. As soon as those root nubs show up, add a tiny drop of Miracle-Gro Liquid Indoor Plant Food from Home Depot into the water for a little gourmet snack ahead of potting. This particular brand is great for narrow glass tubes, thanks to its muss-free pump dispenser. However, it’s wise to swap the water out every 2-3 days to keep it fresh. Watching these future blooming beauties root is genuinely exciting and lovely to watch.

2. Edible Fig Cuttings in Water

If you’ve ever dreamed of growing your own edible fig tree for free, get ready for an aquatic event that will blow your mind. Propagating edible figs in water is one of late summer’s most rewarding windowsill surprises. Varieties such as 'Brown Turkey' or 'Celeste' can root in plain water with astonishing ease. Look for pencil-thick, 6-8 inch (15-20cm) stems where the wood is just turning from tender green to woody brown.

Make an angled cut just below a node on a semi-ripe stem (where the color is shifting from green to light brown). Make sure each cutting is pencil thick and has at least 2-3 healthy leaf nodes. Avoid old, rigid hardwood, as well as overly soft green tips that lack the structural integrity to support water propagation. However, don't dunk the cutting into water just yet, as figs have a sneaky little quirk to deal with.

Fresh fig cuts bleed a sticky, milky white latex sap when cut. So if you pop the stem into a jar immediately, that sap will choke off fresh root growth. Instead, let your cut stem rest on a dry paper towel for 15 minutes to let the sap seal over nicely. Once sealed, slide the stem into water, but submerge only the bottom couple of inches (5cm). The stem needs its upper breathing pores exposed so it doesn't suffocate.

Go for jars that have a little extra height and sturdiness, such as Britegleam Tall Mason Jars from Walmart, which offer excellent support for top-heavy stems. If you can find tinted vessels, that’s also ideal for water-based fig cuttings, helping to protect delicate emerging roots from harsh sunlight.

Place the jar on a warm windowsill to accelerate growth. Figs also crave bottom warmth to trigger quicker root formation. You can buy Vivosun Waterproof Heat Mats from Amazon at 20% off for a limited deal. Placed under the glass jars, these provide ambient bottom heat, accelerating root growth. You may well see those bumpy root nubs in just a couple of weeks, with a lush root web ready for soil by the fifth week.

3. Lavender Cuttings in Water (Yes, Really)

If you want to ruffle a few traditional gardening feathers, try telling someone you’re rooting lavender cuttings in a jar of water. Conventional wisdom says Mediterranean herbs turn to goop in standing water. And yes, I’ve had my share of soggy stumps in my time, I won’t lie. But you live and learn, and there is a way to harness a secret loophole this month. I’m all about dreaming the impossible dream, and with the right stems and a simple kitchen hack, you can grow lavender from little water cuttings.

The trick lies in picking the right plant and stem. By choosing semi-ripe stems with a firm, semi-woody base but soft foliage at the top, your cuttings enjoy peak resilience. Hardy English lavender types such as Munstead or Hidcote respond best, whereas tender French or Spanish varieties are more temperamental. Look for non-flowering side shoots 3-4 inches (8-10cm) long. Make sure you strip off the bottom 60% of the leaves. This is a non-negotiable to happy cuttings. A single leaf swimming in water can be a recipe for stem rot, so just leave a tuft at the tip of each lavender cutting.

To suspend these tiny stems without drowning them, here’s a handy freebie hack for you. Grab some foil like Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil from Walmart and secure over the opening of the jar you intend to use (preferably one with a narrow neck). Poke some tiny holes with a pin or needle and slide the bare stems of the cuttings into the jar. Make sure only the bottom inch of each one dips into the water. This holds the stems upright, while keeping every leaf high, dry, and happy.

Patience is vital with lavender cuttings: unlike hydrangea and figgy snippings, they like to take their time. While hydrangeas root in a fortnight, lavender requires 4-6 weeks to push out delicate root threads. So don’t panic if you don’t see much happen for the first month. It’s worth the wait. Keep your jar on a bright windowsill, changing the water every 48 hours without fail to maintain good oxygen levels.

Since the days are getting shorter, a good grow light can help. The gooseneck Sansi Clip-On LED Full Spectrum Grow Light from Amazon is a budget way to enhance 12-hour light cycles without overheating stems. Or for something that caters to cuttings on a shelf or multiple heights, and can be adjusted easily, the Barrina T10 Full Spectrum Standing Grow Light from Amazon is currently on discount. With a few extra cuttings for insurance, this type of propagation has a surprising 60% success rate, so hold your nerve for free plants and you really can be living the dream.

When to Pot On and Plant Out

Follow these water-based plant propagation tips, and you’re well on your way to a stack of new garden beauties. But before you celebrate, remember: getting those water-based cuttings to root is just the beginning, and there are still a few more after-care tips to keep in mind. The transition from water jar to potting medium is where many growers accidentally lose their baby plants (and I’ve learned this lesson the hard way myself).

Roots born in water are soft and fragile. These water roots are quite brittle, they lack fine root hairs, and they are adapted to liquid life. To prevent culture shock when moving them to solids, resist the urge to pot up at the first sign of emerging roots. Wait until those roots develop secondary branching threads 1.5-2 inches (4-5cm) long, before you make your move. When you do, treat those water roots like glass. GIve them a gentle, fluffy, ultra-breathable, well-draining soil mix or potting soil, equal parts potting mix and perlite or coarse sand.

A great-value, lightweight option is Espoma Organic Potting Mix from The Home Depot, which contains earthworm castings and kelp meal to promote steady, balanced nutrient distribution and gently cushion fragile roots during their transition. Add some Plantonix Perlite Bliss Premium from Walmart to ensure sharp drainage for young lavender and fig cuttings as they settle into pots. This airy well-draining combo gives tiny roots room to breathe and spread without getting crushed.

Once potted up, give each plant the specific TLC it craves. Thirsty hydrangeas need soil consistently moist for the first 10 days while they settle in. Tuck your potted baby figgies into 4-inch (10cm) pots and keep on a bright, sunny, frost-free indoor windowsill to protect them through winter. For container-based lavender, keep the potting soil lean and super-gritty, go easy on the watering, and keep pots indoors until spring. Nurture them through the next few months, and your new free backyard favorites will be ready to go outside come spring.

Shop Propagation Essentials

Water cuttings require remarkably little key equipment. If you can’t find anything else, there’s no shame in using a few jam jars to house your watery recruits. That said, some pretty vessels can make your propagation project a thing of beauty, and a few little extras help to make your new plants stronger and happier. To increase your chances of thriving new plants rather than rotting stems, make a little room for these helpful extras. From crystal-clear vessels to supplemental lighting, these top-rated essentials will help give your fall propagation project the best start.

Water Cutting Trio

Propagating your favorite backyard plants in water is definitely worth a shot this fall. While not every stem will make it across the finish line, the wins far outweigh the losses. Grab your snips, fill a few glass jars, and turn a sunny windowsill into a winter nursery. By next spring, you'll be planting out a fortune in future bloomers and fruity heroes. From fast-rooting hydrangeas to surprising edible figs and a lucky lavender you might never have thought possible, this classic trio is well worth taking a dip for.

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Harvesting seeds from the plants you already grow is a fantastic way to expand your garden for free. Fall is the perfect time to pluck the ripe seedheads from many plants. But if you’ve never tried seed saving, then you may not have all the equipment you need to get started. Luckily, it doesn’t require much.

Before you start harvesting flower seeds from your garden, it’s important to gather all the necessary tools. If you’ve been gardening for a while, you may already have some of these items floating around. But if not, you can pick up what you need for only a few bucks from Amazon.

Here are the essential tools you need to harvest and save seeds from your own garden. September is the ideal time to start saving seeds, so add these items to your cart now!

1. Good Pair of Pruners

If you’ve ever done any amount of gardening, you likely have a pair of pruners lying around somewhere. But if you don’t have a preferred pair of pruning shears or are looking to upgrade, I recommend these $13 Fiskars bypass pruning shears from Amazon for harvesting seedheads from your garden.

Fiskars is my go-to brand for pruning tools because they’re affordable, durable, and made from quality materials. But if you’re looking to splurge, these cult-favorite pruners from Felco are our Editor-in-Chief Melanie’s favorite pruners.

No matter what brand you choose, you will need a sharp, clean pair of pruners to cut off faded flowers that have turned into ripe seedheads by this point in the season. You can either deadhead, cutting off only the seedhead, or you can cut back plants, leaving a few inches of stem attached to the seedhead.

Leave some of the faded seedheads on the plants in your garden to provide winter food for wild birds. Allowing some of the stems to remain also creates shelter and nesting spots for beneficial insects over winter.

2. Sifter to Separate Seeds From Chaff

This is a somewhat specialty item that the average gardener probably doesn’t have, but if you’re interested in saving lots of seeds from your plants, it’s one that really comes in handy. A soil sifter, like this one from Amazon that’s currently 50% off, makes separating the actual seeds from the chaff so much easier than trying to do it by hand.

Break up the seedheads in the sifter and then sift out the seeds, leaving the chaff and other unwanted bits of plant material behind in the sifter. Throw those into your compost pile when you’re done.

This particular soil sifter comes with four different mesh screens you can swap out for different types of seeds. Use the finer screen for species with smaller seeds, like larkspur, or use the screen with the larger holes for bigger seeds, like sweet peas. I’ve tried using a regular kitchen sieve to separate seeds in the past and it has worked alright, but the ability to change out the screen definitely would have been a big help.

If you make your own compost at home, this sifter will also come in handy. Use it to filter out larger chunks of compost that still need more time to decompose. You’ll be left with a wonderful, fluffy batch of ready-to-use compost for your garden.

3. Container to Store & Sort Your Seeds

Once you’ve harvested your seeds and separated them from the chaff, it’s time to organize and store them for next season. There are many different ways you can store seeds, from paper envelopes to old pill bottles to glass jars and everything in between. But one of the best ways to store and organize seeds that our team of plant experts has ever discovered is using a craft bead organizer.

Content Editor Kathleen came up with this idea a couple years ago when she had more leftover seeds at the end of the season than she knew how to handle. She realized a craft bead organizer, specifically this one that’s only $10 on Amazon, was the perfect solution for her abundance of seeds.

This organizer can hold up to 64 different types of seeds and each variety can have its own separate container. Plus, the kit comes with labels, so you never have to wonder what type of seed is inside.

August is still summer, but it’s the end of summer, and perennial plants have been growing for many months since early spring. That means that many of these plants are overgrown by summer’s end and would benefit from being divided.

Division is a type of perennial propagation in which you dig up the root clump and chop it up to create several plants, then replant each section. August is an ideal month to divide plants since cool nights and warm soil will encourage roots to regrow quickly.

Which plants to focus on? Give preference to species that have finished flowering and are showing crowded centers. Summer’s end is a fine moment for dividing plants - from geraniums to shade-loving hostas. It makes your borders neater and gives you healthier, happier plants next year. Grab a perennial shovel from Lowe's that is specifically designed for dividing and transplanting perennials to make the task easy as pie. Here are half a dozen perennials that will benefit from being divided now.

1. Bearded Iris

With six petals – three upright, three drooping - the bearded iris (Iris germanica) is an extremely popular perennial. It is beloved for its huge, showy blossoms that are super-fragrant and have a frilly beard in the center. It’s this beard with pollen and nectar that attracts pollinators. The plant also sports long, strappy, sword-like leaves. It’s a powerhouse in the garden and can grow to a mature height of some 4 feet (1.5m).

Bearded iris is hardy to USDA hardiness zones 3-9. It needs well-draining soil to thrive, sandy is preferred, and full sun exposure. Water when the top few inches of soil are dry. Never let that soil get wet – and never mulch this plant – or you are risking root rot.

The bearded iris can live for many years. But after several years, the clumps become crowded, congested, and tangled with old and new growth. That makes August the perfect time to divide irises. This gives you new plants and freshens up and cleans up old ones. To divide, cut the foliage back to 6 inches, lift the roots and divide. Then replant with the top of the rhizome exposed to the sun.

2. Shasta Daisies

Shasta daisies have cheerful, white-petaled flowers with butter-yellow centers that contrast beautifully with the plant's dark green leaves. These perennials thrive in USDA hardiness zones 5-9 and require a site with sun – either full or partial sun – as well as well-draining soil. They are drought tolerant but do best if you give them sufficient water to keep the soil moist.

Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum) grows in clumps, and after 2-3 years, the clumps get tired and woody. Left to their own devices, these tired clumps won’t flower well in the spring. The solution is to divide Shasta daisy clumps in late summer or early fall. Dig up the entire clump, shake off excess soil and discard the woody, worn-out center. Split the rest of the clump with a sharp garden knife. Split the clump into several smaller sections, then replant them all immediately. Make sure that they are replanted at their original soil depth.

3. Common Yarrow

You may know yarrow plants as gordaldo, milfoil, poor man's pepper or thousand leaf. It’s also called plumajillo in the southwest – a term that means little feather in Spanish. The plant’s aromatic leaves are feathery and have a lacy texture. The yarrow stems can grow to 3 feet (1m) tall and are topped by flat clusters of tiny blooms - often yellow, cut sometimes white or pink.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) likes a sunny location in USDA hardiness zones 3-9. It grows in poor soil, clay soil, and even sandy soil, as long as it is well-draining. Yarrow plants need regular pruning and deadheading to keep the plant blooming. Even so, they get overgrown at summer’s end and benefit from being divided every few years or when the center of the plant begins to die out. Dig up the plant, discard the center and replant the outer chunks.

4. Hostas

Hostas are known as the queen of the shade garden and for good reason. These popular perennials have stunning foliage and thrive in shaded areas. Gardeners appreciate that hostas return year after year from their rhizomatous roots. They are available in many sizes - from teeny tiny to giant - and a wide variety of leaf patterns.

Hostas thrive in USDA hardiness zones 3-9. Although they prefer shade, some can grow in dappled sunshine. Hostas can get tired, tattered, and worn out by autumn. The beautiful foliage turns yellow or brown, and may sprawl or collapse as the plant prepares for winter dormancy.

Use an overcast August morning to divide hostas into sections, making sure each section has a healthy set of roots and shoots. Keep the pieces damp and you can store them for a few weeks before replanting.

5. Daylilies

Pretty, popular daylilies grow fast and live a long time. They are not true lilies, but are easy to grow, drought-tolerant and attract pollinators. The trumpet shape blooms appear in fiery shades of red, orange, yellow, purple, and pink, and are top choices for borders and edging. They thrive in USDA zones 3-10.

Daylilies are so easy to divide that they would be a great place for a beginning gardener to learn about propagation by division. They outgrow their space every three to five years. Wait until they finish flowering to divide them. This is usually the end of August.

Use clean, sharp pruners to clip the daylily foliage close to the ground before digging out the clump. Then divide the root ball with your fingers, move each one to a new location, and plant them so that the crown is just below the soil surface.

Perennials bought by the pot add up quickly, which is part of why seed saving keeps drifting back into fashion. The other part is timing. August sits in the middle of the ripening season for a lot of garden favorites. Pods that looked plump and soft in July are turning brown and brittle right about now.

Advice on the subject tends to point toward seed harvesting in autumn, which suits the last bloomers but comes far too late for anything that flowered in June. On some of these, a week of waiting costs the whole crop. One clump watched closely can teach more than any calendar can.

Perennials to Collect Seeds from in August

Three habits apply no matter what is being collected. Work on a dry afternoon rather than the morning after rain. Leave seeds out somewhere indoors and airy for a week to finish curing. Then store your seeds – these paper seed envelopes from Amazon are a better bet than a jar, because they won't allow moisture to build up.

1. Columbine

Columbine ripens ahead of nearly everything else here, so early August is often the last call instead of the opening bell. The pods stand upright in clusters of five and split across the top once the seed inside has gone glossy black. Tip the stem over a bowl and it empties in one motion. Green seed will not keep, however carefully it gets dried. Hardy from zones 3 to 8, columbine self-sows with real enthusiasm, so the volunteers crowding around the parent are worth leaving alone as a backup supply.

2. Oriental Poppy

Oriental poppy comes in the most convenient packaging in the garden. Its capsule dries to a hard tan shell with a ring of tiny openings under the cap. Turn one upside down and a fine dark dust pours out, barely coarser than ground pepper. Rattle a few before picking, because a capsule that stays silent has not finished ripening. Zones 3 to 7 are within range. The crown dies back to nothing by midsummer, so note where it sits while the stems are still standing.

3. Hollyhock

Flat green disks follow the flowers up a hollyhock spike. The ones near the bottom ripen weeks ahead of those at the top. Wait until a disk turns papery brown and breaks into wedges under light pressure. Each wedge holds a single seed. Zones 3 to 8 is the usual range, though hollyhock behaves more like a biennial than a true perennial, which is exactly why keeping a supply on hand matters.

4. Perennial Lupine

Lupine gives almost no warning at all. Its pods shift from green to gray-brown over a couple of days, then twist open and fling the seed several feet (about 1m) clear of the crown. Check them every morning once the color starts to turn. A pair of bypass pruning shears from Home Depot makes short work of the whole stalk. The stalk can then finish splitting inside a paper bag where nothing escapes. It grows across zones 3 to 8. Weevils get into a percentage most years, so a spell in the freezer counts as cheap insurance before the seed goes away for winter.

5. Blazing Star

Blazing star never makes the moment obvious, because the spike turns tan from the top downward over several weeks. Tug gently at the fluff. Seed that lets go without a fight is ready. The rest needs more time. Blazing star performs from zone 3 to zone 9. It also puts out a fair number of hollow duds alongside the good material, so roll a few between finger and thumb — the plump ones are easy to feel out from the empty. There is no need to clean the fluff out of a batch before it goes into a packet.

6. Balloon Flower

Balloon flower capsules split into a neat five-pointed star at the top when the contents are ready. By then the stem has usually yellowed. Cut below the capsule and turn it over. Flat dark seed slides straight out with no cleaning needed. The comfortable range runs from zone 3 to zone 8. That long taproot makes division a gamble, and replacements raised from saved seed prove far more dependable than lifting and splitting an old clump. Wet weather during ripening spoils more batches than birds ever do.

7. Anise Hyssop

Anise hyssop, also known as agastache, asks less of a gardener than anything else on this list. The flower spike dries into a brown bottlebrush. By mid-August the seed is loose inside it, so a bag held underneath and a firm shake will collect most of what is there. What comes off is more chaff than seed at first. Push the mix through a 1mm straining mesh sheets from Walmart and the chaff stays behind. Zones 4 to 8 are home ground. It self-sows freely enough that some gardeners cut the spikes purely to keep the colony in check.

August feels like the wrong month to be putting seed in the ground. For most vegetables, it is. Perennial wildflowers run on a different clock – many of them need a long cold, damp spell before they will germinate at all. That is exactly what happens to seed left sitting outside from now through March.

Direct sown seeds handle that process unassisted. No refrigerator space, no damp paper towels sealed in a bag. The tradeoff is patience. A few of these bloom their opening summer, though plenty spend year one on roots and only turn up properly the season after.

Perennial Seeds Worth Scattering This Month

Everything below takes cold and wet without complaint, which is the main thing to ask of anything left outdoors from September on. Zones listed apply to established plants, and seedlings in their first winter are more fragile than that.

1. Purple Coneflower

Coneflower seed does better sown thick than sown carefully. Germination runs uneven even under decent conditions, so scattering more than seems reasonable is standard. A hand-powered spreader from Home Depot throws it further and more evenly than a fist can. Hardy through zones 3 to 9, it likes sun and soil that drains. Heavy clay that stays wet all spring rots the crowns early on. First-year plants stay low and leafy. Flowers turn up the second summer, then keep arriving for years with hardly any input.

2. Black-Eyed Susan

Not much colonizes bare dirt faster. Black-eyed Susan is short-lived, usually behaving like a biennial across zones 3 to 7. It reseeds freely enough that a patch renews itself with no replanting. Surface-sow it. The seed needs light, and burying it is the single most common reason a scattering fails. Thin mineral soil works better here than a rich bed. Think of it as the crop that holds a spot while everything slower makes up its mind.

3. New England Aster

By the time asters open, most of the meadow has already called it a year. That late bloom is the point. It also lands as monarchs move through much of the country. Zones 4 to 8 covers most of the range. New England aster gets tall – 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5m) is normal – and flops over when the soil is too rich. Seed dropped on packed sod mostly washes away. Open the surface with a bow rake from Walmart, then scatter. That gives it somewhere to lodge.

4. Butterfly Weed

Moving this one rarely ends well, which is the argument for scattering it where it will stay. Butterfly weed sends down a deep taproot early and resents disturbance after that. These are best suited for zones 3 to 9. Dormancy breaks only after a properly cold, damp stretch. A sowing that sits out all winter tends to beat anything attempted in spring. Progress above the surface looks slow that opening season. Push a few marking flags from Amazon in around the patch, because the seedlings are easy to mistake for weeds come April.

5. Lanceleaf Coreopsis

Lean soil and full sun. There is not much else on the list for this one. Lanceleaf coreopsis is happy anywhere from zone 4 to zone 9 and often flowers its debut season, filling the gap while slower species are still working underground. Once settled, it takes over the reseeding itself. Deadheading is arguably counterproductive here, since letting seed fall is how a stand thickens up. Drought barely registers. Give it the driest strip on the property.

6. Wild Bergamot

The smell arrives before the flowers do. Crushed bergamot foliage gives off a sharp oregano-mint note. That oil is a good part of why deer walk past it. Rated for zones 3 to 9, it creeps by rhizome once established. Gaps get filled rather than held as one tidy clump. Surface-sow this one too. Powdery mildew turns up on crowded plants in humid summers, so spread the seed over a wide patch instead of concentrating it in a corner.

7. Blanket Flower

Poor soil is a feature here, not a problem to fix. Blanket flower burns out fast in rich, damp beds. It hangs on for years in the gritty stuff nothing else will touch – roughly zones 3 to 8. Light triggers germination, so press the seed into contact with the surface rather than covering it over. Bloom tends to come the same year from an August sowing. The plants stay low and wide, useful along a path edge where anything taller ends up leaning across.

8. Wild Blue Indigo

Patience is the price of admission here. Wild blue indigo (also known as false indigo and baptisia) can take three or four years to flower from seed, which puts a lot of people off. Whatever comes out the other side often outlives the gardener who scattered it. It sits comfortably in zones 3 to 9. That seed coat is hard enough to need a winter outdoors to soften, and the taproot runs deep enough that relocating a plant later is off the table. Nick the seed lightly before sowing to hedge the bet.

You’ve probably heard it said a hundred times that propagating from cuttings is the best way to get free plants! And yet, it’s not always true. Sometimes, propagating from cuttings – or even trying to – can land you in jail and saddle you with fines. So the key is: know before you go.

Since rooting plant cuttings doesn’t involve fertilization, it is called an asexual method of reproduction. And it can be free and fun as long as you stay on the right side of the law!

As a plant lover and an attorney, I am here to give you a synopsis of the questions you need to ask.

When is Rooting Plant Cuttings Legal?

If you can answer yes to these questions, rooting cuttings is absolutely the way to go. So walk through them every time you are thinking of practicing asexual plant propagation!

1. Does the parent plant belong to you?

“But I was only taking a cutting,” doesn’t get you off the hook if you are pinching a cutting from a parent plant in a retail store, a plant on private property, or a plant on public land including parks and botanical gardens. You can be arrested and charged with theft, trespass or property damage.

2. If not, do you have permission from the owner to take a cutting?

If the parent plant belongs to a neighbor or a small store, you might ask the owner whether you might take a cutting. Sometimes the answer will be yes, and that puts you on the safe side of the law. If the answer is no, do not under any circumstances take a snip.

3. Is the plant one that grows from cuttings?

Not every plant can be propagated by cuttings so look it up on your smart phone. Those that don’t include palm trees, conifers like pine and spruce trees, and almost all bulb plants, including tulips and daffodils. It’s not worth the time or effort to try to root a cutting from plants that won't grow from cuttings.

4. Are you sure that the plant is not covered by a patent?

If a plant is patented, patent law makes it illegal for anyone to reproduce that plant without the permission of or license from the person holding the patent. Wait! What’s a plant patent?

All About Plant Patents

Everybody has heard of patents. They are issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and give the person or company developing a novel product protected rights over that product. But did you know that new plants are developed every day - plants with new colors or new traits that make them different from any others? Plants can also be patented.

In order to get a patent, you have to do a lot of work. First, you have to confirm that your invention is new and conduct a thorough patent search to be sure it hasn’t already been patented. Then you have to fill in a lengthy application with sketches or photos and submit everything to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to be reviewed. I once did one for a friend who had developed folding airplane wings that would take up less room in storage. I can tell you it was a nightmare project!

When new plants are developed and patented, it is an equally tedious process. But anyone who receives a plant patent holds all rights to produce or reproduce the plant - for a term of 20 years. During that period, it is illegal for anyone (including you!) to root cuttings of that plant or otherwise asexually reproduce a patented plant.

Patented plants will have a tag advising a buyer that they are patented, together with a plant patent number (often in this format: “PP#12345). In many cases, there will be a specific reminder that under patent law, the plant cannot be reproduced asexually.

What This Means for You

This discussion might have you envisioning a dishonest person in a science lab pouring smoking liquids from one test tube to another in an attempt to reproduce a plant that has recently been patented. But no, a violation of this law is more likely to look like an ordinary person who buys a patented plant and clips off a stem cutting to propagate for a friend.

Yes, even if you spend money and purchase a patented plant, you do not have the right to reproduce it. The law strictly forbids asexually propagating the plant – whether you intend to gift it, sell it, or distribute it.

However, the reality is a little less threatening. As far as I know, the Patent Office does not send people door to door inspecting plants to see if plant patents were violated. And they would have a hard time if they did. Assuming the plant no longer bears the tag stating that it is protected by a patent, it would be difficult to determine whether any individual plant was a clone of a patented plant.

On the other hand, if you root cuttings from an expensive patented plant and sell them online as clones of the patented plant, you might find yourself on the business end of a lawsuit!

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You know those roses that grocery stores and gas stations sell near the checkout? They tend to be the kind wrapped in cellophane, they cost about $6, and you buy them on impulse because you love the color or want to treat yourself. Unfortunately, what tends to happen is that you watch them die within a week. But what if you didn’t have to? What if you could turn that impulse purchase into a more permanent fixture in your yard?

Well, with a bit of potting soil and a little ingenuity, you can make this happen. It is possible to give those cut stems a second life as a blooming bush. Just grab a pair of garden scissors, snips or small shears, like the super-sharp Kings County Tools Pruning Shears from Amazon, and you too could be cultivating a gorgeous living rose display that lasts long after the original store-bought bouquet has gone.

This trick takes just minutes, and doesn’t need lots of previous rose-growing experience: just a sense of adventure and some delicate snips. You’ll be surprised how effectively you can propagate a rose that seemed destined to see out a few days in a vase. I’m actually super-annoyed I didn’t know about this sooner! Give this easy trick a shot – and that cheap bunch of blooms could very easily be coming up roses…

Can You Try Just Any Rose?

Being able to save a rose this way seems like the stuff of dreams. But I’ve been inspired by popular TikTok creator Joe’s Garden (@joesgarden), whose recent viral video showed me how simple it can be to make that unassuming bunch of roses live on… and on. However, before you start snipping away at every bouquet in sight, it pays to give your potential future rose bush a quick once-over in terms of general health.

Stem health is crucial for this trick to work. You need greenwood or semi-hardwood stems that are fresh, firm, and plump. Good signs include deep green leaves and active bumps at the nodes. You definitely don’t want stems that are dried out, woody, or mushy at the base. You’ll also want to avoid trying this trick on stems that might be showing signs of pests like powdery mildew. Pests can wipe out a summer cutting long before roots can develop.

If you’d like to get a closer look at the quality of your roses and potential areas for cutting, use a magnifying glass or loupe. A high-magnification tool like the Vivosun 30X Illuminated Jeweler’s Loupe with LED Light from Amazon can help you examine leaf nodes and check for microscopic signs of pests or spores before you start. Also, bear in mind that cuttings grown on their own roots might possess a slightly different growth habit than the original plant. But that’s part of the fun of the experiment!

1. Prep Your Rose Stems

Joe’s Garden uses the kind of everyday roses you’d grab at Trader Joe’s or your local grocery store: nothing fancy required (that’s the beauty of this trick). Once you’ve had a look at your rose stems and you're happy that a few are up for the challenge, here’s what you do. First (and this might feel gut-wrenching), you’ve got to snip off the flower head. Leave an inch or two (5cm) of stem below the bloom when making your cut.

To make those ultra-clean cuts without crushing the tender stem fibers, it’s important to use really sharp snips, shears, or bypass pruners. The last thing you want is to wreck your stem tissue at the first pass. For a real bargain, the highly rated Fiskars Titanium Micro-Tip Pruning Snips from The Home Depot are also perfect for delicate snips.

Once you’ve removed the head, cut off a couple of inches (5cm) from the bottom of the stem. What you’re left with is the middle section, with 2-3 healthy leaf sets. For a healthy root cutting, make a 45-degree cut above one of the leaf nodes (the bumps on the stem where the leaves emerge). The angled cut makes more surface area available for rotting and stop water from pooling around the cut end, which can cause it to rot.

Strip off the bottom leaves, leaving only the top set intact, so the plant can still photosynthesize without expending too much moisture. Too many leaves will cause the stem to dry out before any roots develop. You’re aiming for a stem length of 5-7 inches (12-17cm). If your original stem is really long, you can get a couple of usable cuttings from it.

2. Scrape Rose Stems (Optional But Worth It)

This next step, while optional, is still recommended. It could be the difference between a cutting that roots quickly, and one that just sulks for several weeks. Joe lightly scrapes the bottom inch of each stem to expose the inner layers. You can do this using the back edge of a knife, a pruner blade, or even your fingernail. For delicate scraping, scalpels work well. You can pick Med Pride Scalpels from Amazon for a good price to gently shave your cuttings.

The scraping should be just enough to rough up the outer layer and expose the green cambium underneath (where cell growth happens fastest). To boost your odds of rooting success, immediately coat that freshly exposed cambium layer with a concentrated rooting hormone or gel. The Garden Safe TakeRoot Hormone Powder from Walmart is specifically aimed at encouraging fast root development on hardwood and softwood cuttings.

If you want a natural alternative, some gardeners dip the stem into raw unpasteurized honey or fresh aloe vera gel, both of which possess natural antimicrobial properties. If you’re using powder, just tap off any excess rooting powder, and you’re ready for the next step.

3. Place Stems into Potting Medium

You need a good-quality compost for this next bit. That old, dried-out stuff from the back of the shed just won’t do it. So find a light, well-draining, and highly breathable medium blend. Our team rates Back to the Roots Organic Compost from Lowe’s, which gives you an ultra-clean, nutrient-rich base (and it’s also manure-free). To help with drainage, add a little coarse sand or perlite. Miracle-Gro Perlite from The Home Depot can help with air circulation around developing roots.

Fill up a medium-sized container with a fresh, sterile mix. Hopefully you should be able to fit a few cuttings in this container, depending on the size you use. Poke a hole in the medium using a pencil or stick first. This prevents the rooting powder from scraping off as you push the stem down. Then drop each prepared cutting 2-3 inches (8cm) deep. Space the cuttings a few inches apart so they have room to develop without competing.

In his viral video, Joe puts all of his cuttings together in the same spot in the garden, which is great if you have a sheltered, semi-shaded area to use. However, you might prefer to keep them in individual pots in different places to spread the risk, as it were. Wherever you place your pots, be sure to firm the soil gently around the stem to lock out air pockets, and water thoroughly until moisture drips out the drainage holes.

4. Wait for Growth and Nurture

Now comes the tough bit: waiting. Once your potted cuttings are settled in a warm, brightly lit location that receives indirect sunlight and a little afternoon shade, there’s not much more to do but wait. You can, if you like, create a little ambient humidity by placing a clear plastic bag over the top of your cuttings. This can help to accelerate root growth. But apart from that, this is when you need to step back. After 3-4 weeks, tiny green shoots will start to appear.

If you gently tug at a cutting at this point, you will hopefully feel resistance. Congratulations, that means you have root growth! Whatever you do, don’t pull them up to check: just trust the process. Keep the medium consistently moist, but never waterlogged. Once you see signs of growth, remove any plastic bags you may have placed over the cuttings.

Hold off on feeding until the plant has produced several sets of fresh true leaves. At this point, you can add a little gentle organic liquid kelp or seaweed that has been diluted to quarter-strength every few weeks. A nice gentle option is Neptune's Harvest Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer from Amazon. Once the new shoots are firmly visible and the roots show they are clearly establishing, it’s time for transplanting.

Plant them into a larger container or directly into a garden bed in a sunny spot with good drainage. Treat them very gently, and keep them thoroughly watered throughout their first season. You can also add a granular feed during the growing season once they are well established. A popular organic granular option is Espoma Organic Rose-Tone Plant Food from Walmart for sturdy stems and vibrant flowers.

Will They Flower?

Whether or not your rose cuttings flower in the first year is up to mother nature, and Joe is honest about this. Some cuttings do produce flowers in the first year, but others won’t. But as Joe points out, roses are perennials. This means they will come back every year, and each time they will be bigger and stronger than they previously were. Think of them as little human beings: we all start as babies, then grow into toddlers, teens, and so on. So if things seem a little uneventful in the first year, keep the faith.

Even if you do see flowers in the first year, it is best practice to pinch off any early flower buds. This forces the young plant to direct all of its energy into developing a bigger root system (for a better blooming display next time). Just be patient. Even if your first summer only produces leaves and stems, the next season can be spectacular. And it all started with a 6$ bouquet of roses from the grocery store. What a time to be alive, right?

Shop Rose Care Essentials

To give your grocery store rose experiment the best chance of transforming into a gorgeous outdoor shrub, a few little care essentials can make a massive difference. A curated action pack of inoculants, conditioners, and slow-release feeds will help to turn a simple cutting into a thriving rose bush. Here are our top hand-picked essentials to help things along.

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Plants that cost real money in spring can be had for nothing in late summer. August still offers usable softwood on plenty of shrubs and tender perennials, and six of them root easily enough for a first try.

Softwood is the current season's growth, judged by bending a stem until it breaks. A clean snap means it is ready. Anything that folds over without breaking is still too green. Anything that refuses to bend has gone woody. Most propagation advice points at June, and by August much of it has firmed toward semi-ripe. Plants that pushed a second flush after their first bloom still carry plenty of soft tips.

Rooting plant cuttings this late has one advantage: warmth. Plant cuttings that would have needed a heat mat in spring are ready to thrive now. Sharpen up your favorite pruners (we love the Corona sharpener from Amazon) and get snipping!

Cuttings to Take in August

Work in the morning while the stems are still full of water. A cutting wants to be around 4 inches (10cm) long, cut just below a node, with the lower leaves stripped. Use something sharp; crushed stems rot rather than root. Straight potting soil holds too much water, so half perlite from The Home Depot mixed through it drains better.

Two things need checking first. Patented cultivars cannot legally be propagated without a license, even at home. US plant patents run 20 years from filing, so anything long-established is free and clear. It's mostly the recent introductions — the branded reblooming hydrangeas, the newer coleus and calibrachoa series — where the tag matters. Enforcement targets commercial growers rather than private gardens, though the tag is worth a look.

Noxious weed listings are the second. Oregon prohibits propagating butterfly bush outright, and Washington quarantines it except for approved sterile cultivars.

1. Hydrangea

Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) root so readily that gardeners end up with spares. Choose a shoot that is not flowering, since blooming stems put their energy elsewhere. Cut the remaining leaves in half across the width. The hydrangea cutting loses less water that way and still photosynthesizes. Roots usually show inside three or four weeks. Pot them before winter and keep first-year plants sheltered, because young roots feel the cold more than the parent does. Panicle types respond just as willingly.

2. Butterfly Bush

Free plants are close to a guarantee. Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) strikes from softwood at almost any point in the season. Rooted cuttings put on real size in year one. Use 5-inch (13cm) tips from this year's wood, and roots come inside a month without hormone or bottom heat. Wood from a shrub hard-pruned in spring does best.

3. Lavender

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) sits at the edge of softwood by August, so the snap test earns its keep. Strip the bottom two-thirds of leaves and dip the cut end in Take Root rooting hormone from Amazon, which lifts the strike rate noticeably on woody-stemmed herbs. Keep the medium barely damp. Lavender rots faster than it dries. That reverses the usual advice about never letting anything wilt.

4. Rosemary

A glass of water on a windowsill will root rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), though those roots come out brittle and resent transplanting. Perlite gives a sturdier result. Use 4-inch (10cm) tips, then allow four to six weeks, since rosemary moves slower than most. What comes out is a plant that costs nothing and moves indoors ahead of frost.

5. Pelargonium

Bedding geraniums are not geraniums at all. Pelargonium (Pelargonium x hortorum) stays soft into August when the shrubs have hardened off. Tips strike in three to six weeks. Skip the hormone and let the cut end dry for a few hours first, because these rot more readily than they fail. Anyone in a cold zone gets the most from this one — rooted cuttings take far less windowsill space than the whole plant.

6. Coleus

Nothing about coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) is difficult. A snapped stem left in a jar of water throws roots in under a week. The leaf patterns hold true. Pinching the growing tip while cuttings come off makes the parent branch instead of stretching. Bring the rooted ones in before nights drop below 50F (10C). Stock plants will be waiting come spring.

Getting Cuttings to Root

Humidity is the whole game in August. A cutting has no roots. It keeps losing water through its leaves, so the air has to stay near saturated for two weeks. A seed starter tray with a humidity dome from Walmart handles that cheaply. A clear bag propped over a pot on sticks does the same job for free. Pelargonium is the exception, since it rots under cover.

Bright shade beats sun here. August light through a dome cooks cuttings fast, so the north side of a building or a spot under a tree suits better.

Test roots with a gentle tug rather than lifting anything out. Resistance means roots. Once they hold, open the dome wider each day for a week. A cutting moved straight into open air will wilt hard. Pot them up somewhere sheltered.

Next spring's garden will have cost a few afternoons and nothing else!

For some reason, I regularly “forget” that I can propagate more than a few plants from cuttings in summer. Then July arrives, and I have to look up the list of plants. It’s particularly odd since I grow (and love!) most of the plants that are top candidates for rooting from cuttings in July.

What are the best bets in July if you want to root plants from cuttings? It’s the best time to take softwood and semi-ripe cuttings – cuttings taken from the current year’s growth – of some of my very favorite plants, including herbs, shrubs, climbers, and perennials. Grab your favorite set of pruners (our editors are particularly fond of the affordable and sturdy Fiskars bypass pruners from Amazon) and get to work before July ends.

Ready, set, let’s propagate!

Take Cuttings From These 6 Plants in July

Taking summer cuttings is particularly easy because you don’t have to dig around to find a good branch to cut. You just snip off the top few inches of new growth from plants. Yes, you’ll need to clip off the bottom few leaves of each cutting, but that’s it. Then just push the cut end of each one into a small pot of moist potting soil.

1. Rosemary

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) can be grown year-round in USDA hardiness zones 8-11, but can be grown indoors during colder months. This aromatic herb is always a popular addition to herb gardens given its use in cooking and its amazing, indigo blue flowers that appeal to pollinators. So no bi surprise that folks may want to start up a few additional plants.

Taking cuttings to propagate rosemary is easy. Just look for flexible, green tips of stems and snip off cuttings some 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) long. Remove the leaves from the lower half, then carefully remove the outer layer of tissue on the bottom inch (2.5 cm) with a sharp garden knife. Dip the cut end in rooting hormone, which can be found at Amazon, and pop into a small pot filled with well-draining soil. Keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. Expect roots within a month.

2. Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) are the work horses of my flower garden, creating large, rounded bushes full of large, bright flower heads in summer. Double or triple your pleasure by propagating your favorite hydrangeas in July. They thrive in USDA zones 3-9.

Whatever hydrangea variety you grow (I grow smooth, panicle, and mophead), you can take cuttings in July. Snip off healthy, flexible, non-flowering shoots that have grown this year. Make the cuttings 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) long, then remove the lowest leaves. Many recommend cutting the remaining leaves in half before “planting” the cuttings in pots filled with well-draining potting mix. Keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. New roots should form in a few weeks.

3. Lavender

With its glorious fragrance, silver-green foliage, and purple blooms, lavender (Lavandula spp.) has many fans. This versatile herb might be in your herb garden or in your flower beds, but regardless of whether or not you use lavender for cooking, you can root cuttings and propagate new lavender plants in July. Summer is a good time for propagating lavender while it is actively growing.

Take cuttings from healthy stems that grew this year. Pick non-flowering stems that have grown this year and clip off 4-6 inch (10-15 cm) cuttings. Remove the lower leaves, dip the bottom in rooting hormone, and place the cuttings in pots filled with well-draining soil or compost. Keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. Expect roots in a month.

4. Fuchsia

Fuchsias (Fuchsia spp.) are classic, colorful and reliable flowering plants and that has made them popular for centuries. With bold, bell-shaped flowers in pink, purple, red and white, fuchsias put on a show in summer.

Have one fuchsia? You’ll definitely want a few more. Fortunately, fuchsias are among the easiest plants to grow from cuttings and summer is the perfect time to act. Take 6 inch (15cm) cuttings from new growth that is healthy and full of leaves. Remove all leaves from each cutting other than the top two. Dip the cut ends in rooting hormone, then stick them into pots filled with well-draining soil. Keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. You should see roots appear in a month.

5. Annual Geraniums

Now, annual geraniums (Pelargonium spp.) are not really annuals. They are hardy in USDA zones 9-12 (which includes my home in San Francisco), but are grown in cooler zones as annuals. Mine offer beautiful red flowers all summer and fall. They too are plants that tend to spread, but you can also “make” new plants by taking and rooting geranium cuttings in July.

Take firm, green shoots without any flowers some 4-6 inches (10-15cm) long. Remove leaves on the bottom half and push the cut ends into well-draining potting soil. Keep the soil moist but not wet. Look for roots in 3-4 weeks.

6. Sage

Was there ever a plant that grows more joyfully than sage (Salvia spp.)? These perennials shoot up so readily into long-lasting flower spikes and spread so merrily that they always look to me as if they are singing. They have a lovely fragrance and bright petals too, yet are tough as nails, drought-tolerant and low-maintenance.

Salvias do tend to spread, but if you want more plants to offer neighbors, July is the time to take and root cuttings from your sage plants. These guys are so eager to grow that potting soil is not necessary. Take 4-6 inch (10-15 cm) cuttings from healthy, non-flowering stems, clip off the lower leaves, then pop the cuttings in water. Keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. Roots appear in about four weeks.

Reputable nurseries and seed suppliers have begun taking Amazon by storm, and there are now so many amazing varieties available to purchase online. It's always important to do your research, of course, but scrolling through and finding rare seeds to sow is so exciting, especially when you can sit back and envision the seedlings thriving in your yard.

Whether you're newer to planting seeds or hoping to bulk out your seed repertoire, there's no better time to bag some seed collections for great value. I honestly can't believe how many great picks there are out there on Amazon Prime Day deals – you're truly spoiled for choice.

Here's a round up of my favorite Prime Day seed bundles so far, as well as some highly recommended seed starting supplies that are also slashed down in price.

Flower Seed Deals

Vegetable Seed Deals

Herb Seed Deals

Seed Starting Essentials

Once the internet gives a “trending hack” its own nickname, you know there’s trouble a’coming. The latest example is “proplifting,” that sneaky, unauthorized way of getting plant cuttings from a garden center – just a pinch in the right place on a stem, then off you go…

It might feel a little bit naughty, but is it actually illegal? And if it is, could taking a cutting from a garden store or plant nursery really get you into trouble?

I’m a plant lover and an attorney, and I’m here to explain what proplifting is, where the law stands on it, and whether it's worth the risk.

Propagation Done Right

Many of us gardeners love to propagate plants from existing plants. In fact, rooting plants from cuttings is one of the quickest and most satisfying ways to create a new plant from an existing one.

With plants that root easily in water, such as pothos, you simply pinch or snip off a section of stem with a few leaf nodes on it using a pair of clean pruning snips. I like the Felco F322 snips on Amazon for making neat, precise cuts. Pop the cutting in a glass of water and wait.

With some plants, it’s better to tuck the stem of the cutting into good, moist potting soil. To improve your chances of success, many gardeners dip the cut end in a rooting hormone before planting it. Products such as Garden Safe TakeRoot Rooting Hormone, can help encourage root development, particularly on plants that are slower or more difficult to propagate.

Propagation Gone Wrong

I once saw someone in a plant store in San Francisco taking a stem of a rare, collectible pothos. It was labeled as a Harlequin pothos, a highly variegated variety that can be difficult to find and expensive to buy. The plant had gorgeous white leaves with just a little green. The store manager saw the act in one of the ceiling mirrors and gave the woman a choice of buying the plant or getting arrested for theft.

The irony is that she didn't need to take the risk. Harlequin pothos is undoubtedly a coveted collector's plant, but gardeners looking for a similar white-and-green variegated look can find it in a much more affordable and widely available Marble Queen pothos, available from California Tropicals via Amazon, along with this even more striking Snow Queen pothos.

So that's a possible consequence of proplifting. It might feel like a simple act of propagation, but the plant you take the cutting from doesn’t belong to you. Taking a cutting from a plant without the owner’s permission is stealing – yes, even a cutting no longer than your hand.

Unlike the thornier question of whether it's acceptable to take plant cuttings from public parks and gardens, the legal position here is fairly straightforward: the plant is merchandise for sale. It may strike you as a small theft – but it’s a theft nonetheless.

And from the garden center's perspective, proplifting can be both theft and property damage. Not only has part of the plant been taken, but the remaining plant may be harder to sell. Removing a stem can leave a noticeable gap, alter the plant's shape, and make it less appealing to customers looking for a full, healthy specimen.

Not Worth It, Legally or Karmatically

In California, the theft of a piece of a plant would be a misdemeanor. To rise to the level of the much more serious felony theft, the merchandise would have to be worth $950 or more. But nobody wants a theft charge in their history. It’s embarrassing to get caught and even more embarrassing to get arrested. And a misdemeanor goes on your record.

But even worse is what plant theft might do to your karma, the “what-goes-around-come-around” rule of living. It’s just not worth it to take property that doesn’t belong to you. It’s not something that someone of good character would do. Think about how you would feel if you kept a favorite potted plant on your desk in the office and someone snipped off a large stem when you had stepped away.

Keeping It Clean

I know, for myself, that working with plants puts me in closer touch with the natural world and makes me want to live a cleaner life. I’ve found that when I behave in a manner that is consistently respectful toward others, I get respect in return. If nature has ever moved you in the same direction, listen to it whispering in your ear that proplifting has no place in your shopping experience.

If obtaining a cutting from a rare or expensive plant seems essential to you, try posting something on a neighborhood website. My neighborhood site has plenty of “Is Seeking” posts, and it’s entirely possible that you might find someone willing to spare a cutting.

Alternatively, put the plant in the #1 slot on your Christmas list and birthday list, or treat yourself to the plant when you’ve had a job or school success. A rare plant is far more rewarding when you've acquired it honestly.

The gardening season is in full swing, and by now, most peoples’ gardens are brimming with new growth on landscape plants, as well as their summer annuals in place. Now is a good time to propagate woody plants while they are still in the softwood stage. It is possible to root semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings in late summer and fall, but softwood tends to root the fastest and most reliably.

Softwood cuttings can be taken in spring or early summer. Timing is important, you don’t want to wait too late because the soft stems will mature and harden. Rooting plant cuttings is a simple process and only requires a few materials: sterile pruners, soilless medium, container with or without cells, and a clear cover or plastic bags.

Let's dig in to which softwood cuttings you should be taking in June.

Basics of Softwood Cutting Propagation

Cut off a non-blooming stem tip below a growth node. You only need a 3-to-6-inch cutting. Remove the leaves on the lower half of the stem. If the leaves are large, cut each remaining leaf in half to save on moisture loss.

Dip the cutting in rooting hormone, if desired, and insert it into a prepared container of moistened soilless mix such as one-half perlite and one-half coco coir. Then enclose the container in a plastic bag or use a plastic cover. Keep the soil moist until it's rooted. You can find perlite and coco coir from Back to the Roots on Amazon.

1. Lilac

Lilacs are a fragrant harbinger of spring and a welcome addition to any yard. With the many varieties to choose from, it is easy to find one that will fit your landscape. Many types of lilacs are offered, including the common type your grandmother grew, newer hybrids and cultivars in a variety of colors that rebloom, as well as compact sizes. Traditionally grown in the cold zones, there are new cultivars bred for warm regions.

It may take six to eight weeks for a cutting to root, but be patient. And root several cuttings at a time to ensure at least one will root. The cutting should be flexible and not mature yet. Keep the soil moist and the humidity high to encourage roots.

If your lilac is grafted, as many of the tree-types are, you may think twice about propagating it. Taking a stem cutting from the scion, or canopy of the shrub, will produce a similar shrub, but it will lack the properties of the rootstock, such as size or disease resistance. It is best to root non-grafted varieties. You can tell if yours is grafted by locating the graft union, which is just above the soil line and looks like a bump or scar on the main trunk.

2. Boxwood

Boxwood is an essential evergreen for foundation plantings so of course you need more! They need full sun to light shade and only need supplemental watering during drought. Well drained soil is a must, however. The many varieties include dwarf specimens that stay under 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m), a popular size.

Take the cuttings in early summer from healthy shrubs with no sign of disease. Boxwood may take 4 to 6 weeks to root, but it is considered an easy evergreen to clone. Keep the soil moist, but not saturated. If it is too wet, leave the plastic cover off for a few hours. When the roots have formed, you can transplant the cuttings to larger pots. You may want to let them grow till the following spring, and then transplant them to a permanent location.

3. Butterfly Bush

Butterfly bush is considered invasive in a few northwestern states, but it is still a popular plant for butterfly gardens. It supplies a lot of nectar for bees and butterflies and the striking colors and lovely fragrance continues till frost. There are new cultivars that are sterile that can be planted where reseeding is a problem. Also keeping most of the spent flower spikes deadheaded helps.

You can increase your number of butterfly bushes using the standard propagating directions above. Butterfly bush is slow to kick start in the spring, but there should be new growth by late spring or early summer to take cuttings.

4. Hardy Hibiscus

Hardy hibiscus, or rose mallow, is technically an herbaceous perennial because it dies back in the fall and regrows in the spring. But I am including it with the other woody plants because it is a shrub worth repeating in the landscape. Once it starts to regrow, it shoots up quickly and is famous for its dinnerplate size flowers in vivid colors, and some cultivars boast colorful foliage as well.

You can take softwood cuttings in early summer and the rooting hormone is recommended. They should root within 4 to 6 weeks.

5. Ninebark

Ninebark shrubs flower in spring, providing food for pollinators and seeds for wildlife in the fall. Native to Eastern North America, it looks attractive in mixed shrub borders or mass plantings and several new cultivars offer colorful foliage on its arching stems such as purple, chartreuse, and yellow.

They are easy to propagate by stem cuttings and don’t need the rooting hormone to initiate roots.

6. Viburnum

Viburnum is the common name for many deciduous to evergreen shrubs and small trees with many species and cultivars. They vary in leaf shape, size, and flower form and are native to Asia, Europe, and the Americas. They typically are good for wildlife and provide nectar in the spring and drupes in the fall that birds relish.

Take the cuttings in early summer and be sure to remove any flowers or buds. Keep them in a shady location and check the soil moisture every couple of days.

7. Clematis Vines

You can propagate woody clematis vines in spring and early summer to increase your plantings. Clematis is a staple vine in many landscapes and the choices are endless. Some hybrids boast 7-inch wide flowers. They attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.

Choose cuttings from new growth. Some varieties flower on old wood so be sure to avoid last season’s growth for the cutting. Keep the cuttings in moist soil and a plastic covering to retain the humidity. Check it every two or three days to see if more moisture is needed. If water droplets form on the lower part of the covering, open it to drain.

If you ever grow a plant from seed, you will discover firsthand that true leaves are not the first ones to emerge from the seed. The true leaves on seedlings come later and are the life force of the plant.

Many people are surprised to find that the first leaves out of a seedling don’t stick around. This initial set of cotyledons doesn’t last long and is quickly replaced by the first set of true leaves. Understanding this process and being able to identify cotyledons versus true leaves is an important lesson to learn for beginner gardeners.

Let’s take a look at how leaves emerge from seeds and when the first true leaves emerge. Learning to spot this key stage in the seed starting process will help you discern the perfect time to transplant and how to care for your seedlings at the beginning of their lives.

Seed Starting 101

When contemplating growing plants from seed, first research the plants to find out whether they need stratification or scarification or whether seed starting is the best option for the type of plant you want to grow. Not all plants come true from seed and others can take months to germinate.

When you are ready to start your seed adventure, gather your materials and get ready to grow. To coax a seed from dormancy it needs warmth, water, oxygen, and light. When starting seeds indoors, use a high-quality seed starting mix like this one from Miracle-Gro to fill a cell tray or small pots. Add two or three seeds per cell, cover with soil if needed, and water. Cover with a vented plastic dome or plastic bag to help hold in moisture.

If you have a heating mat like this one from Amazon to set the tray or pots on, the seeds will germinate faster. Setting it on top of the refrigerator can work in a pinch, too, as an easy heat source. After the seeds germinate, they will need more light, either from a south-facing window or grow lights, like this affordable LED light from Amazon. You also can direct-sow the seeds outdoors if the last frost is past.

A seed contains an embryo with everything it needs to start a new plant. So when all the ingredients come together to break dormancy, the seed coat softens and metabolic processes begin. Seeds used this stored energy to first push out tiny roots downward, followed by stems and leaves that grow upward toward the light.

The First Leaves You See

The first leaves you see after sprouting a seed are called cotyledons or seed leaves. These are not true leaves and they will eventually turn yellow and fall off after enough true leaves emerge. Cotyledons continue to provide nourishment until the true leaves take over.

Cotyledons look different from the plant’s actual leaves and supply nourishment to the plant until it can make its own food through photosynthesis. Their shapes vary with the type of plant. They can be round or oval, heart-shaped, or elongated and usually bear no resemblance to the plant’s true leaves.

If only one narrow leaf emerges, the plant is a monocot and its embryo contains only one cotyledon. Examples include bananas, ginger, orchids, corn, rice, and wheat. If two leaves emerge, it is a dicot and its embryo possesses two cotyledons. Examples include almonds, cashews, peas, apples, and plums.

What Are True Leaves?

True leaves on seedlings emerge after the cotyledons, which can take weeks. You will recognize the true leaves because they look like the leaves on the mature plants you are growing. They get their energy from the sun through photosynthesis, which enables the plant to grow and develop.

Now that the cotyledon’s job is done, it drops off and your seedling matures and grows only true leaves. The development of the first set of true leaves is a vital step in the seed starting process. It signals when your plant is big enough to transplant outdoors or move to a bigger pot.

When to Transplant Seedlings

You can transplant the seedlings anytime after the first set of true leaves appear, but it’s better to wait for a couple sets of true leaves. By this time, your seedlings’ stems should be getting thicker and stronger and the true leaves should be growing bigger to take in more sunlight and help fuel your plant.

Transplanting seedlings with only the cotyledons is risky. The cotyledon roots and stems are very fragile and not easy to move. If you must transplant seedlings early before the first true leaves appear, be sure to provide ample soil around the roots.

When moving seedlings outdoors, you must harden off plants first to prevent sunburn, wilting, or shock and to prepare them for the harsh outdoor conditions. You can move seedlings in and out each day, gradually increasing their time outside over a two-week period. Or you can start them in a shady area outside and gradually move them to more and more light each day.

Seed Starting Essentials

Given the diversity of nature, it isn’t surprising that not all seeds are alike. It’s not just that they look different, but they have very different growth requirements, which is an important fact for gardeners to keep in mind. Before you plant your garden, you need to know what your seeds require and be sure they get it – or you may never see seedlings emerge.

If you’ve had trouble getting seeds to grow in the garden, light might be the problem. Some seeds require light to germinate while others germinate best in the dark. Knowing how to start seeds includes understanding whether the seeds you’ve chosen need light or dark to germinate. If they don’t get what they need, they won’t sprout.

Here’s a quick guide to let you know which seeds need total darkness to germinate and which ones need a little sunlight.

Why Some Seeds Need Light & Others Need Dark

If a vegetable or flower seed is viable, it is a living entity with live, healthy embryonic tissue inside. Most seeds also hold stored nutrients, or food reserves, inside the seed coat. What causes a seed to "wake up" and germinate? This happens when their specific germination requirements – the correct moisture, temperature, and light – are met.

Each type of seed has its own individual needs. Most rely on their stored nutrients to germinate and only require water, air, and warmth to sprout. However, some are light-dependent and these are known as photoblastic seeds. That means they will not germinate unless their particular light needs are met.

Photoblastic seeds fall into two categories: positive photoblastic and negative photoblastic. Positive photoblastic seeds need light to germinate. For these seeds, light acts as a signal that triggers proteins in the seeds to break dormancy and begin growing. Negative photoblastic seeds need an absence of light to germinate or, in other words, they germinate best in the dark.

Seeds That Need Light to Germinate

Positive photoblastic seeds will not germinate in darkness. That means that, when you sow these seeds, you need to scatter them on the top of the soil and not bury them under soil. Sowing them appropriately means your seeds will germinate. Sowing them without taking this requirement into account means poor germination rates.

But there’s no complete shortlist of positive photoblastic seeds you can write down and remember. Almost one third of common garden seeds need exposure to light in order to germinate. So you’ll have to rely on the info on the back of the seed packet or do a little research about your specific seed before planting.

In general, seeds that need light to germinate tend to be small. Their diminutive size means that they are easily affected by light exposure. For example, the tiny seeds of lettuce, celery, thyme, and dill fall into this category. Flowers with very small seeds are also in this category, like primroses, poppies, and petunias. Another rule of thumb is that wildflowers that self-seed every year often have seeds that require sun exposure to germinate.

Seeds That Need Dark to Germinate

The other side of the coin are the seeds that need darkness to germinate. These are seeds that cannot be scattered on the top of the soil to sow them. They need to be covered up in order to sprout.

These are often larger flower seeds like borage and nasturtiums as well as many vegetables like kale, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and peppers. You don’t have to lock them in a sun-proof room. Just follow the standard practice of planting them at a depth twice their diameter.

How to Provide the Perfect Lighting Conditions

If you are planting seeds that need sunlight to germinate, you’ll want to forget the the normal seed planting depth rule that says to sow them twice as deep as they are wide.

Instead, scatter seeds on the surface of the soil, as if they had been placed there by nature. If you are afraid they will disappear in the wind or rain runoff, press them lightly into the top layer of soil with your foot or hand.

If you are starting seeds indoors, consider setting up LED grow lights, like this one from Amazon. Position the light a foot or less above the seed tray. Seeds will require some 10 hours a day to germinate, but providing more – up to 16 hours – can speed up the process.

Other Germination Requirements

While some seeds’ need for light is fascinating, sunlight (or lack of it) is not the only requirement for seed germination. Remember that soil temperature, soil moisture, and airflow are all important factors as well.

When it comes to a good germination temperature, you have some room for error. That’s because seeds have optimal temperature ranges for germination, with a maximum and a minimum temperature – so anything in the range will work. A temperature outside that range can damage the seeds or, at the very least, prevent them from germinating.

Seeds also need water and air. Keep seeds consistently moist and plant in well-draining soil to allow for good aeration. This permits the seeds to “breathe” in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. This seed starting mix from Miracle-Gro provides plenty of airflow to seeds.

Give your seeds all of these essential elements – and the right light – and you are sure to have successful germination and healthy plants.

Seed Starting Must-Haves

Buying more plants is the obvious way to expand a garden, but propagating cuttings is free. Take stem cuttings from healthy plants this month and you can root them, pot them up, and grow them for no cost this summer.

May is one of the best times to root plants from cuttings. Growth is active, stems are still pliable, and the warmth cuttings need to establish is here. It’s a simple and fun activity that saves money and lets you easily expand your garden.

The plants below are the best choices for May propagation, but each one has slightly different needs. I’ll share my top tips to help you get the most out of your May cuttings.

Propagation Essentials

1. Hydrangea

A single established hydrangea can yield a dozen cuttings in one session without the parent plant noticing. They prefer partial shade and consistent moisture and once they’re settled, they’re long-lived and don’t ask for much.

Take softwood hydrangea cuttings before new growth hardens. Stems should bend without snapping. Cut below a leaf node, strip the lower leaves, dip in a rooting hormone like this one from Bonide, and push cuttings into a perlite and peat mix.

Cover loosely with a plastic bag to hold humidity and keep out of direct sun. Roots tend to form in roughly three to four weeks.

2. Rosemary

Rosemary handles drought well once it’s established, but it needs full sun and gets woody and straggly without occasional trimming.

If you prune rosemary plants in May, it’s worth keeping your trimmings. Use them to propagate rosemary into new plants that can fill gaps in an herb bed, go into containers, or be passed on to friends or neighbors.

Cut 4 to 6-inch (10-15 cm) cuttings from non-flowering stem tips, remove the lower two-thirds of leaves, and place into a gritty perlite and compost potting mix. You can amend whatever potting mix you already have on hand by adding more perlite, which you can get from the Home Depot.

Rosemary roots slowly – it takes around four to eight weeks – but May’s warmth keeps growth moving. Don’t overwater cuttings as rot sets in faster when roots form in wet conditions. Misting rather than regular watering is the best approach until roots are established.

3. Lavender

Lavender from a garden center is expensive, especially for how straightforward it is to propagate. This plant wants full sun, excellent drainage, and lean soil. Rich amended beds push leafy growth at the expense of flowers.

May is ideal for propagating lavender cuttings because new growth is long enough to work with but hasn’t set buds yet, which is the best time to take softwood cuttings.

Take 3 to 4-inch (7-10 cm) long cuttings from non-flowering shoots, strip the lower leaves, and plant into a very free-draining gritty potting mix. Bottom heat helps if you have a heating mat like this one from Amazon, but it isn’t required.

Keep cuttings in a warm spot. Without sufficient warmth, expect rooting to take four to six weeks. New plants will root faster with a heating mat. Overwatering is what kills lavender cuttings. Letting them dry out slightly between waterings is far less of a problem than keeping them consistently wet.

4. Fuchsia

Fuchsia doesn’t mind being cut back for propagation. The parent plant recovers fast and new plants taken in early May have a full season to fill out and actually flower before summer ends. Partial shade, consistent moisture, and hanging baskets suit this plant well. In fact, the unique pendant flowers are best seen from below.

Soft tip cuttings that are 2 to 3 inches (5-7 cm) long root in as little as two weeks in May. To propagate fuchsia, take your tip cuttings, remove the lowest leaves, and push them into a moist propagation potting mix like this one from Amazon. There’s no need for rooting hormone with this plant.

Pot up new plants once the cuttings resist a gentle tug. They won’t resist until there are roots holding plants in the soil. Pinch back the growing tip after potting or it may become tall and leggy rather than bushing out.

5. Pelargonium

Pelargoniums, or what most people call geraniums, are probably the most forgiving cuttings on this list. They can sit out of soil for an hour before planting and still root without issue. They like full sun, moderate watering, and plenty of good drainage. May cuttings have a full season to bulk up before needing to be overwintered or replaced.

To propagate geraniums, snip 3 to 4-inch (7-10 cm) stem cuttings just below a leaf node. Remove lower leaves and then let the cut end dry and callus over for an hour or two before planting. That callusing step prevents the risk of rot

Put cuttings into a free-draining potting mix and keep it on the dryer side until roots establish. No humidity tent or rooting hormone is needed – pelargonium cuttings root in two to three weeks.

Small terracotta pots from Amazon work well for propagating. The clay wicks excess moisture away, which suits pelargoniums better than plastic containers.

6. Mint

Mint spreads so aggressively that most gardeners keep it contained in pots. The same vigor that makes it a nuisance in borders makes it exceptionally easy to propagate.

Cuttings root in water within a week during the month of May. Take 4 to 6-inch (10-15 cm) stem cuttings, strip the lower leaves, and place in a glass of water on a bright windowsill.

Roots appear in about five to ten days. Once they’re 1 inch (2.5 cm) or longer, pot up into regular compost. That’s it. Mint tolerates partial shade and wants consistent moisture.

You can also propagate mint directly into compost and skip the water step. Both methods work well, but the water method is useful for seeing exactly when roots form.

7. Salvia

Ornamental and culinary salvia varieties both propagate well from softwood cuttings in May. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Many of the tender salvia varieties sold as annuals in colder climates can be overwintered as rooted cuttings rather than bought new each year.

If you overwintered your plants or they survived outdoors over the cold months, May is the perfect time to propagate salvia cuttings. Take 3 to 4-inch (7-10 cm) long cuttings from non-flowering stem tips, strip the lower leaves, and place into a gritty potting mix like this one from Rosy Soil.

Rooting hormone helps, but isn’t essential. Salvia enjoys a warm spot with indirect light. Make sure to keep the medium just moist, not soggy. Roots form in two to four weeks or so.

Water wick propagation is a unique take on the traditional plant propagation technique of air layering. Air layering has been around long enough that most propagators know the routine: wound a node, pack it with damp sphagnum moss, wrap it in plastic, wait. It works on a wide range of woody and semi-woody plants.

The wick method takes the same underlying principle as air layering — keeping a node moist while it’s still drawing energy from the parent — and removes the part most people find fiddly, which is maintaining consistent moisture inside the wrap.

It’s one of the more interesting variations among the types of plant propagation worth knowing about, and the setup is genuinely simple. A cotton wick runs from a small water reservoir up to the node, delivering moisture through capillary action continuously. The plant does the waiting; the wick does the work. Like any propagation method, constant moisture still needs some airflow—if the area stays too wet without oxygen, the wound can rot instead of rooting.

How Water Wick Propagation Works

Capillary action is what makes wicking work—water moves through a fibrous material from a wet end toward a dry one without any pump or pressure required. A cotton wick, a strip of flannel, or even a twisted length of cotton rope will pull water upward from a small jar or bottle and deliver it steadily to whatever it’s in contact with. In propagation, that contact point is a prepared node on a branch that’s still attached to the parent plant.

The node needs a little preparation first. Scraping away a small band of bark about an inch (2.5cm) wide to expose the cambium layer, or making two shallow cuts around the stem, gives roots something to emerge from. The wick gets wrapped snugly around that wounded area and held in place with a loose tie—not so tight it cuts into the stem, but tight enough to stay in contact. The other end drops into a water container positioned nearby. From that point, moisture delivery is automatic.

Setting It Up

The wick material matters more than expected, as well. Cotton works well because it wicks consistently and is less prone to stagnation than heavier materials that can rot a wound before roots have a chance to form. A strip of old cotton t-shirt, a length of cotton yarn, or a purpose-made plant watering wick all do the job. Cotton plant watering wicks from Amazon are inexpensive and sized for exactly this kind of use. Some synthetic materials tend to wick less reliably and are worth skipping. Others like nylon/poly wicks can actually wick better in some setups.

The container just needs enough volume to stay topped up between checks—a small jar works fine for a single wick. Position it close enough that the wick reaches the node without pulling taut; tension can cause it to shift over time. Wrapping the assembly loosely with clear plastic film helps retain humidity around the wound without fully sealing it, which keeps conditions closer to what roots prefer without the full sealed-wrap setup of traditional air layering.

Which Plants Work With This Method

The wick method is most reliable on plants that already respond well to standard air layering—pothos, philodendrons, rubber plants, monsteras, and most woody houseplants are good candidates. Outdoor shrubs and trees that air layer readily, like magnolias, rhododendrons, and azaleas, are also worth trying. The common thread is that these plants form roots at nodes without much resistance when moisture and a little wounding are combined. Plants that tend to be reluctant rooters through other methods aren’t likely to behave differently here.

Results vary by species and season. Roots tend to develop faster during active growth in spring and early summer than in fall or winter. Once roots are visible through the plastic wrap—or a gentle tug on the wick meets resistance—the branch can be cut below the rooted node and potted up into a well-draining mix. It’s not a method that works on everything, but for the right plant at the right time, the wick runs the operation for you.

Honest Assessment: Does It Actually Work?

It does, with some caveats. The wick method is more consistent than moss wrapping in one specific way: it eliminates the dry-out problem. Sphagnum moss that isn’t checked regularly can drop below the moisture threshold roots need, stalling the process or killing it outright. A wick connected to a water source doesn’t have that failure mode. As long as the reservoir stays filled, the node stays moist. That autopilot quality is the real advantage, and it makes the method genuinely useful for anyone who tends to forget about projects mid-process.

The trade-off is that it’s slightly less controlled than a sealed moss wrap, which holds humidity more precisely around the wound. In very dry environments or during hot weather, evaporation from an unwrapped wick can outpace capillary delivery. The plastic wrap layer helps with this, but it’s worth knowing the limitation exists.

Overall, the wick method is a legitimate propagation tool—not a gimmick. It just works best when the conditions are reasonable and the plant is already inclined to cooperate. The wick handles the moisture. The rest is up to the plant.

This year has flown by so far and I, like many other gardeners, have fallen behind on my seed starting. It’s easy to do with so many other spring gardening tasks on my ever-growing to-do list. If you still haven’t started any seeds for your garden yet, don’t worry! It’s not too late.

I discovered a new seed starting setup that speeds up the whole process. The SS-Pro Smart Seed Starter Kit from LetPot helps seeds sprout faster than planting them the old-fashioned way either indoors or out in the garden – even slow-germinating perennial flower seeds.

Of course, there are some drawbacks with this high-tech gardening gadget. But this seed germination station is still a wonderful way to start your spring garden fast – especially if you're getting a late start. I’ll share my favorite parts of using this product, the difficulties I experienced, and what I’d do differently next time for better results.

Stop Waiting Weeks for Seeds to Sprout

If you feel like starting seeds indoors is an endless waiting game, you’re not alone. It can take weeks for certain slow-germinating seeds to sprout. That’s especially true with many perennial flowers, like lavender and lupine, both of which I wanted to try starting from seed this year.

I chose a couple other slow-growers, California poppy and columbine, to test the SS-Pro Smart Seed Starter Kit and I was impressed by how quickly they all sprouted. The flower seeds I chose to start typically take 2-4 weeks to germinate. I figured I’d be waiting at least a couple weeks before I saw any signs of life in my LetPot seed starter, but the first sprouts emerged after only a week.

SS-Pro Smart Seed Starter Kit comes with a 40-cell seed starting tray, water reservoir, vented humidity dome, and soilless seed starting pods. It also has a heated base that you can set to your desired temperature – I set mine to 71°F (22°C).

It comes with a 24W full-spectrum LED grow light panel with a height-adjustable stand that’s attached to the base as well. That way you can move the light up as your plants grow.

The combination of the handy humidity dome, water reservoir that keeps the seed starting pods consistently moist, and the heated base is what really helps seeds germinate quickly.

Watch Out for Mold & Algae

One of the drawbacks of the LetPot SS-Pro Smart Seed Starter Kit is a concern with traditional indoor seed starting as well. My soilless seed starting pods began to form algae and white fuzzy mold on them after only a few weeks of growing.

This is a common seed starting problem because the ideal environment for seed germination, ie. warm and moist, is also the ideal environment for mold and algae to form. Ultimately, damping off – a common fungal disease in seedlings – did kill a few of my sprouts before they got big enough to transplant.

It’s important to allow for good airflow to prevent fungal issues like this. Once your seeds sprout, remove the humidity dome to allow for more air movement and keep mold at bay.

This wasn’t enough for my seedlings sadly. But still, most of them are fine and almost ready to transplant to bigger pots, then finally move outdoors in the garden.

I wonder if using a traditional seed starting mix, like this one from Miracle-Gro, might help prevent algae and mold next time. I’ve had a few issues with damping off in the past when I’ve used similar soilless seed starting pods like the ones provided with this kit. It also said in the instruction booklet to use soil in the seed starting tray, but the kit came with soilless pods so I chose to use those instead.

The other reason I’ll use seed starting mix is because many of my seedlings’ roots struggled to grow into the soilless seed starting pods. The roots started coming up out of the tray looking for somewhere to grow because they were strong enough to penetrate the pod.

Eventually, most of them were able to grow into the soilless medium. But I think it set them back in forming strong root systems for several weeks.

Keep an Eye on Your Grow Light

Another issue I had with the SS-Pro Smart Seed Starter Kit was the LED grow light. After about a month or so, it started going out or turning blue. There are three different sets of lights on the LED light panel: blue, red, and white, which provide a full-spectrum of light to help plants grow stronger.

However, something started going wrong with the light and only the blue lights would turn on or the entire light panel would turn off on its own, even though the control panel said it was on. I’ve been able to fix this by either turning off the entire device and then turning it back on or by pressing down on the light panel.

I’m not sure if it’s a problem with the wires connecting to the light panel or the internal electronics in the device, but it’s not great to walk in and find my seedlings sitting in the dark. They won’t grow very well that way.

All in all, the LetPot SS-Pro Smart Seed Starter Kit helped my seeds sprout much faster than expected – several weeks faster than some of the seed packets said! But it does have a couple fairly important flaws.

Maybe I just got a kit with faulty wiring, but the LED grow light not consistently staying on is a pretty big issue to overcome with a seed starting kit like this. As for the mold and algae, I plan on testing if using a regular seed starting mix will solve that problem.

Most beginner gardeners hesitate at the mere thought of cutting their plants, viewing their favorites as delicate beauties. But what if I told you that making a calculated cut is actually a sneaky win? Certain spring cuttings are the ultimate boost for borders – with the promise of fast-tracking new growth, bringing extra beauty to your growing spaces, and saving you a packet in the process. Talk about high reward!

Being able to fast-track growing plants to maturity is an underrated win for border beauties. Taking these plant cuttings in April, these border clones will take root and reach flowering size significantly faster than any seed ever could. April is the perfect time for this garden heist. As the soil warms and the first flush of spring energy surges through the roots, these plants are practically begging to be multiplied. So why not claim the free flowers your borders deserve?

Cutting the “bottoms and toes” of key border plants means you can potentially double your plant count without spending more on plugs and seeds. By targeting the fresh basal shoots (the bottoms) or the vigorous root fragments (the toes), you are catching your plant at its most regenerative phase. It’s the perfect way to turn a few expensive nursery finds into a drifting colony of color.

You can quickly propagate these 6 plants by their bottoms or toes. Take the basal cuttings from new growth that will be quick to root, and specific root cuttings flush with nutrients and primed to grow into new plants. It couldn’t be simpler, so why not give it a try? Learn the easy way to multiply your border flowers this spring, because the best things in life really can be free.

Why These Cuttings Work So Well

Growing from seed is satisfying and rewarding, but let’s be honest, it can be a test of patience. Between the stratification, the damp-off risks, and the agonizing wait for that first bloom (which can take years for some perennials), seeds can feel like a full-time job. Cutting plant propagation, specifically the basal and root methods we’re focusing on here, can be a real shortcut to spectacular borders. Because these cuttings are taken from established, mature plants, they carry the memory of adulthood. This means they spend less time growing up and more time growing out, often resulting in flowers in the very first season. Yes, you read that right!

We are focusing on easy perennials here. These sturdy, reliable border plants will thrive in a range of USDA zones. Unlike annuals that burn out in a season, these plants are long-term investments. Several of these perennial cuttings allow you to capitalize on basal growth. This is those chunky, solid new shoots that emerge from the crown. These shoots are packed with auxins (natural growth hormones) that are primed to trigger root development the moment they touch the soil. It’s a low-risk, high-reward strategy: even if a cutting doesn't take, the parent plant is usually so vigorous in spring that it will simply grow another shoot to replace it.

To grow these cuttings, you just need some well-draining potting mix, consistent moisture, and a bit of insider timing. A nice choice for basal and root cuttings is Rosy Soil Cactus and Succulent Organic Potting Soil Mix, available from Amazon, which offers excellent drainage and aeration. For most of the US, April offers that perfect balance of rising temperatures and high humidity that keeps cuttings from wilting before they root. So let’s get into growing our free flowers, with 6 of the easiest plants to propagate from cuttings now for speedy extra plants!

1. Delphiniums

When it comes to classics, delphiniums are the undisputed royalty of the cottage garden, and they offer that soaring vertical drama every border and fence line needs, often reaching six feet (1.8m) in height. These short-term perennials (often surviving 3-5 years) can be expensive to replace, which makes propagation essential for keeping your flowering display constant.

While many gardeners try to grow these multi-hued charmers from seed, you'll often end up with muddy, off-type colors. While delphiniums do reseed, you can get more growth more quickly with basal cuttings. These also give you an exact genetic clone of that perfect sky-blue or deep-purple spike you love. When you see new shoots about 3 inches (8cm) tall and solid, this is your cue to snip. If the stem is hollow in the center, it’s too late and the cutting likely won't root. Use a sharp, sterilized knife to slice the shoot from the crown, taking a tiny heel of the woody base with it.

This heel contains concentrated rooting cells, but you can dip the cutting in rooting hormone, such as Hormex Rooting Powder No3 from Walmart for an added boost. Expect roots to form in 3-4 weeks. Keep them out of direct afternoon sun during this period. For best results in zones 3-7, keep your pots in a sheltered cold frame or a bright windowsill.

2. Lupines

Lupines (aka bluebonnets) are the vibrant, spire-shaped stars of the spring border. They are beloved for their native aesthetic and vivid purple-blues. However, they have a deep taproot, which means they hate being moved once established. This makes taking basal cuttings the most effective way to spread lupines around your garden without killing the parent plant. They grow quickly, so the cuttings you take will soon give you new plants to fill in empty spaces along your borders.

Look for the pups at the base of the plant in early April. You want shoots that have just unfurled their first set of signature palm leaves. Because lupines are prone to rot if kept too soggy, use a gritty compost mix or add some perlite, such as Sta-Green Organic Perlite from Lowe’s, to assist with drainage. If you’re in a warmer zone (8-9), ensure you take your cuttings before May, as lupines prefer the cool moisture of early spring for rooting. Be sure to take a cutting of new growth and part of the crown to replant. Continue to do this every few years for continuous lupine blooms.

3. Garden Phlox

Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) is the scent of summer and a popular addition to colorful borders. These native perennials can reach 4 feet (1.2 m) tall, topped with enchanting mops of purple, pink, white, red, and salmon flowers. These pretty clusters of small flowers bloom in summer and attract beneficial pollinators. But while they are easy-going, they are prone to powdery mildew. By taking cuttings from your healthiest clumps, you can ensure your future plants are as robust as parents.

Phlox is generous, so you can take a 3-inch (8cm) basal cutting in April, and it will often grow fast enough to produce a small flower head by August of the same year. To ensure success, remove the lower leaves of the cutting so you have a clean stem to insert into the soil. Once rooted and growing new leaves, give your phlox a boost with a little diluted Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Plant Food, available from Amazon.

Don’t be afraid to pinch the top of the cutting once it starts growing to encourage a bushier, multi-stemmed plant. If you have a favorite heirloom variety that you can't find anymore, spring basal cuttings are the ultimate insurance policy for phlox. Propagate two or three backups every April to keep the line going.

4. Oriental Poppies

Now we’re trying toe cuttings (in other words, stealing from the roots). Oriental poppies are famous for their crepe-paper blooms on sturdy stems as tall as three feet (0.9m). They are also famous for disappearing (going dormant) in the heat of summer. This means April (while they are in active, leafy growth) is a great time to find the roots and take your toes.

Root cuttings can feel like performing magic, truly. You're looking for a pencil-thick piece of root to grow. Gently move some soil from the side of the parent plant clump, and snip or slice a 3-inch (8cm) section of root. A hori-hori knife can be useful for clean slicing. If you don’t have one, and want something you can’t lose in the soil, try the Pink Hori-Hori Knife from Burpee. Just remember to bury the parent root again.

To help you keep track of which end is up on your root cutting, use a slanted cut at the bottom and a straight cut at the top. Root cuttings take a bit longer than basal cuttings. You might not see green shoots for 6-8 weeks, and you likely won't get flowers until next year. However, the resulting plant will be much stronger and more drought-tolerant than poppies grown from seed.

5. Chrysanthemums

The hardy mum is often grown as a cool-season annual, but with the right care it is a perennial marvel. Even tiny flowering stalks can root in water with the right encouragement. Chrysanthemums grow vigorously and beautifully as perennial border plants. So if you have a clump that survived the winter, April is the time to turn that one mound into a dozen. Basal cuttings are the best way to multiply your mums because these plants root super fast, sometimes in as little as 10 days.

If you let mums grow naturally, they get leggy and flop over. By taking basal cuttings in April, you’re pruning the parent plant to be more compact while creating vigorous offspring. Aim for shoots 2-4 inches (2.5-5cm) long. If you take cuttings early enough in April, you will have full-sized blooming mounds by October. No, really! It’s a great way of safeguarding some late summer and fall color as other flowers begin to fade.

In northern USDA zones (4-6), keep cuttings indoors or in a greenhouse until the risk of frost has passed. In the south, you can often pot them up and leave them in a shady spot outdoors. Use a seedling heat mat to encourage lightning-fast rooting in chilly Aprils. You can buy Heat Mats from Burpee to accelerate healthy root development.

6. Sea Holly

Sea holly (Eryngium) is a bit like the cool kid of the pack and something of an anomaly (but a beautiful one) in a border, with its metallic blue, thistle-like bracts. However, this particular border beauty has a long taproot (or big toe, as it were), which makes it very drought-tolerant but difficult to divide in the traditional way. And growing from seed is tricky and hit-or-miss. Root cuttings are a simple and reliable way to propagate this plant without disturbing the main taproot. You probably won’t get flowers this year, but you will be boosting your border for the long run.

Similar to poppies, you want to find a lateral root (a side root) rather than cutting the main central taproot. The best part? Even a tiny inch (2.5cm) fragment of sea holly root can regenerate into a full plant. Lay these toes horizontally in a tray of sandy compost and cover with a thin layer of grit. Sea holly roots are prone to rotting if kept too wet, though, so use a soil meter like the XLUX Long Probe from Amazon to ensure you aren't overwatering sensitive toes. Use a hands-off approach once they are potted. Place them in a cold frame, and you can forget about them until you see the first silvery-green leaves emerge.

Shop Cutting Essentials

Ready to make the cut? Take your bottoms and toes from vulnerable snips to sturdy border staples with some dedicated kit to nurture and protect new clones. These key propagation essentials will give your basal and root cuttings the edge, and best of all they won’t break the bank.

How to Make Your Cuttings

Making that first cut might feel stressful, but the rewards are significant, whether you’re working with the plant’s bottoms or toes! For basal cuttings, the goal is to get solid growth. If the stem feels like a straw, move to a younger shoot. You need strong, fresh shoots emerging from the base of the plant. Cut as close to the plant crown as possible, and include that little heel (piece of the crown) if you can to help the cutting root faster. Once removed, remove the bottom 50% of foliage before placing in moist potting mix. Removing leaves will reduce the workload for the stem, allowing it to focus all its energy on growing roots rather than foliage.

For root cuttings, the key is orientation. If you are planting them vertically, the end that was closest to the plant (the top) must stay at the top. This is why the slant-cut method is so effective, with a straight cut on the top, and slanted on the bottom. If you’re nervous, just lay them horizontally in potting mix. The plant is smart enough to figure out which way is up! Cover with about half an inch (around 1cm) of gritty soil. Keep your cuttings watered and the soil or potting mix moist, and check on them regularly. Before long, you’ll see new growth to add to your garden.

Use a clear plastic humidity dome or even a simple Ziploc bag over your pots to create a mini-greenhouse effect. This keeps the air humid so the leaves don't wilt while the roots are still developing. Check them once a week. If you see new green growth, congratulations! You’ve just multiplied your border darlings for free.

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Legginess in a seedling, or any plant for that matter, is something gardeners strive to avoid. A leggy seedling is prone to weak growth, disease, and failure when transplanted outdoors.

Despite your best efforts, you might end up with some leggy seedlings. It happens to every gardener at some point. But you don’t necessarily need to toss these less-than-perfect starts. Many leggy seedlings can’t be saved, but there are a few types of plants that can survive after transplanting with a bit of special care.

When starting seeds indoors, it’s a common practice to get rid of leggy seedlings because it is often assumed they won’t survive outdoors. However, you shouldn’t give up hope for certain plants. For certain types of plants, legginess isn’t a death sentence. Here are the 6 types of leggy seedlings you should always give a second chance.

Why Leggy Seedlings Are Bad

A leggy plant is one that has grown too tall so that its stems are thin and weak. A mature plant can become leggy if light is limited or if you haven’t pruned it properly. Pruning encourages lateral growth that allows a plant to develop sturdier stems and denser overall growth.

Seedlings that become leggy grow tall, thin, and weak on their single stems. Legginess is particularly bad in seedlings because they are just getting started in life. They need strong, stout stems to survive and thrive.

If you transplant a leggy seeding outside, it will struggle to stay upright, especially under the forces of wind and rain. Even if the weather is fine, they might not grow strong and straight. And, if they do flop over, they become more vulnerable to common garden diseases and pests.

How to Avoid Leggy Seedlings

The main cause of legginess in seedlings is inadequate light. As seedlings grow, they seek out light. If there isn’t enough, they will grow taller in order to find it. By growing in height, they sacrifice width and become too tall, too thin, and too weak to support themselves properly.

You can prevent legginess by ensuring your seedlings have enough light. If placed near a sunny window, rotate seed trays so all seedlings get equal access to light.

If your windows don’t provide adequate light, use a grow light. A light positioned just a few inches above the seedlings will encourage shorter, stouter growth. This simple LED grow light from Amazon is a great choice for beginners and budget-conscious gardeners.

Tools to Prevent Leggy Seedlings

Types of Leggy Seedlings You Can Save

If you can tell that your seedlings are starting to grow too leggy, you can potentially save them by adding more light.

Another strategy is to "pet" your seedlings. Brush your fingers over the seedlings or place a gentle fan near them a few times a day. This mimics the force of wind they experience outside and can stimulate better growth.

If it’s too late and your seedlings are tall, leggy, and beyond correction, you still might be able to use them outside. These are the types of plants that can overcome legginess and thrive outdoors with the right care.

1. Tomatoes, Peppers & Eggplants

Nightshade plants, which includes tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, are among the most forgiving when it comes to legginess.

Before tossing those skinny seedlings, try transplanting seedlings deeper into the soil than you normally would. Bury some of the leggy stems and roots will sprout from them, giving you a sturdy, strong plant.

What these plants won’t tolerate is cold, so be careful to only transplant outdoors when night temperatures are consistently 50°F (10°C) and higher. The soil should be 60°F (15°C) and warmer.

2. Brassicas

Your brassicas – broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale – are not as forgiving as nightshades, but they are sturdier than other veggies.

They won’t root along their stems, but if you plant them a little deeper than is typical, they will be more stable and might survive outside conditions. Don’t bury them too deep, though. Just give them enough extra depth to be stable and to prevent flopping.

3. Leeks & Onions

Leggy leeks and onions can tolerate being buried a little deeper than normal when transplanting seedlings outdoors. You can also trim the tops of the seedlings a little bit to make them sturdier and to prevent floppiness.

As a bonus, burying leeks and green onions a little deeper will encourage more white growth, which is the edible part of the plant anyways.

4. Peas & Other Vines

As a vining plant, peas can recover from some legginess as they naturally grow long stems. The natural climbing nature of the vines will encourage upward growth.

Plant the seedlings a little deeper and install a climbing support, like a trellis, right away to ensure the growing vines have something to grab.

Other vines can also be planted this way, but they may not survive as well as peas. For example, cucumbers have hollow, delicate stems that are more prone to rot.

5. Basil

This delicate herb can easily become leggy if not grown with enough light or if overcrowded. Basil may recover from legginess if you can plant it in a protected area where flopping will be less likely.

As the basil grows, pinch back stems regularly to encourage bushier, stronger growth.

6. Marigolds

Marigolds are gorgeous annual flowers that are easy to grow from seed. If the seedlings get leggy, you should still be able to save them.

Marigolds are tougher and more adaptable than many other plants, so just bury the stems a little deeper to provide some support. They don’t rot easily, so they should recover and grow strong and busy with targeted pinching.

Starting seeds too early is a classic mistake that often results in a tray of tall, pale, leggy plants that can barely stand. These seedlings are structurally fragile because they’ve spent their lives in a still, warm pocket of air without any wind or temperature swings to push back against.

The result is soft tissue and stems that look okay under a grow light, but lack the strength to stay upright once they go outdoors. This common seed starting mistake also gives you plants that are big enough to be transplanted, but outdoor temperatures that are too cold for doing so.

Take this time until the weather warms to toughen up your plants for that final move outside. A few targeted shifts, like encouraging physical movement and giving roots some room to grow, will turn compromised seedlings into resilient, transplant-ready starts. It takes a little daily attention, though none of these steps are hard to get right. Here’s how to do it.

Why Are My Seedlings Struggling?

Starting seeds indoors too early can result in weak, leggy seedlings that struggling to thrive even after they're transplanted outdoors. This happens because the seedlings aren't exposed to conditions like they will experience outside and they become soft and fragile.

Stems thicken up in response to physical stress through a process called thigmomorphogenesis. Plants interpret movement as a structural threat and redirect energy away from vertical height toward building denser cell walls made of lignin and cellulose. This functions a bit like weightlifting for plants, making them stocky rather than tall and fragile.

Research published in HortScience, one of the journals from the American Society for Horticultural Science, confirmed that seedlings exposed to mechanical stress like a fan or regular brushing stayed about 20% to 30% shorter than untouched controls.

These shorter plants had measurably thicker, stronger stems that handled the shock of transplanting much better. Indoor plants miss out on this and grow thinly and weakly because they never have to brace against anything like they would outdoors.

How to Save Weak Seedlings

There are a few simple ways that you can still save your weak seedlings, even if you started them too early. Here’s what to do to beef them up before it's time to transplant seedlings outside.

1. Mimic the Wind

Putting a small oscillating fan on low for a couple of hours a day is a reliable way to mimic a natural breeze. The goal isn’t to blow seedlings over, but to create gentle and consistent airflow that causes the stems to wiggle. A clip-on oscillating fan, like this one from Amazon, is easy to position at any height.

Keep the fan a few feet away so the stems move without bending over all the way. Consistency matters most here, since skipping days reduces the cumulative effect. Avoid running the fan all day, as excessive airflow can stress the plants by drying out soil too quickly.

2. “Pet” Your Seedlings

If a fan isn’t an option, “petting” your seedlings achieves nearly identical results. Gently running a hand over the tops of your seedlings twice daily creates enough disturbance to trigger that thickening response. It feels almost too simple, but the plant registers the touch as a physical challenge regardless.

It’s a good practice to make plant petting part of your seedling watering routine. About thirty seconds of light contact per day is enough to make the tissue feel stiff and sturdy within a week. This tactile interaction is one of those small steps that really does change the plant’s structural profile.

4. Adjust Light & Temperature

Legginess happens when plants stretch for light, so keep the light source close to stop that stretch. For most LED grow light setups, position lights just 2 to 4 inches (5-10 cm) above the canopy, though you should follow the recommendations of your particular lamp. While existing legginess can’t be undone, proper lighting ensures new growth is strong and compact. A simple LED light like this from Amazon can make all the difference when it comes to legginess.

Warm nights drive fast cell division, which produces soft, weak stems. If the growing environment can stay somewhere around 60 to 65°F (15-18°C) overnight, the tissue that forms will be noticeably denser and tougher. A seedling heat mat with a thermostat, like this one from Amazon, makes hitting that overnight temperature easy.

5. Give Roots More Room

Moving up to a 3 or 4-inch (8-10 cm) pot buys just a bit more time for seedlings' roots to spread out properly. That root health shows up in how your plant grows above ground, so it’s well worth doing while waiting on the weather.

A well-draining seed starting mix, like my favorite one from Amazon, is what to use when potting up leggy seedlings. Standard potting soil gets packed down and holds onto too much moisture for roots at this stage.

Repot plants into larger containers at least two weeks before going outside so your plants have time to settle in. Seedlings left in tiny cells too long can become root bound and that issue is hard to recover from before transplanting.

6. Harden Off Seedlings

The last step is getting plants used to the outside gradually. This process is called hardening off. Start with an hour or two somewhere sheltered and shady, then build up to more sun and wind over the course of a week.

The leaf cuticles need time to toughen up. Skip this step and foliage can bleach or leaves can scorch in the sun. If leaves go white or silvery, that’s too much too soon. Pull them back inside or into the shade for a day before trying again.

Seedlings that looked like a lost cause indoors often surprise once they hit real soil. Getting the stem strength and root development right before the move is what makes that possible. Ideally, plants should not just survive transplant, but take off growing once they’re in the ground.

Keep an eye on soil moisture that first week and those once-floppy starts tend to firm up fast. The miscalculation of starting seeds to early fades quickly once plants find their rhythm in the ground.

Seed Starting Essentials

One of my favorite parts about spring is planting new things. It's just so exciting knowing that in those simple steps of care – the digging, the watering, the nurturing – you're at the start of something new and alive.

There isn't any set, exact way to plant seeds, though Martha Stewart swears by a particular method when it comes to starting off her flowers. She posted some behind-the-scenes snaps of filling up her seed trays on Instagram, and she talked about it on her blog.

To put her technique to the test, I asked gardening pros what they think of Martha's flower seed-starting method, as well as whether they would do anything differently. Read up on what they had to say before you dive into planting your own seeds.

Martha's Seed-Starting Method Explained

Martha and her team of gardeners sow thousands of seeds per year, but she follows a particular method when it comes to starting flower seeds in her greenhouse.

She starts by choosing the seeds she'd like to sow and gathering up seedling trays, just like these Apipi Seed Starter Trays on Amazon. She chooses this type because they have deeper cells at the bottom, thanks to their more cone-like shape. Then the fun part begins!

Martha begins by filling her trays almost to the top with Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix, which is formulated to promote fast root development.

Once filled, Martha then stacks two trays on top of each other, perfectly in line, and pushes them into one another to create indents in the soil. This creates small holes that are ideal for dropping seeds in quickly.

After popping the seeds in, Martha finishes off her planting by adding a layer of vermiculite over the top of each segment and watering. Vermiculite is great when starting seeds, as it absorbs and retains water while also helping to promote air circulation within the soil. You can purchase vermiculite on Amazon.

Shop Martha's Seed-Starting Essentials

What the Plant Pros Say

A major plus point, according to the pros I spoke to, is the way Martha is creating a highly controlled environment to both monitor and nurture her flower seeds.

As Staci Hill, co-author of The Preserver’s Garden, explains: "Martha’s seed-starting method is effective because it creates a simple, controlled environment for germination. Starting seeds indoors in trays allows gardeners to manage moisture, temperature, and light much more reliably than direct sowing outdoors early in the season."

Staci also thought using vermiculite was a great addition to an already robust seed-starting mix. She noted: "Martha’s use of vermiculite on the surface is particularly helpful because it holds moisture while still allowing airflow, which can improve germination and keep the soil surface from drying out too quickly."

Gardening Know How's Editor in Chief, Melanie Griffiths, highlighted the clever way Martha makes indentations in the potting mix. "Using a second tray to make the indentations is a quick and easy way to ensure consistency of seed depth, helping seeds germinate more evenly," she says. "However, before doing this, it's important to check the correct seed sowing depth for your variety – a good rule of thumb is to sow seeds at roughly twice their height in depth. Planting them too deeply is a common mistake that can prevent germination or healthy growth."

What Would They Do Differently?

While the experts wouldn't change much about the process, Staci did encourage gardeners to consider whether a different kind of tray might work better in their planting space – especially if they're placing their trays of planted seeds underneath grow lights or heat lamps.

She explained: "The one thing I would do differently is save space and seeds by starting seeds in small open trays (think a reused lunchmeat container) and then transferring the germinated seedlings into individual pots when they have one set of true leaves.

"Yes, this adds a step, but it saves space on the heat mats and under grow lights early in the season – and it keeps you from needing to thin seedlings later on. Seedlings also grow better, in my experience, in smaller containers, being bumped up as they need to, versus having all the space they need from the beginning."

Something like these Plant Growing Trays from Amazon would do the trick.

We’re all in the market for gardening hacks: clever free or low-cost alternatives that reduce the cost of creating a garden. One idea that has captured the imagination in recent years is using the tubes inside toilet paper rolls as biodegradable seedling pots. Heck, I’m always up for ways to save a few bucks while saving the planet.

Using these tubes as starter pots is one of the most enduring viral gardening tips out there, and for good reason: they are free, accessible, and theoretically biodegradable. But when starting seeds indoors, there is a problem that you might not always spot until it’s too late. Say you nurture a tray of sweet peas or zinnias, only to find that weeks after transplanting, the plants have stalled. The culprit? The very cardboard meant to protect them. Instead of melting into the earth, the tube's a stubborn wall with the seedling’s roots curled into a desperate ball inside.

It’s heartbreaking to think your eco-friendly intentions might have accidentally created a root prison. But don't give up on this noble cause just yet. This month is the perfect time to master a quick trick that makes your toilet roll pots safer and more yielding to the needs of growing plants. Here’s how to avoid stunted seedlings, and ensure your pots support (rather than stifle) your young plants.

Hidden Risks of Toilet Paper Tubes

It’s an appealing notion: using toilet paper tubes as biodegradable pots for seedlings you can start indoors. Every household has a steady supply, and in the high-stakes month of March, when we’re suddenly seed starting everything from kale to cosmos, having a free pot source feels like a real win. The stiff tube stands on its own, and the deep, narrow shape is reminiscent of professional root trainers.

From an expert perspective, these DIY seed starter pots offer a unique advantage for plants with sensitive taproots. Species like sweet peas, lupines, and poppies hate having their toes touched. By using biodegradable toilet paper rolls for seedlings, you’re priming a seamless transition from the windowsill to the garden bed. You give them light and water, watch them sprout, and then tuck the whole unit into the soil when the time is right.

Unfortunately, not all cardboard is created equal. Some tubes are reinforced with heavy glues or waxes to keep them rigid. If the cardboard doesn't stay consistently saturated in the ground, it can wick moisture away from the seedling’s roots, drying them out like a thirsty sponge. So it’s vital to ensure your pots are modified now to prevent this seed starting mistake – before that first seed hits the soil.

Why Biodegradable Isn't Always Safe

Put simply, toilet paper tubes can quickly become root prisons, in a manner of speaking. If the cardboard doesn't disintegrate rapidly, plant roots become pot-bound even though they’re in the ground. The roots hit that cardboard wall, can’t find a way through, and begin to circle. You’ll find seedling growth stunted, where the rootbound plant survives but never truly thrives, because its foundation is compromised.

In a dry spring or in clay-heavy soil, the pot’s decomposition process slows to a crawl. When the roots of seedlings become confined in this way, it limits access to water and oxygen. It’s an excruciating thought, that hungry roots can wind up unable to reach the nutrients just an inch away on the other side of that “friendly” layer.

Of course, you could try to peel the tube off at planting time, but the cardboard can often stick to the delicate root hairs, causing the very transplant shock you were trying to avoid in using the rolls in the first place. So to make this hack more effective, we have to build escape hatches into the design from day one.

Toilet Roll Trick to Save Seedlings

Yes, there is a way to save your loo roll hack and make sure it stays effective! It involves modifying the pots in early spring so the roots have a clear exit strategy. In some circles, it’s called the Slit and Fold method, and it’s reassuringly simple. This is a great project for a March afternoon when you’re itching to get sowing. Here’s how to adapt your seed pots.

1. Your tube shouldn’t be a giant tower. Aim for 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) tall. If needs be, use small garden scissors or snips, like the lovely Fiskars Micro-Tip Snips from Amazon, to cut the roll down to a better size.
2. Use your scissors to cut four vertical slits into the bottom inch of the tube. Space the slits evenly, almost like you’re creating the flaps of a cardboard box.
3. Fold these flaps inward, overlapping them to create a false bottom. This will hold the seed soil mix in while the plant is on your windowsill, but more importantly, it provides four distinct seams that transplanted plant roots can easily push through once in the garden.

By creating these seams, you’re ensuring that even if the cardboard is slow to rot, the roots won’t be trapped in a circle. They’ll find those vertical gaps (which will also have loosened up underground) and head straight out into the surrounding soil to find water and other goodness.

Benefits of This Easy Trick

The primary benefit of the modified toilet roll trick is preventing that dreaded root prison effect. But that’s not the only benefit. The slits in the sides of the tubes also assist with drainage and airflow while the seedlings are indoors. Because the sides are breathable, the roots are naturally air-pruned when they reach the edge, encouraging a more fibrous, healthy root system rather than one long, circling mess.

The folded bottom also helps to prevent wet feet, reducing the chance of rot. Excess water can easily seep out of the bottom seams, reducing the risk of pythium, the dreaded damping off fungus that kills seedlings overnight. Make sure you maintain healthy seedling watering in tandem with growing in toilet rolls. Bottom watering is often better for seedlings grown in toilet roll tubes. You can buy Plant Growing Trays with No Holes from Amazon. Remember, water the tray, not the tube, to prevent a soggy mess before transplant day.

When to Use Loo Roll Trick

So is this a one-size-fits-all solution for sustainable sowings? Well, not quite. While there is no downside to this slit-and-fold method, it’s most vital for problem plants. It is particularly important for slow-growing seedlings like brassicas. Conversely, fast growing seedlings are also good candidates. The slits allow their roots to push out easily and anchor them in the soil. Key plants to start in amended toilet rolls include:

• Legumes: Beans and peas love the depth for their long roots.
• Sunflowers: These grow fast, and you'll find that sunflowers appreciate that extra bit of vertical stability.
• Root crops: If you're brave enough to start carrots or beets indoors, the deeper toilet roll tube boosts your chances of success.

Some seed starts are less of a match for this bio-friendly process. If you are growing tiny, delicate seeds like petunias or snapdragons, the large surface area of a toilet paper tube can lead to soil drying out too fast. For these divas, invest in coir pellets or a dedicated seed starter tray, like the Jiffy Self Watering Seed Starter Trays from Lowe’s for the consistent moisture levels tiny seeds need to crack their hulls.

Getting Seedlings Safely Outdoors

Toilet paper rolls are essentially wet wood, so you might see tiny white mushrooms or fuzzy white substances growing on the outside of the tubes when sitting in a tray. This may look unpleasant, but it’s actually a sign of healthy decomposition, so don’t throw your seedlings away.

When it's time to transplant, remember the final step of this toilet roll (slit and strip) trick – the strip. If the top of your cardboard tube is sticking up above the soil line like a chimney, it may pull moisture away from the plant. Use your snips to trim the cardboard so it sits below the soil surface. But don't get too hung up on perfect sustainability. If a trick is causing you more stress than joy, it’s OK to improvise, and mix and match with other sustainable or reliable sowing options.

While I love the thriftiness of a toilet paper roll, I may use heavy-duty recycled plastic pots or CowPots, available from Amazon and made from composted manure, for certain veggie seedlings. Alongside this, I start basil, parsley and cilantro in paper egg cartons. Do what makes sense to you, and have fun while you are doing it.

Shop Great Seedling Support

Before you start folding cardboard, there are a few other basic seed starting essentials that guarantee the very best start. To take your seedlings from tiny sprouts to sturdy transplants, make sure you have these seed-care essentials to nurture and protect their ongoing growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Great oaks from little acorns grow. I personally can attest that this proverb is literally true, since I scattered acorns on my land in France and ended up with a grove of oak trees. But not every seed is this easy and accommodating. Some require a little help to get down to the business of germinating.

You’ve probably heard of cold stratification - the need for some seeds to go through a period of cold before they sprout. A common example is putting tulip bulbs in the refrigerator for three or four months before planting them in the ground. But there are other methods of seed stratification - including some that are just downright weird, involving ice cubes, milk jugs, and coffee filters.

Let's dig in and explore methods of seed stratification.

Conventional Ways to Stratify Seeds

The main traditional methods of stratifying seeds are by chilling them, soaking them, or nicking their hard coats. Here’s how these three methods work. Note that you don’t get to choose whichever one you prefer. Each type of seed has specific stratification needs that you will have to meet.

1. Chilling Seeds in Refrigerator

In the wild, seeds in cold-winter climates fall to the ground in autumn, then pass the winter on the soil in freezing temperatures and, sometimes, under snow. These seeds will not germinate unless and until they experience winter, or something that feels like it.

In a typical cold-stratification, the gardener places the seeds in a container of moist sand with some potting soil mixed in. They then move the container into the refrigerator, mimicking their natural winter environment. Once the chilling period is over, they remove the container from the refrigerator where they germinate in the warmer air.

2. Soaking Seeds

Some seeds have coats that are too hard to allow them to germinate. One method of softening up the seed coat is to soak the seeds in warm water for 12 to 24 hours. This is not always required or even helpful, but for some seeds, it is important and will hydrate the embryo. Generally, seed packages will instruct you to soak the seeds before planting where this is required.

3. Nicking Seeds

Not every type of seed with a hard coat will germinate after soaking. Some need to have those seed coats nicked or scarified. What this means is that you have to damage the seed coats before planting if you want them to germinate. Typical ways to scarify seeds are by nicking with a sharp knife, clipping with a nail clipper, and scraping the seeds along sand paper.

New and Unusual Ways to Stratify Seeds

There are always weird and wonderful methods of seed stratification making their way around the internet. Here are a few of my favorite ways that actually work.

1. Chilling Seeds in Milk Cartons

Yes, the typical way to chill seeds is in the refrigerator, but that’s not the only way. One unusual way is to poke holes in the bottom of a milk carton, then “plant” the seeds in the carton. Then take the container outside and leave it out there all winter. That mimics the world of nature with freeze-thaw cycles without leaving your seeds susceptible to being dug up by birds and squirrels or washed away by heavy rains.

2. Chilling Seeds in Ice Cubes

Small seeds that need chilling - think poppies for example - can be chilled in ice cubes. Now that may be a method of chilling you’ve never heard of. Here’s how it works. You get an ice-cube tray, fill it half full of water, then freeze it in the freezer. Once it is completely frozen, add a half-dozen or so seeds to each of the ice cube sections. Gently fill each section with water and place the tray once again in the freezer for several months or until it is planting time. To plant the seeds, place the ice cubes directly on the soil. As the ice slowly melts, it will deposit the seeds in the soil to germinate. These OXO brand ice cube trays from Walmart have lids and are stackable for ease of use.

3. Chilling Seeds in Coffee FIlters

The coffee filter method is yet another way to provide seeds with the chilling they need to germinate. Use a bowl-shaped coffee filter, not the triangular pocket types. Moisten the filter, then sprinkle seeds into it.

Once this is done, roll up the filter, then tuck it into a zipper top bag. Place the bag in the refrigerator for the period of cold stratification the particular seeds require.

Shop Seed Starting Essentials

There is a small but devoted contingent of gardeners who water their seedlings with diluted vodka. Granted, this may not be your first thought when thinking of ways to give seedlings a little help. But when it comes to vodka plants of a certain youthful disposition do like a shot. And the reason for this boozy tonic may surprise you.

These growers aren’t raiding the liquor cabinet for seedling boosters because they’ve lost the plot, but because it works. At least, it works some of the time, for a specific problem: leggy seedlings. This is the dreaded phenomenon of pale, floppy seedling stems reaching for light. The causes are usually the same: not enough light, too much warmth, and seedlings putting everything into height rather than structure.

Getting the most out of your seed-starting journey means understanding what can go wrong during those early weeks indoors – and minimizing the risks. The vodka trick doesn’t fix the lack of sun. What it does do is slow the stretching down, giving sturdier plants that can handle the transition to the great outdoors. For a specific time window, watering plants with vodka triggers them to develop in the best way to prepare for outdoor life. So if you didn’t know vodka gardening was a thing, prepare to be amazed, because this is the vodka shot every home grower needs.

Why Make Your Seedlings Tipsy?

When you water seedlings with vodka, the goal isn't intoxication – it’s suppression. The idea is to suppress internode elongation, the process that produces leggy seedling growth. When seedlings stretch, they are responding to low light by prioritizing height over girth, producing weak stems that struggle to support themselves once conditions improve and often buckle under their weight.

Ethanol, at the right dilution, interferes with this by inhibiting the production of gibberellins, the plant hormones responsible for stem cell division and elongation. Less gibberellin activity means shorter internodes, which means a more compact, sturdier plant. The vodka is giving the seedling the message to stop growing so tall and to focus that energy elsewhere.

This is legitimate plant science. Research on ethanol’s effects on plant growth goes back decades, and the mechanism is reasonably well understood, especially in the world of floriculture. Professional growers use similar alcohol-based solutions to keep potted bulbs like paperwhites from flopping over. The key is concentration. A dilute solution produces that compact growth effect without causing cellular damage.

However, the line between a sturdy seedling and a shriveled seedling is thin. Go in too strong, and you’re not managing growth but stressing the plant. The trick is moderation. The happy hour for seedlings is a narrow window, and getting the recipe right is key. It’s about creating a controlled environment where indoor seed starts are forced to grow strong and stout, in preparation for the realities of weather outside.

Happy Hour Essentials

Accuracy and precision are everything when you're making the perfect vodka shot for your young plants. Here are the key mixology supplies you need to take your seedlings from tiny sprouts to sturdy transplants.

Mixing Your Vodka Seedling Cocktail

The standard recipe is one tablespoon of 40% ABV vodka per cup (240 ml) of water. This dilutes the ethanol to just under 1%, which is enough to suppress growth without being toxic and causing damage. High concentrations of ethanol can trigger ethylene, the ripening gas. While we want short stems, we don't want our tiny seedlings thinking it’s time to retire and turn into compost.

When preparing vodka for plants, it’s important to use plain, unflavored vodka. Those trendy marshmallow or raspberry infusions contain sugars and additives that can attract fungal gnats or encourage the growth of harmful bacteria in your potting mix. Cheap, bottom-shelf vodka is fine here. Keep the Grey Goose for your own martini.

You also need to mix your solution fresh each time. Ethanol is volatile and will evaporate if left in an open watering can, changing the concentration and leaving you with inconsistent results. When making your tonic, a measuring set like the Spring Chef Stainless Steel Magnetic Measuring Spoons from Amazon can help you get the concentration consistent and just right each time.

When applying, use a watering can with a fine tip or a precision mister to reach the base of the plant. Watering cans with long, narrow spouts, like the Doftrips Watering Can Long Spout from Ikea, are ideal. Avoid getting on foliage. As water evaporates from leaves, ethanol concentration can increase, potentially burning tender tissues.

Think of this 'vodka seedlings' drink as a weekly supplement. Applying once a week during the peak indoor growing phase is plenty. Over-application can lead to a buildup of salts or overly dry soil, as alcohol is a desiccant. By keeping treatments spaced out, the plant can process the ethanol and respond with thicker cell walls and shorter stems.

Which Plants Enjoy A Drink

Be selective about which plants you invite to the vodka party. Tomatoes are the undisputed stars of this technique. Because they grow so rapidly and are prone to leggy behavior the moment the sun goes behind a cloud, they respond beautifully to growth suppression. Zinnias, sunflowers, marigolds and most annual flowers are great candidates. They have a natural stretch reflex that ethanol can temper, resulting in flowers that won't flop the moment they hit the garden soil.

Peppers are another reasonable option, though they are slightly more sensitive. If you’re growing hot varieties that tend to stay compact anyway, you might not even need the vodka. The common thread is to use this on plants that spend more than six weeks indoors before transplanting. These are most likely to suffer from any limitations of indoor light.

However, some plants are teetotalers. Cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, and melons) have sensitive root systems and can react poorly to ethanol, showing signs of stunting rather than strengthening. Leafy greens like lettuce, kale or spinach are also unlikely to benefit. They need to grow fast and lush, and any growth suppression can make the leaves tough or bitter. If you are ever in doubt, test on just one or two sacrificial seedlings before committing your entire tray to the experiment.

Timings for Your Toasts

Timing can be the difference between suppression and stunting. You should only begin the vodka regimen once true leaves appear. The initial seed leaves (also known as cotyledons) are the plant's emergency energy stores, and the seedling is too fragile at this stage to handle chemical growth regulators. Wait until the plant is at least two inches tall (5cm) and is showing its first jagged or characteristic leaves. This ensures the root system is established enough to process the alcohol. Also, apply when transplanting is a few weeks out. That’s when gibberellin suppression is most useful and the plant is robust enough to handle the dilution.

Stop the happy hour one week before transplanting outside. Once plants go into the ground, you want them to grow as fast and large as possible. You need gibberellins to kick back into high gear, so the plant can establish deep roots and a large canopy for photosynthesis. A week of detox with plain water allows the plant to normalize in time for its move to the great outdoors. In outdoor conditions with proper light and space, legginess isn’t a meaningful concern and the plant will grow as it should.

When the Party Goes Wrong

Even with the best intentions, the vodka trick isn't a magic wand. If you see yellowing leaves, wilting despite moist soil, or a freeze in growth, your seedlings are telling you they’ve had too much. Ethanol is, at its core, a stressor. While mild stress can make a plant stronger, too much causes a breakdown. If your plants look unhappy, it’s time for a detox. Flush the soil with plain, room-temperature water to remove the ethanol.

Remember, vodka cannot replace the underlying cause of legginess, which is usually inadequate light. If you are trying to grow seedlings in a dark closet, no amount of alcohol will make them sturdy. So don’t neglect basic light and warmth needs. Choose a high-quality Spider Farmer SF600 LED Grow Light Kit and a heat mat like the BN-Link Seedling Heat Mat, both available from Amazon.

Best Ways to Prevent Leggy Seedlings

The most expert-driven way to grow stout seedlings involves a combination of light, good airflow, and some TLC. Beyond the vodka bottle, there are several ways to keep plants from stretching. First, keep your grow lights close, usually 2–3 inches (5-8cm) above the canopy for fluorescent bulbs, or slightly higher for LEDs. As the plants grow, move the lights up. This removes the need for the plant to stretch.

Also, try petting your seedlings. Gently brushing your hands over the tops of seedlings for 30 seconds a day mimics the action of a breeze. This physical stress also signals to the plant to produce shorter, thicker stems. You can achieve the same effect by placing a small fan, like the Vornado VFan Mini Classic from Amazon, on a low setting near your trays. This moving air not only strengthens the stems but also prevents damping off, a common fungal killer in seedlings.

Lastly, don't forget to rotate your trays. Seedlings always grow toward the strongest light source. If you’re growing on a windowsill, turn the trays 180 degrees every day. This keeps the structural integrity balanced. Dodge basic seed starting mistakes, stay vigilant, and your seedlings should thrive with a well-timed vodka tonic. If it’s good enough for the pros, it’s good enough for your heirloom beefsteaks!

Other Ways to Support Seedlings

Giving your young starts a vodka shot will hopefully prove highly beneficial, but don’t rely solely on the odd tipple for sustenance. Make sure you are still covering off the bases with solid foundational care and protection, and keep these essentials close for warmth, light and positive drainage.

Frequently Asked Questions

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I love meeting people with unique names – especially when they're botanical themed. They’re always so beautiful and often come with a great backstory. So when I recently learned that a friend had used flower seeds to help name her daughter, I was instantly intrigued.

It’s an incredibly simple idea, but very exciting, and ever so appropriate for garden lovers out there. All you need is a selection of fast-growing flower seeds, somewhere to plant them, and a bit of patience.

Here’s how to use flower seeds to help name your baby – or perhaps a pet – as well as a touching story from someone who named their child after a flower.

How to Use Flower Seeds to Pick a Name

To use flower seeds to come up with a name, you first need to purchase a selection of seeds to plant. If you’re planning on calling your child something like Primrose, Daisy, or Poppy, pick up some seed packets of each to plant.

However, it is not necessary to name your child after the bloom itself – indeed, unless the seeds have a similar number of days to germination, it won't be a fair race. Instead, the better option is to plant three flowers with similar growth rates and assign a different child’s name to each one. Whichever one sprouts or blooms first is the winner! This is exactly what my friend Melanie did.

"My husband and I just couldn't decide between the names Josephine, Joni, and Summer, so we decided to leave it in the hands of nature," she explains. "We planted cosmos next to a plant label named Josephine, zinnias next to Joni, and marigolds next to Summer. The cosmos not only broke through first, but was first to flower. It felt like the name Josephine was meant to be, and silenced any doubts I had.

"I think we would have regretted not choosing Josephine now, as it's such a classic that isn't very commonly used these days, whereas the other names felt a bit more on trend at the moment. I realized afterwards that cosmos normally takes a day or two longer to germinate, so nature knew what it was doing.

"Even more touching was that the flowers were all still blooming when I gave birth. My husband brought me a little bouquet of Josephine's cosmos to the hospital while I was recovering."

This is a great way to make an event out of naming your baby, as well as to get your friends and family involved, as they could place bets. It’s also a fun tie breaker if you’re stuck on a selection of names. Let nature guide your decision and feel excitement build day by day, waiting to find out what your baby’s name is going to be!

Fast-Growing Flower Seed Picks

Botanical Name Ideas to Start From Seed

If you want to stay true to the botanical name idea, then pay attention to days to germination, as this affects how evenly your plants will sprout and establish. Picking varieties with similar germination times helps ensure a more uniform display and avoids some seedlings racing ahead while others lag behind. Here are some ideas that work as baby names, including average days to germination.

• Alyssum (Alyssa) – 5–8 days
• Amaranth (Amara) – 5–10 days
• Anise – 7–14 days
• Ash (Asher) – 7–14 days
• Basil – 5–10 days
• Calendula (Cal, Callie) – 5–10 days
• Calla lily (Cal, Calla) – 10–14 days
• Celosia (Cece) – 8–14 days
• Clarkia (Clark) – 7–10 days
• Coreopsis (Cora, Corey) – 7–10 days
• Cosmos (Cosmo, Cosima) – 5–10 days
• Daisy – 7–14 days
• Linum / Flax (Linnea) – 7–10 days
• Lunaria (Luna) – 10–14 days
• Marigold – 4–7 days
• Nigella (Nella, Nigel) – 7–14 days
• Petunia – 7–10 days
• Poppy – 7–14 days
• Rowan – 14–21 days
• Sage – 7–14 days
• Sorrel – 7–14 days
• Verbena – 7–14 days
• Zinnia – 4–7 days

The Story of Primrose

Dr. Hezekiah Herrera, a special education teacher, named his daughter Primrose for a very special reason. His story is a beautiful example of the power of floral names.

He explained: “In addition to feeling an overwhelming sense of responsibility about naming a daughter (and first daughter and first granddaughter on my side of the family), I wanted the name to reflect who she was going to be.

“I will always remember the instant that I knew she had arrived. I was strolling along the Western Wall in Jerusalem when a sudden, fierce gust of wind came barreling down upon us, and as if by divine intervention, church bells began ringing nearby. The wind was so forceful that it literally stopped me in my tracks. Before I could check my phone, I instinctively knew that something was unfolding before me. An answered prayer. And just seconds thereafter, the message I was expecting arrived: it was time. I quickly boarded a flight and returned to California; she was born healthy and beautiful.

“What I could not have anticipated was that she was born on the very first day of spring. Rather than believing this was simply a coincidence, I felt as though the name had somehow anticipated it prior to our knowing. Primroses are one of the first flowers of spring, announcing the season's arrival long before other signs indicate its coming. This felt perfectly fitting for who she would become.

“Primrose is certainly not a common name, and that is part of why I liked it. It is derived from reality – from nature, from meaning, from a sacred moment at an ancient wall thousands of miles away. Each year, as the flowers begin to bloom in the spring, I am reminded of the wind, the bells, and the moment I knew she was there.”

If you’ve been wanting to start a garden from seeds, but it’s too cold out, and you can’t afford a fancy shmancy greenhouse, this hack is for you.

All you need is a cardboard egg carton to use as your seedling tray, then, to make it into a mini DIY greenhouse, simply slip it inside a clear bread bag, similar to this video below by @itsplantsyall on TikTok. No major equipment or big investment; just two things you probably already have in your kitchen.

The actual setup costs next to nothing, takes about five minutes, and is a great hack for starting seeds indoors before the growing season begins. This will have you wondering why you’ve been wasting money on plastic seed trays and humidity domes all these years.

What You'll Need

Before you get started, make sure you have these materials on hand:

• 1 cardboard egg carton (it should be paper/cardboard only, not styrofoam)
• 1 clear plastic bread bag (or any clear plastic bag large enough to fit the carton)
• Seed starting mix (if you don’t have seed starting mix, regular potting soil works fine)
• Your chosen seeds
• Water

Optional but helpful:

• A spray bottle for light watering
• Something pointy for poking drainage holes (like a pencil)
• A marker for labeling seeds
• If you prefer real labels, these ones from Kinglake on Amazon are a great size and even come with a marker.
• Something to put underneath to catch water drainage

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare your egg carton

Open your egg carton and use a pencil (or another pointy tool) to poke a small drainage hole in the bottom of each cup. One small hole per cup is enough, as this is done to keep water from pooling in the bottom and causing seed rot.

Step 2: Fill with soil

Fill each egg cup about ¾ full with your seed starting mix or potting soil. You’ll want to have some space at the top to keep soil from going over the edges when you add water, and it gives seeds room to settle.

Don’t pack it too firmly, otherwise your roots can’t penetrate easily, and water won’t drain through.

Step 3: Plant your seeds

You should always follow the instructions on your seed packet for how deep to plant seeds. But, as a general rule:

• Super small seeds (like lettuce or herbs) should sit gently on the surface and be barely covered.
• Medium seeds (like tomatoes or peppers) go about ¼ inch deep
• Larger seeds (like beans or peas) go about ½ inch deep

Plant 1-2 seeds per egg cup. If they both germinate, you can thin seedlings or separate them when transplanting.

Step 4: Water gently

Don’t go all crazy when watering seedlings, as you will end up oversaturating them. Use a spray bottle to mist the soil so it becomes moist but not clogged with water. This approach will prevent the seeds from moving around or getting buried too deeply.

You can also water from the bottom by placing your egg carton in a shallow tray of water; this works great for tiny seeds.

Step 5: Label everything

Don’t skip this step because, as much as you think your memory is super good, it’s probably not. Use a marker to label each cup; future you will be thanking current you.

Step 6: Create the greenhouse

Slide the entire egg carton into your plastic bag. The bag doesn’t need to be sealed completely, and sometimes it’s even better to leave it slightly open for some air circulation, which prevents mold. You want humidity, not a completely airtight environment.

Step 7: Find the right spot

Okay, you’ve made your mini greenhouse, but where to place it? You need a warm location with indirect light. Some options could be:

• On top of the refrigerator (the warmth from the motor helps)
• Near (but not directly on) a heat source like a radiator, or use a heat mat – like this BN-LINK Seedling Heat Mat with Thermostat Controller Combo Set from Amazon.
• On a sunny windowsill (though be careful it doesn’t overheat)
• Under a grow light, if you have one – this GooingTop LED Grow Light is ideal.

Most seeds need a temperature of about 65-75°F (18–24°C). The plastic bag will trap some heat, so you don’t need extreme warmth, just a spot that is consistently warm.

Caring for Your Seedlings

Once you’ve got your mini greenhouse, it doesn’t need a lot of maintenance, but still, a bit is required.

Monitor moisture: Do a daily check by looking at the soil through the plastic, and making sure it’s moist but not soggy. Condensation on the inside of the bag is totally normal; this is the greenhouse effect in action.

Watch for germination: Most of the seeds will begin sprouting in 1-2 weeks, depending on what type they are and the conditions of your mini greenhouse. Monitor them, and once you see the green shoots emerging, they need light immediately to prevent getting leggy (this is plant speak for too much stem space between leaves that can cause it to get weak).

Ventilate once sprouted: Once your seedlings have sprouted, open the bag more or entirely remove it for part of the day to increase air circulation. This is when you’re transitioning from a high-humidity germination phase to a growth phase that requires more air movement.

Thin if needed: If both of your seeds have sprouted, you’ll need to snip the weaker one to soil level with scissors. Don’t pull it out, or you will disturb the roots of the one you want to keep.

These Fiskars Shaper Plant Shears from Amazon are super sharp and perfect for small snips.

What Seeds Work Best?

Not all seeds will work for starting in an egg carton, mostly due to size constraints.

Great choices for egg carton greenhouses:

• Herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley, dill)
• Lettuce and salad greens
• Tomatoes (transplant relatively early)
• Peppers
• Flowers (marigolds, zinnias, cosmos)
• Broccoli
• Spinach

A Hack Accessible to Everyone

In a world where gardening seems inaccessible unless you have a ton of specialized equipment, an egg carton greenhouse is a great reminder that you can start from almost nothing. This is a great hack for beginners, kids, people on tight budgets, or those with limited space.

Petting your seedlings… I know, it might sound a little crazy. But there’s a very good reason for doing it, I swear. As someone who has spent many a spring morning hovering over trays of promising green hope, I can tell you those tiny stems are a lot more attuned to touch than they might appear. It all comes down to a marvelous mouthful of a word: thigmomorphogenesis.

If you’ve ever felt the heartbreak of watching precious seed starts turn into leggy disappointments, this little tip with the big word is about to rock your world. Because believe it or not, a gentle touch really will help baby plants grow stronger – and less leggy! That soft brushing action sends a signal to your seedlings. Instead of reaching desperately for the ceiling, they suddenly start building a sturdier foundation.

So when you’re starting your seeds, make a tiny bit of time for some tender loving care – because your seedlings are seriously craving your touch. And while it might seem strange tickling your baby tomatoes and petting your tiny cosmos, it could be the makings of your summer garden. Here’s everything you need to know about this unusual but highly effective trick.

What is Thigmomorphogenesis?

Thigmomorphogenesis is a fascinating phenomenon where plants change their growth patterns in response to mechanical stimulation. In the wild, plants are constantly being touched by playful breezes, drops of rain, or even a curious rabbit brushing past a stem. These aren't just random events to a plant: they are vital pieces of data that tell the plant what kind of environment it’s growing in.

The word is a bit of a linguistic puzzle: thigmo refers to touch, morpho refers to form or shape, and genesis means origin or beginning. You might have heard of thigmotropism, which is the ability of plants to respond to touch. So this seemingly complex word just means plants begin to change their shape or form when touched.

When a plant is physically stimulated, it releases ethylene, a natural plant hormone. This hormone signals the plant to slow down its elongation and instead thicken its cell walls and stem diameter. That extra thickness is very welcome to seedlings when it comes time to braving the elements outside (or even just getting repotted).

You can see thigmomorphogenesis in action with a windswept coastal hedge, or a tree on a hill. Those plants are often shorter than their sheltered cousins, but they are tough. In our cozy, wind-free grow rooms, our seedlings might miss out on this action. Growing in stillness for a seedling is a mistake, as it can lead to weak, leggy plants that aren't ready for the real world. By introducing touch, we’re giving them a pre-season workout – for strong seedlings with a real grounding in outdoor life.

Benefits of Petting Seedlings

So, what makes that young plant’s response to touch so beneficial for us? When we pet seedlings and trigger thigmomorphogenesis, we are initiating that instinct to stop reaching randomly upwards and to start putting energy into strength. Instead of putting all their metabolic energy into growing tall (to compete for light), touched plants redirect that energy into structural integrity. The more frequent the gentle stimulation, the stockier and more resilient they become ahead of transplanting.

This is a huge benefit for indoor seedlings, which are notorious for growing leggy. Because indoor air is usually stagnant, seedlings don't feel the need to defend themselves against gravity or wind. They’re sheltered, for good reason, but this can lead them to grow in ways that are not beneficial. As a result, they grow thin and frail. By applying mechanical stimulation, you’re encouraging a shorter internode length (the space between leaves), which results in a plant that can support its own weight.

Leggy seedlings aren't just an aesthetic problem, they are a health hazard. Thin stems are more vulnerable to damping off, a devastating fungal infection that attacks the base of weak stems. Furthermore, a top-heavy seedling is a disaster waiting to happen. Once you move that plant outdoors, a single gust of wind or a heavy rain shower can snap a weak stem like a toothpick, wasting weeks of hard work.

The risk of transplant shock is another compelling reason to get petting. Seedlings that have been petted and toughened up are primed to survive the transition to the garden. They have thicker skin (cuticles) and more robust vascular systems. You can check these with a magnifying glass or loupe, like the Leffis Jeweler’s Loupe from Amazon. Once you move your petted seedlings out, they will have the structural muscle memory to withstand the elements, leading to a much higher survival rate.

Help Seedlings Feel the Love

Before you start your daily petting routine, make sure you have the right setup to support your seedlings. While your bare hands are the best tool for bringing in the love, these little extras will help provide some extra TLC.

Best Ways to Pet Your Seedlings

Fortunately, recreating the conditions that naturally strengthen plants outdoors is simple. All you have to do is gently touch your seedlings' little leaves a few times a day. Once your seedlings have developed their first set of true leaves (appearing after the initial smooth cotyledons), you can begin. Simply brush your open palm gently across the tops of the seedlings. You want enough pressure to make them bend slightly, but not enough to bruise the delicate tissue.

If you're a busy gardener, or perhaps you have hundreds of starts, an oscillating fan is a sound workaround (and it will also help improve air circulation). Position the fan so it creates a visible shimmer in the leaves, but be careful not to create a wind tunnel. A constant, harsh blast can dry out the soil too quickly or cause wind burn on tender leaves. Use a timer to set the fan for 10-15 minutes, two or three times a day.

But brushing seedlings daily can be a lovely, tangible reminder of progress (as well as a lovely way of relaxing). I’ve heard some growers use a soft-bristled paintbrush for particularly delicate flowers, ensuring they get the benefit of touch without the risk of heavy-handed damage. You can also use a soft makeup brush, like the angled highlight brush in the EcoTools Brushes from Amazon – just don’t drop them at a critical moment!

How Long You Can Pet Seedlings For

So when it comes to touching your seedlings, how much is too much? It seems the power of thigmomorphogenesis can be felt in very brief moments. As little as 30 seconds of physical stimulation per day is enough to trigger the hormonal response, and the benefits can last for hours. So you don't need to stand over your trays every hour of every day. A quick morning greeting as you check their water levels is perfectly sufficient to send that vital message to the plant's growing cells.

Consistency is more important than duration. It is better to give them 20 seconds of attention a day than 10 minutes once a week. Keep it consistent so the plant remains in strengthening mode through its indoor life. If you miss a day, don't sweat it, but try to make it a part of your daily routine, perhaps while your morning coffee is brewing.

Continue your petting routine until you begin hardening off seedlings in preparation for getting plants ready for the outdoors. At that point, Mother Nature takes over the petting duties for you! By then, they will hopefully be sturdy rather than soft.

Other Ways to Strengthen Seedlings

Petting is a powerful daily act of kindness, but it works best with other activities designed to get your seedlings stronger. Light is key. If your light source is too far away from your plants, no amount of petting will stop a plant from stretching. Keep near a window, or ensure that grow lights are just 3 inches (8cm) above the seedling, moving them up as the plants grow. This prevents the search for sun that causes legginess. Rotating trays or pots is also advised, to cultivate a robust plant base.

Nutrition plays a key role in structural strength. While nitrogen encourages leafy growth, too much prompts soft growth that's easily damaged. Use a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer. I like to add a bit of seaweed feed once true leaves appear, diluted to quarter strength. You can buy Neptune’s Harvest Seaweed Plant Food from Amazon. Don't be afraid to thin seedlings, and keep the shorter plants. (Plants crowded together trigger the impulse to outgrow their neighbors – the opposite of the stocky growth you’re after). Do all this with your gentle touch, and it will reap dividends.

Shop Great Seedling Support

To give your petted seedlings a fighting chance, you'll need the right gear for the long haul. These items focus on root health, stem strength, optimum airflow and hydration during those critical first few weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Poppies have always been favorites of mine – from California’s bright orange state flower, to Icelandic poppies, to the blood red poppies filling open fields in Spain. There is something about the brilliant color and the fragile, tissue-like petals that makes them irresistible. But even though they are prolific in areas they are established, they are a little picky about their growing conditions.

Poppy seeds need a period of cold exposure to break dormancy. That’s why you rarely see poppies in places like Hawaii or Miami – there’s no winter to assist with germination. But there is a hack you can use to mimic cold seed stratification. It’s really cool, too. As cool as an ice cube, in fact!

Freezing poppy seeds in ice cubes is a fun and clever way to give them the period of cold stratification they need to germinate faster and bloom earlier. I’ll walk you through exactly how to do it, so you can grow poppies even sooner this spring.

Benefits of Poppy Seed Ice Cubes

If you’ve never heard of freezing poppy seeds, you are in for a treat. The idea is not just to freeze the seeds, but to freeze them in the middle of ice cubes. Then you simply place the ice cubes on your soil outside when it’s planting time.

This method is fun and easy, and it also mimics the cold stratification that poppy seeds need to germinate. But this method also has a few other advantages.

First, poppy seeds are tiny and hard to spread evenly. If you sow dry seeds, you almost always get uneven distribution. Poppy seed ice cubes result in an even spread of seeds.

Second, poppy seedlings hate to be moved once they have germinated. You need to sow them in place. So poppy seed ice cubes are a great way to accomplish this.

Third, since poppy seeds are so tiny that they can be dislodged by a heavy spring rain, this frozen method of sowing the seeds keeps them in place. It also gives seeds a head start to get growing sooner.

What You Will Need

You will need the following: a packet of poppy seeds, ice cube trays, water, and a freezer.