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Easy Plants You Can Grow from Cuttings

Easy Plants You Can Grow from Cuttings

Growing new plants from cuttings feels almost magical. A stem of new growth placed in water or soil sprouts roots of its own and grows into a whole new plant. The process requires little effort and is so rewarding! I especially enjoy rooting cuttings of scented geraniums for my porch and pothos to trail down bookshelves. But you can also propagate shrubs, trees, and herbaceous garden plants from cuttings. However, some plants root more easily from cuttings than others, so it’s helpful to know which plants you can grow from cuttings and which ones need more coaxing or might not root at all.

Types Of Cuttings

Cuttings of Pothos Leaves in Clear Glass of Water being Propagated

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Before you take a cutting, you need to know what type of cutting to take, which will vary depending on the plant. There are four main types of stem cuttings: herbaceous, softwood, semi-hardwood, and hardwood.

Herbaceous cuttings are taken from — you guessed it — herbaceous perennials and annuals. The other three come from woody shrubs and trees and refer to the age of the stem.

Softwood cuttings come from tender young growth under two months old. Semi-hardwood cuttings come from two- to six-month-old growth, which is more mature but still holds leaves. Hardwood cuttings come from dormant plants and are taken in late fall or winter.

Tips For Rooting Cuttings

Woman is holding philodendron plant cuttings with roots ready to be planted

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Cuttings should always come from this season’s or the previous season’s growth, depending on the type (see above). Select healthy stems from the upper part of the plant, without flowers or buds, if possible. If not, remove all flowers and buds so the plant’s energy goes into roots and new growth.

With many plants, like pothos, a long cutting can be divided into multiple shorter cuttings. However, a terminal cutting often works best. Most cuttings should be four to six inches long.

Remove all leaves from the lower third to half of each cutting. I usually aim to have at least two to three leaves remaining at the top. For plants that tend to be a bit more difficult to propagate from cuttings, dip the bottom end in rooting hormone, tapping to remove excess powder.

Then, insert the bottom third to half of the cutting into a small container of moistened growing medium. For the medium, a mixture of equal parts perlite and peat or sand and peat works well, though I have used both seed starting mix and potting soil successfully. Many herbaceous plants will even root in water, which is fun to see!

Place your cuttings on a windowsill with bright, indirect light and keep the medium moist. To ensure high humidity, you can place a plastic bag or a jug or bottle with the bottom cut out over the plants. The plant has rooted when new growth forms or it stays in place when you gently tug on it.

Plants You Can Grow from Cuttings

Woman pruning tea rose bush in garden, closeup

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Each of the plants below, categorized as houseplants (indoor), garden plants (outdoor), or trees, include the type of cutting (herbaceous, softwood, semi-hardwood, hardwood) and recommended rooting medium (water or “soil”/growing medium). See the above sections for more details.

Houseplants

1. Arrowhead vine (Syngonium podophyllum)

Green leaves Syngonium podophyllum close-up. Arrow head potted plant.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

 

This trailing or climbing houseplant has arrow-shaped leaves when young and matures to have deeply lobed foliage. Leaf color ranges from lime green and bright pink to dark green and white.

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: water

2. Begonia (Begonia spp.)

Begonias of different types (tuberous and elatior) in pots in the home interior. Indoor flowers, hobby, floriculture.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

With their striking foliage and otherworldly appearance, begonias are among my favorite houseplants. Some cultivars produce lovely flowers too!

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: water or soil

3. Corn plant (Dracaena fragrans)

Dracaena fragrans (Massangeana) Corn Plant decoration in the living room. The concept of minimalism. Houseplant care concept. Indoor plants.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

The narrow, often striped, leaves of corn plants resemble the foliage of corn or palms, and these popular houseplants are wonderfully easy to grow even in low light.

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: water

4. Monstera (Monstera spp.)

Large Monstera Deliciosa or Adam's Rib plant in a clay pot placed inside an apartment next to a large window.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

The tropical plants in this genus typically have large, heart-shaped leaves, often with deep lobes or even holes (such as the aptly named Swiss cheese plant).

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: water or soil

5. Philodendron (Philodendron spp.)

Philodendron plant in a pot next to a window in a bathroom

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

This large genus contains a multitude of climbing, creeping, and trailing tropical plants, from the vining heart-leaf philodendron to the more compact philodendron erubescens with its huge leaves.

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: water

6. Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)

Christmas Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)

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A popular Christmas decoration, poinsettias can actually be grown as houseplants year round.

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: soil

7. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

This vining houseplant is one of the easiest to grow and one of my favorites to propagate by cuttings.

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: water

8. String of pearls (Curio rowleyanus)

String of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

A unique vining succulent, string of pearls has spherical leaves that resemble peas or, well, pearls!

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: soil

9. Swedish Ivy (Plectranthus australis)

House plant. Green plant Swedish Ivy (Plectranthus australis) in a white pot on a gray background

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

This lovely vining houseplant has round, scalloped leaves often with variegation. It also produces white or lavender flowers!

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: soil

Garden Plants

10. Azalea (Rhododendron spp.)

Bright pink Rhododendron Azalea flowers close-up

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

These lovely shrubs bloom in the spring with showy flower clusters in shades of white, pink, or red.

Type of cutting: semi-hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

11. Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.)

Garden blueberries are delicious, healthy berry fruits. Vaccinium corymbosum, blueberry. Man's hand holding a bunch of blue ripe berries, close up

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Blueberries are a wonderful fruit to grow in the home garden, and you can multiply your bushes through stem cuttings!

Type of cutting: softwood or hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

12. Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Cephalanthus occidentalis mexical white yellow flowering plant, bright beautiful buttonbush honey bells flowers in bloom

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Native to the US, buttonbush produces unique spherical flowers that look something like buttons decorating the shrub.

Type of cutting: hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

13. Camellia (Camellia spp.)

Red double Camellia japonica 'Black Tie' in flower.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

This flowering shrub blooms in vibrant shades of pink, red, lavender, yellow, and white.

Type of cutting: semi-hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

14. Clematis (Clematis spp.)

Rhapsody Clematis in Inniswood Metro Gardens, Columbus area, OH, May

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

A popular flowering vine, clematis species vary widely in bloom time, flower form, and color.

Type of cutting: softwood or semi-hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

15. Coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides, Zones 10–11)

Coleus ('Defiance') plant foliage background

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

The vibrant foliage of coleus provides a pop of color in shade gardens and patio containers.

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: water

16. Forsythia (Forsythia spp.)

Yellow flowers of Forsythia x intermedia 'Lynwood'

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Forsythia shrubs produce masses of cheery yellow flowers in late winter, long before most other plants begin blooming.

Type of cutting: softwood, semi-hardwood, or hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

17. Garden mums (Chrysanthemum spp.)

Fresh bright blooming pink chrysanthemums close up bushes planted in line in autumn garden outside in sunny day. Flower background for greeting card, wallpaper, banner, header.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Especially popular during the fall, garden mums produce ruffled blossoms in a variety of lovely colors.

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: soil

18. Geranium (Pelargonium spp.)

Blooming vibrant pink red geranium pelargonium flowers close up, floral wallpaper background with pink and red geranium flowers

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

From scented geraniums to hardy geraniums, this genus contains a wide range of species for the garden, patio, and home.

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: soil

19. Grape (Vitis spp.)

Sweet and tasty blue grape bunch on the vine with free space copyspace

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Save healthy cuttings when pruning your grapevines to propagate new plants for even more juicy grapes.

Type of cutting: hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

20. Hydrangea (Hydrangea spp.)

Hydrangea changeable large-leaved Garden French wild-growing bush. Variety of paniculate and tree-like hydrangea. Blue and pink flowers

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

This popular flowering shrub produces lacey caps or showy globes of white, pink, blue, or even lavender blossoms.

Type of cutting: softwood or hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

21. Lavender (Lavendula spp.)

Lavender (Lavandula)

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A fragrant herb with lovely purple flowers and both medicinal and culinary qualities, lavender is one plant you can never have too much of.

Type of cutting: softwood or hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

22. Rose (Rosa spp.)

Red Rose / Red Roses

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

This classic flower has inspired gardeners and poets for centuries with its ruffled petals, sweet scent, and thorny stems.

Type of cutting: softwood or hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

23. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

Blossoming rosemary plants in the herb garden, selected focus, narrow depth of field

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Rosemary is a unique evergreen herb with fragrant, needle-like leaves in a soft, gray-green shade.

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: soil

24. Sweet Potato (Ipomoea spp.)

sweet potato harvest

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Grow a large crop of this delicious tuber by turning cuttings into new plants.

Type of cutting: herbaceous

Rooting medium: water

Trees

25. Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides or speciosa)

Flowers Catalpa bigoniaformes, Indian bean tree, common catalpa, siren-leaved catalpa, cigar tree, southern catalpa,

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Native to the US, catalpa trees have large, heart-shaped leaves and long, beanlike seed pods.

Type of cutting: softwood

Rooting medium: soil

26. Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroe­mia spp.)

pink crape myrtle in sunlight

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

This ornamental tree features beautiful peeling bark and large, showy clusters of white, pink, red, or purple flowers.

Type of cutting: softwood or semi-hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

27. Fig (Ficus spp.)

Figs fruits on the tree branch, closeup, raw sweet figs, organic food, selective focus, blurred

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Fig trees produce delicious fruits for fresh eating, drying, making jam, and more.

Type of cutting: hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

28. Mulberry (Morus rubra)

Mulberry tree with ripe morus fruit outdoor. Many black mulberry fruits on tree branches. Black morus berries in garden. Superberry Black Mulberry Tree.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

While most mulberry trees are invasive, the red mulberry is native to the US and produces large, juicy berries.

Type of cutting: softwood

Rooting medium: soil

29. Willow (Salix spp.)

Large Bushes of Japanese whole-leaved willow, Salix Integra Hakuro-Nishiki on bank of artificial lake

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Although the weeping willow is perhaps the most classic, many lovely willow tree and shrub species exist.

Type of cutting: hardwood

Rooting medium: soil

This long list of plants you can grow from cuttings just scrapes the tip of the iceberg! Once you discover the fun of propagating cuttings, you might not be able to stop. Happy growing!

Author

  • Serena Manickam is a freelance editor and writer and sustainable market gardener in rural Virginia. She holds a BA in environmental science and runs Fairydiddle Farm, a small market garden in which she grows no-spray produce and herbs to sell at a local farmer’s market.

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[…] Here are some examples of plants that you can grow from cuttings. […]