RHS How to Grow Plants for Free: Creating New Plants from Cuttings, Seeds and More

by Simon Akeroyd

The perfect introduction to increasing the number of plants in your garden or community easily and cheaply

Increase your stock of plants easily and for free by propagating them yourself.  RHS How to Grow Plants for Free  demystifies the art of taking cuttings and explains the other ways you can multiply your garden plants. Propagating your own plants is fun, inexpensive, and a sustainable way to garden.

An introductory section explains the botanical science behind all types of propagation and defines and simplifies the language. The book is then split into self-contained practical chapters detailing each of the different types of propagation. Each chapter includes a selection of 'plant profiles' for the plants best suited to each propagation

- Dividing Plants covers the easiest methods of splitting one plant into several new ones
- Saving Seeds introduces how to collect and process seeds from flowers, vegetables, herbs and trees
- Cuttings covers how to successfully grow a new plant from an existing one using several different methods for taking cuttings
- The Houseplants chapter shows techniques needed to increase your collection.
- The final chapters show how to grow new plants from kitchen scraps, and gives ideas on how to make the most of all the new plants you've created by giving them as gifts

Genres: Gardening

144 pages, Hardcover

Published June 6, 2023

About the author

Simon is an author having written over 30 gardening books, and contributes to national gardening magazines and newspapers. He has also featured as a TV presenter and on radio. He was previously Garden Manager for both RHS and National Trust. He was also a BBC producer.

He currently lives in South Devon.

Reviews

[Matt Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uses fairly clear language and avoids complicated terminology for the most part – but isn’t consistent with this. Often describes processes without providing visual illustrations, or suggests plants to grow without including an image, and as this is a ‘how-to’ guide, it defeats the purpose of the book. I’m left vaguely knowing how to do something, but I’ll still need to search online if I actually want to know how to do grow plants for free.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat little book that teaches you about different types of plants and how to propagate them. Clear illustrations. Good for a beginning gardener like me.

[Anita Rossiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of good ideas