At this time of the year there is a rush of new shoots as plants that have lain dormant during the winter start coming back to life again. Soon their leaves will start to open out, transforming bare earth with their fresh colour.

Sometimes though gaps appear where plants have died off or mature shrubs have been removed and you are faced with decisions about how to fill these.

One of the best ways of filling up empty spaces is with plants you have grown yourself, either using what’s already growing in your garden or by starting afresh with seed.

Propagating is easy and rewarding and it costs very little. And not only that, but the plants you raise will be well-adapted to the conditions in your garden, making them almost guaranteed to succeed.

So if you have never grown plants from scratch before, why not give it a go? You may be surprised at just how easy it is.

Scottish Gardener:

SEEDS
Most people think of seeds when they want to go annual flowers or vegetables, but in fact you can grow just about anything from seed, including shrubs and trees.  Seed is an economical way to grow large numbers of perennials, so it is an effective way of filling your garden and although most plants will take two years to flower, there are some, including achillea and delphinium that will flower in their first year if sown early enough.

How to: sprinkle seeds sparingly over the surface of a small pot of damp compost, cover lightly with grit or compost and place the pot inside a propagator or plastic bag and keep covered until seedlings start to emerge. Uncover the pot and grow the seedlings until they have developed their first set of true leaves. Transplant these into seed trays and, when they are large enough, into individual pots and grow them on, repotting them again if necessary, until they are strong enough to be set out in the garden.

Suitable for:  astrantia, lupin, echinacea

Best time: spring

Scottish Gardener:

ROOT CUTTINGS
Some plants produce fleshy roots that provide ideal material to make lots more plants. It’s an easy method of propagation and the key is to take no more than one third of the roots from the host plant, so that it will still be able to grow strongly.

How to: Lift an established plant, select young, vigorous roots and sever these at the crown. Cut each root into 7cm lengths, making an angled cut at the bottom of the cutting, and place them, same way up as they were growing in the soil, into small pots of gritty compost. Water and place in a cold frame. Once new growth appears, pot up the individual plants and keep them in containers for a year until they have established a strong root system.

Suitable for: Japanese anemones, Oriental poppies, verbascum, Primula denticulata

Best time: late autumn

Scottish Gardener:

DIVISIONS
This is the easiest of all methods of propagation. It simply involves splitting establish plants. It works for all clump-forming grasses and perennials and it has a high success-rate, provided that the divisions are kept well-watered after replanting.

How to: dig up healthy plants, separate them by placing two forks, back to back, across the centre of the plant and pushing them apart. Some fleshy roots, such as those on hostas, can be cut into pieces with a sharp knife. Discard any old material and replant healthy, young sections into the soil. Water well.

Suitable for: bergenia, hosta, geranium, sea holly.

Best time: spring and autumn

Scottish Gardener:

CUTTINGS
They seem tricky, but in fact taking cuttings is not as difficult as most people imagine. There are three kinds of cutting:  semi-ripe, which are taken in summer and hardwood, which are best taken in late autumn or winter, but it is softwood cuttings that have the highest success rate.

How to: select young growth, without flower buds, and cut at about 15cm from the tip. Pop immediately into a plastic bag to prevent moisture loss. When ready, trim just under a leaf node and remove all but the uppermost set of leaves, cutting these in half if they are large. Insert around the rim of small pots of gritty compost and place in a propagator or cover with a plastic bag and place somewhere warm, but out of direct sunlight, until roots develop. Plant up individually and grow on until large enough to plant in the garden.

Suitable for: hydrangea, pelargonium, lavender, verbena.

Best time: spring and early summer.