Year after year we are engaged in operations that we did the year before, and by doing, so we learn. We learn what has succeeded, what has failed and hopefully and more importantly, why.

it’s worthwhile bearing in mind that it is good practice with all trees and shrubs to cut back or cut out the weakest shoots, and to avoid cutting the strongest shoots hard. You will remember that hard pruning results in strong shoot production and not necessarily more flowers. The one thing that can be said about cutting out strong shoots of bougainvillea, for instance, is that they will provide good wood for converting into cuttings. Strong, thick shoots provide the very best wood for cuttings because they provide shoots which are best able to withstand the separation from the parent plant and produce roots very quickly.

Gardeners a very long time ago discovered the ability of plants to produce roots. From long cuttings several feet long (as can be the case with willows), to plants produced in test tubes from…..