Gardener's secret: This method of growing roses is too easy

Late August and September provide a specific window for rose propagation—warm soil combined with cool night air creates the necessary conditions for rooting. Unlike purchasing nursery stock, cuttings allow gardeners to produce plants fully adapted to their local site. The process is effective when shoots have matured but have not yet entered deep dormancy. Preparing Cuttings The selection of planting material focuses on healthy, strong shoots from the current year that have finished flowering. A suitable cutting should be approximately the thickness of a standard pencil; very thin tips or old, woody branches show lower survival rates. Each cutting should measure about 4 to 4.7 inches (10–12 cm) and contain two to three live buds. Sergey Mikheev, practical gardener: "It is important to make the cuts correctly: the lower cut should be at a 45-degree angle directly below the bud, and the upper cut straight, one centimeter above the last bud. This prevents water from pooling on top and increases the moisture absorption area at the bottom."