25 Plants to Take Cuttings From Before September Starts

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August is the moment to make free plants from the ones that made your garden look good all summer. Take healthy, non-flowering pieces of new growth, use clean snips, and label every pot.

The aim is not to root every cutting—it is to save enough favorites that spring starts with a small army instead of a shopping list.

Timing varies by climate. In cool areas, act before chilly nights arrive; in hot climates, give cuttings shade and humidity so they do not wilt.

Use a light propagation mix for plants that dislike wet roots, water for easy houseplants, and never propagate visibly diseased or pest-covered stems.

Table of Contents show

1. Coleus

Coleus is the plant to try if you have never rooted a cutting before. Snip a four- to six-inch tip just beneath a leaf node, remove the lower leaves, and stand it in water or moist potting mix.

It often roots quickly, and every rooted stem preserves the exact leaf colors you loved.

Keep new coleus cuttings warm, bright, and out of harsh afternoon sun. Pinch the growing tip after it starts growing again.

That one small move helps create a dense, colorful plant instead of a long, floppy stem.

2. Geraniums

Pelargonium zonale (Geraniaceae)

The annual “geranium” in most patio pots is a pelargonium, and it is well worth saving. Take firm, healthy tip cuttings with no flowers or buds.

Remove the lowest leaves, allow the cut end to dry briefly, then use a very free-draining mix.

Geranium cuttings fail more often from too much moisture than too little. Keep them bright, lightly watered, and protected from cold.

By spring, one inexpensive summer pot can become several full containers.

3. Fuchsia

Fuchsia cuttings are a smart way to preserve a variety that performed beautifully in shade.

Choose soft, non-flowering tips, remove the lower leaves, and use a small pot of moist but airy propagation mix. They appreciate humidity while roots are forming.

Chilco, or fuchsia Fuchsia magellanica evn.prim. Cisnes area, Chile

Use a loose clear cover only if you can vent it regularly. Stagnant, dripping air invites rot. Once new growth appears, gradually expose the cutting to normal room air and brighter light.

4. Impatiens

Standard impatiens are forgiving, fast-rooting candidates for water propagation. Cut just below a node, strip leaves that would sit underwater, and use a clean glass.

If water turns cloudy, replace it instead of hoping for the best.

Move rooted cuttings into potting mix before their roots become a tangled mess.

Keep the new plants evenly moist and sheltered from intense sun until they begin making fresh leaves.

5. Wax Begonias

Wax begonias root readily from short, healthy stem pieces. Take a cutting with a few leaves, remove flowers, and set it into damp mix.

The goal is lightly moist soil, never a waterlogged pot.

Begonias dislike being chilled and soaked. Good drainage, gentle light, and a little patience are more useful than constantly watering.

Save the best-colored plants first; they are the ones you will miss next spring.

6. Basil

Thai basil plant with green leaves.

Basil is happiest when cut before it flowers. Snip below a leaf pair, remove the lowest leaves, and root the stem in water.

A warm, bright windowsill is ideal, but basil hates a cold draft.

Once roots are an inch or two long, pot the cutting up and pinch it regularly.

That keeps the plant productive and bushy instead of letting it become a tall, flowering stem with fewer useful leaves.

7. Mint

Mint is one of the easiest plants on this list. A short stem in water often roots with almost no fuss.

Use healthy tips, keep leaves above the waterline, and pot up the cutting once roots are established.

One warning: keep it in a pot unless you have a designated place for mint to spread.

It is wonderfully generous in a container and wonderfully persistent when it escapes into a bed.

8. Rosemary

Rosemary is slower than basil, but it is worth the effort.

Rosemary foliage and pale blue flowers.

Take younger side shoots that are flexible but not floppy, strip the lower needles, and insert them into a gritty mix. Rooting hormone can improve your odds.

Do not keep rosemary cuttings wet. They need warmth, brightness, and air around their roots.

A small pot that drains quickly is safer than a large pot that stays damp for days.

9. Sage

Common sage roots from young, non-flowering tip cuttings. Look for growth that is still green and flexible rather than thick, woody stems.

Use a light mix and avoid crowding several cuttings into one tiny pot.

Sage prefers a drier, brighter approach than thirsty bedding plants. Water only when the top of the mix begins to dry, and do not leave the cutting in a tray of standing water.

10. Thyme

Thyme takes patience, but small side shoots can root well in sandy, fast-draining mix.

Pick non-flowering growth, remove leaves from the base, and tuck each cutting into its own little space.

Thyme may look unchanged for a while, even when roots are developing. Resist digging it up to check.

A gentle tug after a few weeks tells you more than repeated disturbance.

11. Pothos

Pothos cuttings need one thing above all: a node. That small bump on the stem is where roots begin.

Put the node in water, keep leaves above water, and place the glass in bright indirect light.

Several short cuttings planted together make a fuller pot than one long vine. Change cloudy water promptly, then move rooted cuttings into soil once they have a small network of roots.

12. Heartleaf Philodendron

The Heartleaf philodendron uses the same simple formula as pothos: leaf plus node plus water or moist mix.

Philodendron cordatum leaves growing in natural habitat.

Cut just below the node, keep the cutting warm, and wait for roots before giving it a permanent pot.

Do not take one massive piece of vine and call it done. Divide a healthy vine into several node-bearing sections to create multiple plants and keep the original plant looking tidy.

13. Tradescantia

Purple and silver striped tradescantia leaves.

Tradescantia roots so easily that it feels almost unfair. Take a few-inch stem with nodes, remove lower leaves, and root it in water or soil.

It is ideal for filling hanging baskets and sharing with friends.

Trailing tradescantia zebrina growing outdoors.

Pinch tips frequently once the plants begin growing. That is the secret to a lush, trailing pot rather than a few long stems with bare sections near the soil.

14. Spider Plant

Spider plants do most of the work for you by producing baby plants on runners. Root a baby while it is still attached, or cut it free and place its base in water.

Babies with visible root nubs usually establish especially quickly.

Give rooted babies their own small pots. They do not need a huge container, and allowing the soil to dry slightly between waterings helps prevent root problems.

15. Dracaena

Dracaena takes longer than pothos, but top cuttings and cane sections can grow into handsome new plants.

Choose a healthy stem, let the cut end dry briefly, and place it into airy potting mix.

Mark the top end of any cane section before planting. It sounds obvious, but upside-down dracaena cuttings are a common and completely avoidable propagation mistake.

16. Bigleaf Hydrangea

Take hydrangea cuttings from healthy, non-flowering stems. Reduce very large leaves by half to limit moisture loss, then place the cutting in damp mix.

Shade and humidity are useful while it forms roots.

Hydrangeas wilt fast if they get hot, but soggy soil is equally dangerous. Keep the medium moist, protect it from heat, and do not put the cutting in full sun until new growth appears.

17. Roses

Rose cuttings are not instant, but they can be rewarding. Select a healthy stem that has finished flowering, remove the spent bloom, and cut below a node.

Use disease-free material only; do not spread black spot or rust into new plants.

Keep rose cuttings humid but not stagnant, in bright indirect light. Rooting hormone can help, but clean tools, healthy stems, and patience matter more than any product.

18. Butterfly Bush

Butterfly bushes are often easy to root from non-flowering shoots. Take short late-summer pieces, insert them into light mix, and keep them in bright shade.

They should not be allowed to bake in a sunny container.

Check local guidance before planting extra butterfly bush outdoors.

Some forms can be invasive in certain regions, so a sterile or recommended alternative may be the responsible choice.

19. Weigela

Weigela is a good late-summer shrub for semi-ripe cuttings. Choose a flexible side shoot without flowers, remove lower leaves, and use a small pot of airy mix.

Small containers make moisture easier to manage.

Keep the cuttings protected from heavy rain and direct afternoon sun.

Once rooted, grow them on slowly rather than rushing them into a permanent garden spot before they are sturdy.

20. Spirea

Choose straight, healthy non-flowering spirea shoots for propagation. Cuttings should include several nodes and be kept humid while roots develop.

Start with more than one, because even easy shrubs are not guaranteed to root every time.

Do not keep checking beneath the soil. A rooted cutting will begin showing fresh growth and offer slight resistance to a gentle tug.

That is a better sign than disturbing tiny roots.

21. Perennial Salvia

Perennial salvia can root from young, non-flowering shoots. Use a gritty mix, bright light, and moderation with water.

Salvias dislike stagnant, wet conditions even when they are small cuttings.

Choose vigorous stems from a plant you genuinely want more of. A cutting is the easiest way to repeat a salvia with especially strong color, height, or bloom performance.

22. Dianthus

Many dianthus types root from short, non-flowering side shoots.

Pull or cut a healthy shoot near its base, remove the lowest leaves, and place it in gritty mix. They prefer conditions on the dry side.

Bright dianthus flowers in a garden.

Do not treat dianthus like a thirsty annual. Soggy soil is the fastest way to lose a cutting. Bright light, ventilation, and careful watering make far better conditions.

23. Penstemon

After a big flush of flowers, penstemon offers useful non-flowering shoots for cuttings. Take short tips, trim below nodes, and use a very free-draining mix.

Shelter the pot from punishing sun and soaking rain.

Penstemon cuttings can be slow, so leave them alone once they are properly placed. A stable, bright location is more valuable than constant moving, misting, and second-guessing.

24. Showy Stonecrop

Showy stonecrop, also sold as sedum, is wonderfully forgiving. Take a healthy piece of stem, let the cut end dry for a day or two, then set it into gritty mix.

It does not need constant water to begin rooting.

Water lightly until roots form. Succulent stems are built to handle a little dryness, but they can rot quickly when kept cold and wet in an oversized pot.

25. Verbena

Verbena bonariensis

Take short, non-flowering verbena tips from the healthiest part of the plant. Remove lower leaves, use clean mix, and keep the pot bright but protected.

A late-summer cutting can turn one beloved airy plant into next year’s repeat performance.

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Take your first batch now and a small backup batch a week later. By the time September arrives, those tiny labeled pots can hold the beginning of next year’s garden.

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