Privet<\/span><\/a> is such a valuable hedge plant, especially for urban areas, that it has become synonymous with ordinariness. <\/span> But Privet has some magical qualities of its own, easily available to all us voluptuous muggles. <\/span><\/p>\n Autumn to Late Winter is the season for taking <\/span>hardwood cuttings<\/span>, so although February is the last really good month<\/strong> for it, privet is in a group of plants that propagate so easily this way that you can stick them directly into the ground and forget about them almost anytime! <\/span><\/p>\n This is a great way to beef up gaps in your hedge, and inside a hedge is usually an ideal place for an establishing cutting because it will have shelter from the sun, which could otherwise dry it out in its first summer. <\/span><\/p>\n Other easy things to try include <\/span>cherry laurel<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>willow<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>poplar<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>forsythia<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>flowering<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>fruiting currants<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>elderflower<\/span><\/a> (most gardeners are more likely to want to propagate its cultivars <\/span>Black Lace<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Aurea<\/span><\/a>), <\/span>roses<\/span><\/a>, and of course <\/span>dogwood<\/span><\/a>. Fuchsias may not have quite the same high success rate but are still reliable. <\/span><\/p>\n Right now is an ideal time to try, when the soil is nice and damp and not-frozen. <\/span> It helps the cuttings to root if you say your catchphrase, such as “bam, in the ground!” as you do so. Professional plantsman John Lord demonstrates his method:<\/span><\/p>\n
In the Harry Potter books, Privet Drive is the address of Harry’s aunt and uncle, who represent normal, hard-working folk that like good food, and sensibly keep their dangerous <\/span>nephew safely under the stairs.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/span>You might need to make a slit with your spade first, but in most garden soils you should be able to push the cutting right in.<\/span><\/p>\n