New varieties from garden centres are always intriguing and I grow several every year just to see how they fare.

Usually, they do perform as promised on the label, but I also rely on a few old favourites that I know well.

That is why I have been making time to take cuttings of my own lavender plants.

I know they are reaching the end of their lives because they are beginning to look leggy and ragged.

Lavender cuttings can be taken at various times of the year: softwood cuttings in spring, semi-hardwood cuttings in autumn, hardwood cuttings in winter.

All methods work well but I have most success with spring cuttings.

It is important, though, to remember that not all varieties root easily, so don’t lose heart if this doesn’t work for you the first time you try it.

By the middle of March, lavenders growing in a sheltered position will be producing new growth which is ideal for taking softwood cuttings.

These shoots are very often little side-shoots that make perfect cutting material because they will readily produce roots from their base.

Individual side-shoots should be pulled off and their base neatly trimmed with a sharp knife – these are known as heel cuttings. Other young growth can be used as well, and in both cases, you should remove lower leaves. Cuttings should be around 6 – 10 cm in length. Dip their ends in rooting powder and plant them in a pot of free-draining, gritty compost before watering them and placing the pot inside a polythene bag to keep the air around them humid. It is important that the compost remains slightly damp but not saturated, otherwise the cuttings will quickly rot.

It is possible to grow lavender from seed but the seedlings are likely to be variable and will almost certainly not be uniform in appearance. But if randomness is what you are looking for, seed should be sown in freely draining, gritty seed compost that is kept slightly moist but not wet. Germination can take three weeks or one year – it depends on the freshness of the seed.