Sage words: New lessons in propagating The Gardeners" Question Time panel is rarely unanimous, and that is probably an accurate snapshot of the wider world of horticulture. The good thing about gardening is that if something works, you are right, and if it fails you can put it down to weather, pests and other acts of God. Because I can never quite remember what I did to make something grow (or fail to grow), I admire others who keep records of what they did when. "When" is important, but of course varies according to "where" in Britain you live. Cuttings matter here in Gloucestershire (we grow plenty of half-hardy annuals) so I am a bit more methodical with these than I am with other tasks. I use a couple of propagators - one of those bottom heat with a clear lid ones - but recently I spent some time with a very good head gardener and friend who made me think again. Sue is modest and says that there are plenty of methods that work, you just have to find the one that suits you best. Where she has the edge on most of us is in her meticulous record keeping. She knows that to get some things such as heliotrope through the winter you need to take cuttings early. Late August is almost always a better bet than late October for most things. Interestingly, she does not rely on a propagator but takes tip cuttings of half-hardies in trays in a greenhouse at a steady temperature of 15C (59F). This, she says, is because plants raised in a propagator will need more heat when they come out. Her cuttings are in trays of equal parts coir compost and Silvaperl. I tend to use vermiculite in a mix of one part to three of compost. Although they are denied the warmth of the propagator, Sue's cuttings are covered with white plastic sheets by day, which are turned twice daily to prevent the moisture from rotting the cuttings. At night, the trays are left uncovered. The cuttings are named, dated and stored in a row, with the oldest at the far end. Once they root, the plastic covers come off and they are potted on into 3½in pots of John Innes No 2. For the salvias and other half-hardies, she uses hormone rooting powder; ideally this should be fresh each season. Pelargoniums get a slightly different treatment, learnt at the famous Waterperry School where Sue trained. They miss out on rooting powder and go seven at a time into 5in clay pots. I never put my geraniums into the propagator, nor do I cover them, but I will now try the latter idea: Sue's are under the same white plastic turned twice daily as the tip cuttings. For those of us without the space of a whole glasshouse for propagating, indoor windowsills are fine. But I think keeping the temperature fairly constant is important and south or west-facing windowsills are obviously better than shadier ones. Don't leave them behind the curtains at night or they may suffer from the drop in temperature. You really need to keep any rooted plants growing steadily, but slowly, otherwise you run out of room after Christmas when seed raising starts. I probably end up with about 60 half-hardies, including a particular red nasturtium which is much easier to keep going from cuttings than from seed. Even small plants next year might cost as much as £3 each to buy, so that is a big saving, although admittedly it costs to keep the greenhouse frost-free. Bubble wrap inner glazing helps, and using a heater with a good thermostat is vital. But if I didn't have any glass I would still be growing things indoors. Our house is not ideal as it is never a place for wearing anything less than three layers in winter, but the geraniums for next year's pots spend the winter on windowsills in the house. I also have a small porch where I can keep other things like succulents going. This has a tubular heater, which is very cheap to run, and room for bulbs in pots so that flowers are still a vital part of life in winter. Gardening doesn't stop in November. It just comes indoors for a bit.