Once you own hydrangeas it is difficult to not want more, as these striking blooms are not only easy for gardeners to look after but they flower much longer than other plants, keeping gardens everywhere looking colourful.

However, hydrangeas can be relatively expensive due to their high demand, and lots of gardeners can end up spending too much money on these flowers if they wish to buy lots to decorate their gardens. 

Luckily, there is an easy, inexpensive solution to expand your garden for the price of only one hydrangea plant. 

This time of year is the best time to try propagating your hydrangea when the leaves are still green and if is easy to tell if new buds are growing on the stems. Propagation is the gardening method of cutting a stem from a parenting plant and replanting it so it will grow into a new but exact copy of your hydrangea flowers.

Tara Boettger lives on a ranch and is a gardening expert who enjoys teaching people how to have a “beautiful and functional” home online. In a TikTok video, Tara first explained how to take a cutting from a hydrangea.

Tara said: “Late summer is the perfect time to propagate your hydrangea and here’s how.”

To begin, Tara explained that gardeners should “cut three to five inches right below a leaf node” in order to get the stem cutting.

Tara said: “Remove all the leaves on the stem [but] leave the two on the very top. Cut the larger leaves on top in half.” Cutting the leaves is done to help the new plant save more energy when growing.

She then showed a jar of Garden Safe Take Root, a growing hormone for plants. Tara explained: “Using a rooting hormone, dip the stems in water and into the powder, shaking off the excess”.

Next, Tara explained how to plant and propagate your hydrangea by using a storage tote box. Tara said: “Put your cuttings into potted soil and create a greenhouse using a clear tote with a lid.

“Keep them moist and in indirect sun and within four to six weeks you’ll have rooted cuttings. Then, just plant in the ground before the first frost.”

Tara said she personally kept her hydrangea box inside her home in the sunroom, but it can also be placed outside as long as it is out of direct sunlight.

In Tara’s comment section, many fellow gardeners praised her for her easy hydrangea tutorial.

One user wrote: “Thanks for the great tip! Never thought of using a storage tub with a lid as a mini greenhouse.”

Another person commented: “I followed this exactly and have lots of new growth! Thank you!”

Someone else said: “Needed this today! Thank you for the knowledge drop!”