What do I do with summer cuttings?
Q I took cuttings of penstemons, carnations and erysimum during the summer. Is it safe to plant them out or should I keep them in the greenhouse until spring?
Peter Clarke, Leicester
A It would be safest to overwinter your cuttings in a cool greenhouse.
Erysimum and carnations are quite hardy, but young plants are more vulnerable to winter weather than those that are well established. Penstemons are not reliably hardy, though their hardiness increases with every year they are outside.
Although we have a few weeks left when roots may grow, dropping air temperatures, especially in