Rarely used commercially, cuttings and seeds are simple and cheap alternatives to grafting
Hardwood cuttings
Select strong shoots of the current season’s growth in late autumn and cut them into 25-30cm (10-12in) lengths, removing any remaining leaves. Dip the base into hormone rooting powder and firm them into a 15-25cm (6-10in) deep trench outdoors, lined on the bottom with sharp sand. The cuttings should have rooted by spring and can be moved the following autumn.
Seed sowing
Species roses will come true from seed. Collect ripe hips in autumn and extract the seeds. Mix them with moist coir or vermiculite in a plastic bag and store at 21°C (70°F) for two to three months. In February, move the bag to a refrigerator for three to four weeks. Sow the seeds in modules or trays filled with a proprietary seed-sowing compost and leave in a cold frame. Germination can take up to a year.
Alternatively, large quantities of seed can be left in their hips and layered between damp coir or peat in a heap or pit outdoors. This is termed ‘stratification’. Leave them for 12 to 15 months to allow the seed coats to break down naturally. In spring, lift, clean and sow the seed in an outdoor seedbed enriched with organic matter.
Helen Bostock