In the garden this week: Strawberries and cuttings

Strawberry futures Strawberries are short-lived plants, so if you want your patch to stay productive, you need replacements every few years. Luckily the plants make their own. Have a hunt around in the soil of your strawberry patch and you will find that each plant has sent out long "runners". Where these hit the ground, they root. Ease them out of the soil and pot them up, or plant out into a fresh bit of earth to be your future strawberry patch. Cue cuttings Now is the moment to start taking cuttings of tender plants such as geraniums and half-hardy salvias, if you have found favourites that you want to see again next summer. Cuttings should be a few inches long, with no flowers or buds. Remove the lower leaves and push into pots of gritty, well-draining compost. They will survive best in a frost-free greenhouse, a porch or a cool, unheated room.