Glossary

Softwood cutting is a type of plant propagation technique that involves taking cuttings from the soft, tender, and actively growing shoots of a plant. These cuttings are typically collected in spring or early summer when stems are still young, green, and flexible—a stage characterized by rapid vegetative growth.

Because they are in an early growth phase, softwood cuttings root quickly but are also more vulnerable to wilting and desiccation. For best results, they require high humidity, bright but indirect light, and consistent moisture. The use of bottom heat and rooting hormone often increases the success rate.

Key Characteristics

• Taken from the new growth of the current season
• Stems are soft, green, and pliable
• Cuttings are best taken in the morning when stems are fully hydrated
• Require protected conditions, such as a mist bench, humidity dome, or shaded cold frame
• Best rooted before tissue becomes semi-hard or woody

Native Plants of the Santa Cruz Mountains Suited to Softwood Cuttings

These native shrubs and forbs can often be propagated successfully from softwood cuttings:

• Snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus
• Mock Orange, Philadelphus lewisii  
• Currants and Gooseberries, Ribes spp.
• Hummingbird Sage, Salvia spathacea
• California Bee Plant, Scrophularia californica

Ecological Context

Using softwood cuttings is an effective method for multiplying native plants that support pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects. Many of the species above play important roles in riparian zones, woodland margins, and chaparral edges throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains.

By propagating from cuttings rather than seeds, gardeners and restoration practitioners can quickly establish genetically identical plants that maintain regionally adapted traits, supporting local biodiversity.

Why It Matters in Native Gardening

A diverse native garden supports multiple trophic levels, starting with host plants that feed insects, which in turn feed birds and mammals. Without native plants at the base, the higher levels collapse.

Supporting native plants means supporting the entire food web, from soil life to top predators.

For restoration, education, and native gardening in the San Lorenzo Valley, always start with plants that evolved in this region.  A single native plant can support dozens of insect species, which in turn feed hundreds of birds and mammals. This is how habitat restoration begins: from the ground up.

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