At 116 pages in a small paperback format, this book looks slight. But it’s packed with valuable information and not a page is wasted.

It starts with the tools and supplies you’ll need, giving the pros and cons of all the options, how to create a lot of the supplies DIY and how to make used supplies safe to use with seedlings and cuttings by easily sterilizing them.

The next section is propagation via seeds. The author gives us the basics of seed structure and how seeds work, what seeds in general need for germination, how to deal with special needs seeds, how to hybridize and save seeds, storing seeds and of course how to care for the young seedlings after they germinate.

The rest of the book deals with the various modes of asexual propagation- all the various types of cuttings, layering, dividing. The descriptions of how to perform these are very detailed; there is a section describing the different kinds of buds on a plant, a section that really tells you what the different types of cuttings are and how to determine what makes a good one (so many books or articles just say ‘softwood cutting’ without bothering to let you know what constitutes one!), and what to look for to make sure your cuttings will be healthy.

Detailed line drawings show exactly where to cut on plants, what the different plant parts are, how to prep the cuttings, and a lot more. Sidebars abound, with recipes for soil and sterilizers, lists of what plants can be propagated in what ways, how to save seeds, fertilizers and making compost.

I teach plant propagation almost every year and have a number of propagation books, and this is the book I recommend if you can only have one on this subject. It’s got all the basics and more, yet doesn’t overwhelm the novice (or pro) with overly technical language. I still find myself going back to it frequently. Highly recommended! ( )