David Cleland wrote:
I think just after leaf-fall is the classic advice; but it should
work reasonably well if the cuttings don't dry out. I always
propagated them by weighing a stem down with a stone and
forgetting
about it for a couple of years, though: this is called "layering",
and uncut bushes will eventually do it by themselves even if you
don't want them to.


So it might work ? I might give it a go now, just to see. As you
may
have guessed I am very new to gardening. To be honest it is a
little
bit of an addiction at the moment. My wife thinks I am weird......
32
and into gardening !

It's about the usual age for the addiction to take hold. I'm not
promising results with your dogwood cuttings, as it is a bit late;
but you'll increase your chances if you keep them somewhere rather
shady -- on the north side of the house, for example -- and keep an
eye open for drying out.

If you want something nice and easy to go in front of the dogwoods
during the summer when they're not so interesting, you could do worse
than start yourself off with some lavenders and rosemaries. (And
later on you'll be able to stick some sprigs of rosemary in the roast
lamb: divine!) You've already got some bulbs there, so there'll be
something to look at most of the time, and nothing looking horrible.
Be nosey when walking past other people's gardens to see what you
like and don't like.

Mike.