Start with a plant that you really care about, perhaps your favorite Rosemary or Lavender. Realize that every cutting is not going to root and that is OK. Even with ideal conditions 90% is superb.

Everything I'm about to tell you is only my way, there is no right way. Ask five professional growers and we will all have our distinct differences, so if you have been meeting with success and it is 180 degrees from what I'm suggesting, don't change. Also I'll put in this disclaimer, I will write every and always but there are exceptions. You can do this.

Always use a container that is new or has been sterilized with 1 part bleach to nine parts water. The plastic propagation trays with the clear domes, available even at hardware stores are worth the investment and can be used again and again. You want a container only about 3 inches deep.

Always use soilless mixture, it is part peat moss, part vermiculite or perlite. Or you can use builder's sand. Any combination of any of the above will work. I sometimes use only vermiculite. What you are looking for is a clean material that drains very well. Root rot is not what you need.

Never use soil even bagged potting soil. It is too heavy and may carry viruses or bacteria. Always wet you soilless mixture completely before attempting to set your cuttings. I use lukewarm water. Keep the mixture moist but never soggy.

Choosing your cutting

1. Pick a plant that is healthy and vigorous. One that looks at you and says "I love growing and I'm so fabulous there should be more of me".
2. Choose stems that are coming out of the sides of the plant not in the middle. I used to know the reason why, but that bit of knowledge is at present unretrievable. Side shoots root faster.
3. You want a cutting no more than 3". Bigger is not better! Strip the leaves off the bottom ½ to 2/3 of the cutting. If you can do this with your fingers it is preferable to using a scissors. You want enough leaves for the plant to be able to make food but not too many so that it can't concentrate on growing roots. If the plant is flowering (not an ideal time to propagate but it can be done) cut off all the flowering buds. You don¹t want it's energy directed there.
4. Make the final cut it a node (an intersection where one or more leaves jut out of the stem) because there is more growth hormone at that site. If you can make the cut at an angle, more of the stem will be exposed to start to root. I don't use extra growth hormone powder, most growers don't. You have more chance of killing the cutting with it. If there is already enough hormone in site, adding more puts the plant into a tailspin.
5. Firm the cutting into your growing medium (there should be no leaves touching the medium) and put some clean plastic over the top forming a mini-greenhouse. Making sure the plastic does not touch any of the leaves. Move the cuttings on your dryer so they get a jolt of bottom heat for the first week only. Don't leave them on the dryer top otherwise. Put them there only when you are drying. The rest of the time put the cuttings under your fluorescent lights with the plastic off. The lights should be 3 inches away from the top of the cutting and should be on at least 12 hours a day.
6. Now you just wait, making sure the leaves that you left do not dry out. Mist them if they are not in a humid environment. The growing medium should be moist but never soggy, as the roots need oxygen. When you see some new growth or when you tug on them and they resist, they are ready to pot up.

Some herbs that are normally propagated from cuttings: Rosemary, Lavender, Thymes, Sages, Myrtles, Lemon Verbena, and Scented Geraniums to name just a few. So when you are purchasing a plant, you could be buying a cast of thousands.

Let me suggest herbs that will reward you with easy success. Camomile both the annual German and the perennial Roman, the powerfully antiseptic Thyme and Garden Sage, Feverfew, another herb providing cut flowers as well as headache fighting leaves, can be grown in your sleep. Don't overlook Basil as it is effortless from seed.

Everything I'm about to tell you is only my way, there is no right way. Ask five professional growers and we will all have our distinct differences, so if you have been meeting with success and it is 180 degrees from what I'm suggesting, don't change. Also may I put in this disclaimer, I will write every and always but there are exceptions.

Always use a container that is new or has been sterilized with 1 part bleach to nine parts water. The plastic propagation trays with the clear domes, available even at hardware stores are worth the investment and can be used again and again.

Always use soil less mixture. It is usually part peat moss, part vermiculite or perlite.

Never use soil, too heavy for the seeds to battle and soil may carry viruses and bacteria that love tender seedlings.

Always wet you soil less mixture completely before sewing your seeds. I use lukewarm water. Keep the mixture moist but never soggy.

Stratification can generally be accomplished by refrigerating the seed for at least two weeks. This simulates the cold dormancy period. The way to remember stratify is to think of all the glacier strata in the Arctic. Oh well the analogy works for me.

After you have the seed sown give the container some bottom heat. No fancy equipment needed, use the top of your dryer. Two loads a day is sufficient. I find the alternating warmth really pops the seeds.

Always look both morning or evening for the first signs of germination. Promptly put them 3 inches below fluorescent lights so they can begin making their own food. Do not bother to buy grow lights, fresh fluorescent lights will do just fine. They need 12 hours a day of this manufactured light. Let the very top of the soil less mixture dry just a bit between watering. Too much water and the oxygen won't get to the roots. Start to lightly fertilize every week with a half strength fertilizer.

Enjoy watching their progress. When the first set of true leaves appear (second set of leaves) transplant to small approximately 2 inch pot burying the false leaves.

Always hold the plant by the leaves not touching the most important part, the root when transplanting.

Why not plant up to a larger container now as it will need transplanted in 2 more weeks again? You want the soil less mixture to dry out just slightly between watering and too big of a container holds too much water.

Why not use potting soil now? Too much of a shock adjusting to a different media. The roots are what matters.

Enjoy your plants. The possibilities are endless. A baby Lavender plant 1/2 inch tall already smells like its' name!

Continue on with the trimming for the rest of its long life. Maintaining topiaries is one of the joys of gardening.