Layering consists of bending a low shoot down to soil level, wounding the stem and then covering this portion with soil to encourage it to root. It can then be severed from its parent to produce a new plant . A slight modification of the simple layering technique, called serpentine layering, can be used for climbing plants.
Long shoots are bent down to lie on the soil during growth.
Several portions of the stem along its length are covered with gritty soil, with the leaves or side shoots left uncovered. The covered portions are sometimes wounded, but will often root with no special treatment. This weaving of the stems in and out of the soil resembles a serpent, hence the name of this technique. There are several climbing plants that you can propagate by using this method. These include clematis, wisteria, jasmine, ivy, Virginia creeper, honeysuckle, Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris and schizophragma.