Dividing Perennials
Digging and dividing your perennials is sometimes required to pretty them up, make new plants for your garden or to share, and to improve their flower power. Signs they need dividing are fewer flowers, a dead center, and a shrinking plant.
The best time to divide spring blooming plants is in the fall. Perennials that bloom in the summer or fall can be divided in spring or fall.
Tips on dividing plants
- Water the plant you want to divide and the area where it will be replanted a day beforehand.
- Cut the foliage back by about half.
- For rhizomes like daylilies, trim back to within a few inches of the soil and keep only those with a fan of at least three leaves.
- For plants with leaves at the ends of the stems, like Coral Bells, leave one set of leaves on the main root when replanting.
- Carefully dig up the plant starting 4 to 6 inches from its crown. Remove the dirt and for rhizomes keep the new roots and discard the originals as they won’t flower. For tangled rooted perennials, coax them apart with a garden fork.
- Plant quickly.
- Once the new plant is in place, fill half of the hole with soil and water well.
- At this point applying an organic liquid fertilizer is recommended.
- Finish planting by filling the hole the remainder of the way with soil and water again.
- Mulch with organic mulch an inch or two deep to help maintain moisture.
