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The wonderful thing about perennials is their need to be divided every so often. Why is that a good thing? Simply because it gives you more plants, some to extend your garden, of course, but also, and more importantly, to give away to friends, neighbors and relations. Why would you want to do that? Well, gardeners tend to be a very generous bunch. They like to give from their gardens as well as take from yours. So, when you divide your Daylily and give half away to Ms. Neighbor-next-door she will likely give you half of her Japanese Iris when she needs to divide that.
See the beauty in dividing perennials? Not only do you make friends from across the fence but you do good by your plants by dividing them to keep them healthy. They repay you by extending your flower beds and your collection of plants.
With this in mind all you need now is to know exactly how to divide perennials. The following will help you become an expert.
Early spring and again throughout autumn are the best times to divide most perennials. There are the hardiest plants which can be divided at any time but only trial and error can show you which those are. For the beginner spring would be the best time because this is when the plant is only just staring to emerge and will be at the stage of development for easy transplanting. Spring is the best time for the new plants to establish themselves properly for the upcoming growing season.
As there are different types of perennials there are several methods of dividing. For the plant with a massive tangle of roots such as Daisy, Columbine and Ornamental Grasses you can dig out the entire plant and using a sharp edged shovel or a spade cut into the root ball. You may split it into several plants using a knife but it is simply easier on your muscles to use a shovel and the weight of your entire body to cut cleanly through without a lot a strain. Place the shovel right in the center and step down into the root ball splitting it in half. These two halves could be further divided if it is a particularly big plant. When the plant is relatively small and using a knife just saw right down the center forming halves or quarters.
For perennials that seem to spread like wildfire including Dragon flower, Spearmint, Daisy and Bee Balm you may just want to dig on the outer edges of the clump and pull out whatever size plant you want to give away or transplant. Leaving the center of the plant intact will keep it where you originally had it with the expanding parts “weeded” out.
Don’t worry about damaging roots. Dividing actually encourages the plant to grow more vigorously. It feels threatened and fears death so growing more roots helps the plant heal and re-establish itself quickly. It is the plant’s way of ensuring survival which helps the gardener quite nicely, thank you so much.
For perennials like Daylily and Hosta individual sections can be pulled apart. You can actually see if you remove some of the soil around the roots that each section can be a tiny new plant. Shake off the soil once you dig out the plant and work the individual plants apart by grabbing with both hands and twisting slightly until you feel them break away. A one foot wide root ball easily could be divided into dozens of new plants. Of course, the smaller the size of the plant the more time it will take to establish into a nice size. But that also means it would be even longer before you have to divide it again. All depends on what you want for your garden.
Let’s take a Hosta for example. The Hosta is a relatively fast growing plant which could be divided every 3-5 years. It would do fine without dividing at all. It will just grow wider. If you are a fastidious gardener, however, you may not like the Hosta to be that big. Perhaps the garden is too crowded or you want to make room for other plants. So of course, dividing it is important to keep your flower bed at its best. Depending on how fast the plant grows you may want to divide it every year. Other perennials may not take well to being disturbed that often. Trial and error is the best teacher for this.
For perennials with rhizomes such as Cannas and Bearded Iris dividing is a bit trickier. Some can be twisted apart into individual plants but often you may have to cut with a sterilized and very sharp knife. Dipping the knife in a mild bleach solution between cuts ensures no transfer of diseases from plant to plant. Make certain each section has 2-3 “eyes”. These are where you see green sprouting and will ensure each section will grow a plant.
As all perennials are not equal some grow far quicker than others. Knowing this we can see that there will be some plants that require dividing almost every year while others could live quite contentedly without being disturbed for several seasons. How to tell when a perennial needs dividing depends on how you want your garden to look and on the performance of the plant. If your plant doesn’t seem to be blooming as it once did that is a good indication that dividing would benefit it.
Some plants get a bit sickly looking and tend to die in the center if left too long without dividing. Sometimes the center needs to be discarded so the rest can live on. Think of it as the great- grandmother dying to make room for her great-great-grandchildren.
Now that you know how to divide those perennials don’t forget the one who taught you how to do it. I have loads of plants ready for dividing and giving away too.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 Visit http://www.helium.com/users/32782 for more fascinating gardening lessons, amusing short stories and intriguing novel excerpts.
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