Are you looking to expand your garden and enjoy more of your favorite perennial blooms, all without breaking the bank? The secret is dividing your existing perennials.
By gently separating one perennial into several, you’re not just creating new plants but giving them a new lease on life. This process allows roots more room to spread, enhancing their ability to access nutrients and water.1
Here are the secrets of this cost-free gardening miracle that will transform your outdoor space into a blooming paradise.
Why Divide Perennials?
Over time, perennials grow into large clumps that crowd themselves and their neighbors. This overcrowding leads to fewer nutrients, less sunlight, and poor air circulation for each plant, resulting in lackluster growth and diminished flowering.
Dividing perennials every few years keeps them vigorous and encourages prolific blooming.
Additionally, dividing allows you to control the size of your perennials and keep them from overtaking the garden.
It’s an excellent way to propagate your plants, allowing you to expand your garden or share divisions with fellow gardening enthusiasts.
With just a little effort, you can enjoy abundant free plants and gorgeous blooms season after season.
When to Divide
The ideal time to divide perennials is when they’re not in active growth, either in early spring or fall. Spring division should be done as soon as new growth emerges, allowing the divisions ample time to establish before summer heat arrives.
Fall division is best carried out between early September and late October, giving plants at least four to six weeks to settle in before the ground freezes.
Some perennials have specific preferences:
- Divide spring and summer bloomers in the fall
- Divide fall bloomers into spring
- Divide peonies, iris, and daylilies immediately after flowering
By dividing at the optimal time for each plant, you ensure the divisions can thrive in their new locations.
How to Divide Perennials
Dividing perennials is a straightforward process that requires just a few tools and some elbow grease. Here’s how to do it:
- Water the plant thoroughly a day before dividing to reduce stress.
- Dig around the plant’s perimeter, starting at the drip line and aiming to preserve as much of the root system as possible.
- Lift the entire clump from the ground and shake off excess soil to reveal the roots.
- Divide the clump into smaller sections, each with a healthy portion of roots and foliage. Depending on the plant, you can:
- Gently pull or tease apart fibrous roots
- Cut through dense, woody crowns with a sharp knife or spade
- Discard the clump’s older, less vigorous center and replant the robust outer sections.
- Plant the divisions at the same depth as the original plant, water well, and keep moist until established.
Following these steps, new plants will quickly settle in and reward you with vibrant growth and plentiful blooms.
Perennials That Benefit from Division
Many perennials benefit from regular division, but some are more prone to overcrowding and diminished flowering than others. Here are some popular perennials that thrive with division:
- Asters
- Bee balm
- Black-eyed Susans
- Daylilies
- Hostas
- Iris
- Lamb’s ear
- Purple coneflower
- Sedum
- Yarrow
However, some perennials, like peonies, lavender, and Russian sage, prefer undisturbed and should only be divided when necessary.
By dividing the perennials that respond well to this technique, you’ll keep your garden looking its best and enjoy an ever-expanding array of beautiful blooms year after year. So, grab your tools, get divided, and watch your garden flourish!
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Nancy has been a plant person from an early age. That interest blossomed into a bachelor’s in biology from Elmira College and a master’s degree in horticulture and communications from the University of Kentucky. Nancy worked in plant taxonomy at the University of Florida and the L. H. Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University, and wrote and edited gardening books at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA. Her interests are plant identification, gardening, hiking, and reading.