Dividing plants; it’s gardening magic!
This time of year is great for dreaming about your garden. What you want to buy, where you want to plant it, what new plants are going to be available; all good fodder for daydreams. But you may not realize that your existing beloved perennials could be divided up into tens of new plants! And it’s not difficult and is really economical.
Start by locating your little perennials; this time of year, they should be just peaking out. The next step is digging up the whole root system of the plant, or at least a large section if it’s a big clump. This next step can be hard to do; resist the urge to start messing with the roots with you hands! Use a large, sharp butcher knife to cut the clump into sections, leaving a good amount of root, and hopefully a shoot intact.
Some plants that will respond well to being divided this time of year are daylilies, hostas, stokesia, lamb’s ear, huechera, bleeding heart and ferns. This is not the best time of year for dividing bulbs.
For fertilizer, cottonseed mill would be a good slow release nitrogen fertilizer, root stimulator will work well, and superphosphate would work well on these listed plants also.
Be brave; these plants are tough and don’t mind being divided!
