Perennials are the plants that grace our gardens year after year with their variety of brilliant colours and unique foliage. After a few years in the garden some of these perennials may start to produce smaller blooms, develop bald spots in their crown or may even need a lot of staking to prevent falling over.
Dividing Herbaceous Perennials
Dividing the plants into smaller sections reduces plant competition and stimulates new growth as well as more vigorous blooming. Dividing your perennial plants will ensure healthy, vigorous plants that will continue to perform well year after year. Most perennials should be lifted and divided when they become overgrown and start to lose vigour. Dividing plants rejuvenates the plant and stimulates new growth. Dividing plants also gives you the opportunity to increase your plant population.
Carefully dig up your plants with a spade or lift with a fork and shake off the excess soil so you can see the roots. Don’t do this on a day when the soil is really dry. Ideally the soil should be moist. Split apart the clump using spades or forks . The best way to do this is to insert 2 garden forks back to back into the middle of the plant and then lever apart. You can also cut them with a sharp knife or spade, or gently tease the roots apart with your hands. Depending on the size of the clump you can keep dividing . Each division should have 3 or 5 vigorous shoots and a healthy supply of roots. keep them in the shade until replanted, You can then replant into the same bed or move the plants somewhere else. Make sure you water in the new plants well .
Most perennials can be divided in spring or autumn but some thoughts are divide autumn flowering perennials in spring and summer flowering perennials in autumn.
