I have a HUGE clump of Hymenocallis (spider or swamp lily) that I would like to divide and move to other parts of the yard. The clump must be 5 feet around, and the individual leaf straps measure almost 6 feet long! The straps are a lovely glossy deep green. Even without the flowers it is a beautiful plant. I am not sure of the name, it seems like it is probably the old-fashioned "Tropical Giant" variety, which some sources list as Hymenocallis caribea. It is evergreen, although in cold winters the leaf tips are damaged, it never goes down to the ground and always recovers quickly.

When and how can I divide it? I want to move some to a new bed I am building right now, and spread them out over a larger area close to where the clump currently is located. I dug one off of the edge yesterday, and found huge swollen bases with big fleshy white roots. It looked almost like a giant leek plant. There must have been 15 giant earthworms in the one shovel full of dirt I pulled up. Interestingly, these are planted against my back fence. The boy who lives on the other side of the fence used to have a giant pool where he raised box turtles. Every time they drained and cleaned that pool, the backyard got flooded with "turtle" water. I think that is why everything planted against my back fence grows so well.

I have just realized how lovely the Hymenocallis is. Way in the back corner of my yard, I overlooked it befoe. The plant is so lovely, the leaves so polished and sculptural. I plan on make them one of the focal points of my new ginger bed.

Any thoughts on dividing the clumps would be appreciated!