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Is it necessary to divide Lily of the Valley?

9 years ago

My Lily of the Valley -- which more resembles to me a hosta than a Lily -- has grown into the lawn to much and I want to spread them around, mainly under my deck to prevent erosion. Naturally I dug some of them up last night and divided them. I have only just started.

Should I do the whole thing like you would for Hostas and Daylilies? They seemed to bloom OK this spring.

Just wonderin.....

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Comments (9)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
ask in the perennial forum ...

LOV is not a hosta.. no matter what it looks like to you ...

ken
mccommas
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks Ken, knew that, not very helpful.

NEXT!
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don_in_colorado
9 years ago
Necessary? I would say no. But based on personal experience, they're certainly very easily divided. Even tiny little pieces of the roots grew for me.

FWIW,
Don B.
coll_123
9 years ago
They are more spreading than clumping so I don't really think of it as dividing...more like sticking a shovel in somewhere and yanking a chunk out. As you probably know, they spread aggressively. I keep mine in check by burying plastic edging as a barrier. I have heard its good for blooming to thin it out sometimes.
in ny zone5
9 years ago
They are invasive. Once you have started them somewhere, they will take over there. I got rid of mine.
don_in_colorado
9 years ago
Yeah, they are aggressive all right, but the ones in my yard are declining because when I'm outside admiring the hostas, I have a habit of yanking/twisting them out at ground level. At least in my yard, that keeps them in check without a problem. It's kinda fun. My wife loves them. ; )

Don B.
mccommas
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks Guys. I kinda am nostalgic about mine since I got the first handful from around my great grandparents gravestone. My Grandma or one of their other offspring must have put them there. They have been there for as long as I have been alive (47) at least.

I put them around the base of the outside air-conditioning unit to prevent the dirt from washing away. It seems to have done the job a lot better than grass would have. They don't seem all that aggressive to me.

The bugleweed however is taking over the lawn! Not that I mind.

I guess I won't bother to rip apart the whole thing. I will just leave what I don't use there.

Thanks again.
coll_123
9 years ago
Oh, they are aggressive in the sense that they spread readily and indefinitely through those rhizomes. That said, even though mine do spread into the lawn, all i have to do is have my husband mow it and that is easily " solved". What I really don't want it to to do is send a " runner" up into the center of one of my hosta clumps, which is why I do the barrier thing. I have quite a bit of LOTV, which was of the only things planted in my yard before we bought this house. As I established my garden, the LOTV became quite happy. I enjoy the scent , and have no intention of getting rid of my stand of LOTV.
don_in_colorado
9 years ago
Me either, but I will keep 'em contained around the area where my 'Big Daddy' is. It's a nice groundcover there, I think.

Don B.

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