There's no need to take up the whole plant in one piece (a big chore without a very strong back and/or a helper or two). You can, as you suggest, dig out part of the plant, leaving the rest in place. But like many other perennials JPW tend to become weak in the center so it's better to replant only the more vigorous outer sections. That gives you an opportunity to amend the soil before replanting, if you wish. I've had good luck with cutting the plant into sections of manageable size--halves, quarters, whatever--with a sharp spade or axe, lifting them separately and discarding any woody old growth before replanting. Often the sections break down into smaller pieces as you work, but that's okay; just push them together in jigsaw-puzzle fashion when you replant. If you do the division early in the season, the plant should grow and bloom just fine this year. These are tough, forgiving plants. Steven

it gets huge. at least 5'. We had this exact conversation 2 years ago, but its gone now. I tried pinching mine early in the season as an experiment to keep the size in check, but it didn't work out. It delayed them way too long and they were too small. I divided and moved mine last fall to at least be in back of the border so the height didn't block out other things. And it is pretty and a butterfly magnet, but watch out! This is in August where the section on the left was not cut back. The two sections on the right were cut back. Not sure just when. Its written down somewehre.

I planted a 12 ft hedge of Gateway JPW (a supposedly shorter variety!) in a fairly dry area near my house, hoping to keep them in check. Much to my surprise, although they did not outgrow their space width-wise, they soon became tall enough to grow into the eaves of the house. After about 3 more years in which I cut them down by half each year in June (that kept them down to 6-8 feet) I gave up and decided to remove them. Not being able to stand the thought of digging out a 12 by 6 foot area, I used Roundup. One application did the trick. A few years later, when renovating a part of the same bed, I did have three JPW stems sprout up. Although these are also quite tall, they don't take up much space in this large bed (and are not near the house) so I haven't quite decided what to do with them yet. I'm not sure if these are a gift from the birds, or seeds from the orignal planting that came to the surface during the bed renovation. I had no seeding, whatsoever, during the 6 years that the original Gateways were in my garden. Sorry, I have no idea about the roots of plain JPW, but my Gateways, despite their huge size, did not have runners or hard to kill (by Roundup) roots, unlike the roots of the much smaller Chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon') which required (and still requires) reapplication of Roundup periodically and which I doubt I will ever be completely rid of.

My experience with Russian Sage was a failure. I started a bunch of plants from seed. I had good germination and planted the seedlings in the garden to start. My garden tends to be very gravelly. They wintered okay. I donâÂÂt remember how long I left them there, but when I attempted to move them about the yard I eventually lost them all. They didnâÂÂt die outright, but took forever to come up in the spring and never reached their potential. I gave up on them. Then I tried the same thing with agastache. Seedlings actually wintered in their little cell packs. I thought that I was going to regret planting this hardy plant in my perennial bed. It was lovely but seemed so hardy. I thought it would seed all over, since it was so easy from seed. None are left! But wait, I think IâÂÂve found something that looks like it in a forgotten corner! I really think it may not be so much a hardiness issue though. If you have the right conditions for the plant, I mean the correct PH and soil type, etc. maybe youâÂÂll have success. However, IâÂÂve had the same experience of having a plant grow successfully for years then upon losing it for some reason or other, having every replacement die immediately or the first winter. Two that come to mind are monarda and sedum âÂÂAutumn JoyâÂÂ. Some of your disappointments are growing successfully in my yard, Donna. I have several clumps of veronicastrum or culverâÂÂs root doing quite well. I started them from seed. Not sure I like them yet. This should be the year to tell. Sea holly thrives in my gravelly garden. I know someone who has turtlehead growing naturally out at the lake here. But the others you mentioned, coreopsis, helenium, tiarella, IâÂÂve tried and failed with. I can add echinacia to that list. I've always wondered about that theory about single specimens being hardier than the rest. I have some plants rated zone 4 growing happily in my yard. Is it a fluke or were they just rated wrong to start with. I guess thatâÂÂs part of what makes gardening such a great hobby though. ThereâÂÂs always surprises to balance out the disappointments.