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Dividing perennials - who is doing what?

8 years ago

This is an aspect of gardening I have tended to avoid, going down the cuttings and seed route to increase my plants...but a combination of dreadfully crowded beds, a need to fill some space in the woods (rapidly) and deciding to hand over the allotment to eldest has forced me to act this season. So anxiously taking spade in hand, I am going to go off and survey my demesne with a critical eye. Divide and rule!

So, what are intrepid gardeners digging up to split this autumn?

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aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada

8 years ago

It's daylilies with me, I have about 2 dozen to work my way through in the next couple of days, it's keep a piece or set it free time here. One of the daylily beds out front is no more. I have 3 hydrangeas planted there now, a Golden Crane flanked with Miss Saori on either side. Much less work for me and should look quite nice when they settle in.

Sooo it's decide time here, what to keep a piece of... the rest will be going home with DS2 he's a chef and when I told him daylilies were edible his ears perked up. I think I've got him conned in taking the lot home he has 10 acres and has recently caught the gardening bug in ernest LOL.

Annette

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Comments (6)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
I have a number of candidates in mind. My inground gardening area is so restrictive and some of the plants have grown so well (and so big) that division is a must or I am faced with the potential smothering of smaller, more demure species by these bigger thugs.

On the top of my list is the massive Baptisia I discussed earlier. Also a very happy (and huge) clump of apricot colored Kniphofia, a clump of lavender daylilies and Aster divaricatus (now Eurybia divaricata), which has grown far better and larger than I imagined in a pretty intensely full sun position. Never was quite that prolific in its more preferred part shade location in my old woodland garden!
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I do a lot of division about this time of year until the temp hits 70 or so. I don't like to divide them when temp climbs too high. I don't like to do much division in late fall either because of the unpredictability of hard frost. The heat wave we are experiencing is throwing me off kilter, though. This is way too warm too soon. PS. The ground below the surface is still soggy, though. You may need to wait a bit until it dries up some more.
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I have mostly irises and foxglove around my roses. I find irises easy to lift up and divide since they like to be planted shallow. I try not to plant the irises inside the drip line of the roses, but they encroach anyway. It hasn't really been a problem Daylillies can be a bit harder to dig up and I leave a bit more room. I think putting them in front of the rose plant and leaving a buffer space is a better idea than interplanning as far as day lillies go. As far as fertilizing, I don't! I figure the stuff I put down for roses will also feed the other plants. I use mainly organic fertilizers and may sprinkle some in when replanting the divided irises for example.
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"Donn can get away with transplanting in the fall.." I'm getting spoiled. I also moved from Ohio, the NE snow belt, but I moved from 5 to 7, and the luxury is dramatic. That said, I did quite a bit of fall planting and transplanting in NE Ohio. First frosts don't stop cool season perennials from growing, especially their roots. Even in zone 5, it takes a good bit of sustained, well below freezing weather to freeze the soil below the surface. A rule of thumb I use for fall planting is to avoid disturbing roots. If I can install a potted plant without having to tease, cut back or otherwise disturb the roots, I'll do it. If the plant is pretty root bound, I leave it in the pot, and bury the pot. Sometimes, the roots will grow out of the drainage holes and into the surrounding soil, but when I pull them in early spring, they are usually getting a haircut anyway, and a little root pruning just stimulates new root growth.
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I have successfully transplanted perennials, shrubs including azaleas and trees(in full sun too) in July with no negative effect. Like you say frequent watering did it’s job. Although I start suffering myself from digging when temps are above 85 degrees like you say Ken lol. I also have 2 more questions regarding this. Are so called perennials that produce new growth on old wood such as chrysanthemum pacificums, dracocephalum argunense classified as sub shrubs ? I know montauk daisies and caryopteris are officially considered as sub shrubs but there are no info regarding certain perennials such as dracocephalum and C. pacificum as sub shrubs. I’m sure there are many more perennials that grow on old wood. One other question. So dividing is considered a method of propagation. That practically means a new life is born. So if you divide a perennial does that start over the plants life? I know that they retain maturity of the parent plant but is that also associated with its lifespan? Let’s say I divide a columbine, a plant with a very short lifespan and let’s say it will only live for 5 years. However if you divide it and you decide to grow the divided plant, does that start over its life span and live for another 5 years? Or say that I decide to divide my 5 year lifespan columbine at 3 years old. If the lifespan does not renew does that mean the newly separated plant will only have 2 more years to live? The 5 years is just an example I’m using, I’m not saying columbines all have a lifespan of 5 years. Also please don’t say they reseed a lot to make up for it’s short life span. I’m already aware of that and that’s not what I want to know. I’m also curious if biennials like forgot me nots Renew their 2 years lifespan by dividing them..
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docmom_gw
8 years ago
I have a pollinator garden where many plants have dropped seeds that germinated and grew away from the original clump. I'm discovering that certain plants don't tolerate the heat and sandy soil well while others thrive. If I want to maintain an organized-appearing bed, then I should move things around and pull things out, but, is it better to move things now, or in the spring? Clearly, I can pull out the failures, but will transplants have time to settle in? We had a wonderful rain last night, so if I'm going to move things this fall, this weekend is the time to do it.

Martha
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
8 years ago
I find I do better moving things now. In spring our soil is cold and stays wet a long time, while the air gets warm quickly, so it's more stressful for the plants. I do mulch plants put in now.
sunnyborders
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
As per NHBabs, I also move (as well as divide) the large majority of our perennials in fall. The reasons include: (1) can't identify individual summer and fall plants in spring, (2) walking on the wet beds (from snow melt water) damages spring bulbs and compacts the soil and (3) it is difficult to garden in muddy conditions.

Thinning out and taking stock is more feasible for us in fall.
docmom_gw
8 years ago
Thanks for the input. I did quite a bit of "taking stock" and moving yesterday. Fortunately, I'm off again today, so will be doing more.

Martha

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