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Many gardeners, new and seasoned alike, approach dividing perennials with some degree of intimidation and fear. The two most commonly asked questions are:
"What if I kill it?" followed closely by "Will it hurt ?"
Honestly, most perennials flourish when divided on schedule and actually NEED to be divided with some regularity. It isn't brain surgery, and a few basic methods can make it a very satisfying experience in sweat equity now AND later, with full green foliage and increased blooming come spring. Most perennials need division every three to five years, with heavy feeders like astible and phlox needing help on the early side of three years. Diminished blooming, or bloom failure are indications that it's past time to divide them. Begin the process by making the soil as workable as possible. This means watering well where I live--the drought has created a garden soil texure not unlike cement, and as easy to manage as pothole filler, so a good soak is required. If you are lucky enough to not to live in the flooded Carolinas, you may want to wait for a good deep rain to help you loosen up the ground. I am REAL tired of waiting around for rain. I'm dragging out the soaker hose. Once the soil is ready, cut back brown foliage--unless you need it to identify crowns, the tops of little clumps found on some perennials, like campion. Limp foliage on bulbs, phlox, and the like just gets in the way. After digging out the plants you wish to separate, use a shovel, large knife or perennial spade to cut the plant into quarters. You will need to have a big bucket or wheel barrow handy, to hold the removed plants, and some vague idea of where you want to put the new divisions. It isn't a bad idea to have pre-selected areas dug out and ready for the divisions. If you are like me, that sometimes happens the next weekend, so place the divisions in the container you have waiting and keep them damp--NOT WET! --until you're ready to put them in a new location. Putting damp newspaper around the root ball is a great way to hold some moisture against the roots without saturating the whole mass. You can keep the paper around the divisions as you plant them, to hold the soil together, since it will break down in the dirt. Today's newspapers use vegetable- based dyes for the color sections. There is nothing harmful which can leach into the ground. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Separation Anxiety in Gardening in Southern U.S. is owned by . Permission to republish Separation Anxiety in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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