There is no better time than Spring to divide plants for several reasons: the initial growth is softer and easier to cut through, the early burst of growth will quickly hide the damage you do and the plentiful rains will help both sections root and recover.  Dividing can also be done most anytime for some plants, but my mother always said never divide or transplant while a plant is in bloom because the plant’s energy is going towards the bloom rather than the roots during this part of their cycle. Some plants such as Iris actually need to be divided every few years to flourish, though in their case wait until Fall. 

Perennials are very costly and I save a small fortune by always purchasing the smallest one I can find or a half dead clearance one and dividing them during the initial planting as well as in future seasons.  Farmers’ markets and local high schools with greenhouses are great places to save money.  Some individuals also sell off some of what they grow in their yard or farmland.  Last weekend I bought a Rocket Red Crepe Myrtle at a local school’s greenhouse for $15 and separated six individual trees out of the container!  Red Rocket is a large variety that grows over 20 feet tall so that’s quite a deal.  These weren’t technically divisions, but multiple plants that were allowed to germinate and grow entwined.  In this case they should be gently untangled and the roots cut midway between them to do less damage.  Try to knock the least amount of soil off the roots as possible.  When lifting it support the bottom so less root hairs are torn from the plant when clumps of soil fall.

It should be stated that in some cases dividing, taking cuttings and other forms of asexual reproduction are illegal.  As with other products from songs to genes, inventors/developers are able to recoup their research and development costs and maximize their profits by retaining patent rights on hybrids and cultivars they create.  If this is the case the seed packet or plant tag will have PP#xxxx, meaning propagation prohibited.  Infringement also includes “selling, offering, delivering, consigning, exchanging or advertising for sale a protected variety.” or “Inducing a third party to commit any of the above acts.”  These patents last 20 years before entering the public domain.  Similarly, taking divisions from the wild is highly discouraged and in many cases illegal for reasons including the potential for introducing other items through such things as unseen seeds, eggs and fungus in what you dig.  Truth is, you don’t want to do this anyway as professionally created versions have longer bloom times, bigger blooms and are more disease resistant for the most part, though some heirloom and wild versions are popular these days and can be hardier.

While it’s probably best to be as careful and thorough as possible in digging out and splitting a plant, I’ve found that many plants are extremely durable especially during early growth.  Be sure to use a perennial shovel that has a fairly small spade with a sharp point.  First cut into the dirt around the sides of the piece you are removing.  Next, hold the shovel slightly forward from straight up so that the blade is going straight down into the center of the plant.  Give it a quick, hard stomp to cut through the roots with a clean, fast break to do less damage to both halves.  Your new plant should then pop right out.  Push the dirt back and completely cover any exposed root from the remaining portion. 

If you are moving the entire plant, digging it out before dividing it is easiest.  Place it upside down or sideways on the ground for best results and split the roots right down the middle.  For more turn each piece with the new flat side on the ground and again split them in half.  As with in-ground splitting, the cut should be done in one swift slice to cause the least amount of damage.  Sometimes you will slip and have stems just fall away.  If you are trying to fill a large area, go ahead and stick these in the ground too, in the spring all the plant’s energy is going to putting out new growth and if you have any nodes at all on a stem it will quickly produce roots.  Any little bit with even the smallest root growth can easily become a plant and is worth burying. 

With some plants you may have to get a little rougher.  Indigo (technically Baptista or False Indigo) for example, one of my favorite perennials, I had been told couldn’t be divided.  It has a very dense, hard root system and once the stems have grown even a foot you just tear the plant up trying to cut into it.  However, each spring I successfully got several starts by chopping chunks out with a maddox.  An axe might also work.  A stronger person might be able to do with with a shovel, but when I jumped on it, it didn’t even begin to cut into the root. 

Similarly, my favorite plant, Catmint or Nepeta can only be dividing when very young.  Like other favorites Artemisia, Lavendar and Rosemary it very quickly becomes woody and shrub like.  But while it’s still very small you can get your shovel through it.  When it is at a borderline age you can dig the plant and use clippers to cut through the dirt, roots and stem to divide it in half then replant it.

Also, carefully inspect the area around all plants for strays starting nearby and relocate them. Starts are a much appreciated gift for gardening friends.  Many of my Iris, Daylilies and Hosta are from my mother’s collections which she purchased over many years from a variety of sources.  She has traveled extensively to private gardens collecting rare specimens.  It only takes a small start to add a new plant to your garden or expand a mass planting over the years.  So share the wealth and trade starts with all your gardening buddies!

Kim’s love of gardening was instilled in her by her mother who creates pristine, lush landscaping worthy of a botanical garden using by the book methodology and sweat equity.  Kim achieves positive results cultivating more naturalized, informal gardens with techniques involving the least amount of energy, time and money feasible.  Learn about both their techniques throughout the month in the Lifestyle section at www.Amplifier.BGDailyNews.com