Dividing Preparation

As for preparation, consider what you’ll be dividing, even if you won’t be digging until next month. If it’s Phlox, for example, and is still in bloom, remove the flowers by cutting the plant back by at least half, which makes it easier to handle.

Think about where you will be planting your new divisions and prepare the area by removing weeds and incorporating organic matter like peat, compost or composted manure. Give your plants the good life with good soil. After all, they’ll be living in that spot for the next several years.

When the day comes to dig and divide, make it easy on yourself by setting aside an area for dividing. Keep a large bucket of water handy for plants that don’t want to let go of the soil that clings to their roots. Plunge the crown into the bucket and swish it around to get rid of excess soil. This makes it easier to see what you’re dealing with.

When it comes time to replant, it’s best to do it the same day. If you must wait a day or two, keep the plants or bulbs in a shady spot and away from drying winds. And once you plant them, even if the soil is moist, water them in well so that soil settles in around their roots.

Tools you may need to start:

• Soil knife – safer than a re-purposed kitchen knife, because it’s shorter and broader and made to be gripped differently while cutting through tough plant roots and crowns.

• Transplanting spade – made with a narrower shaft to make it easier to work in tight spaces.

• Digging fork – easier to dig with less damage to roots or to avoid skewering nearby bulbs.

• High pressure hose nozzle – useful for helping to remove soil from roots.

• Large bucket – fill with water and dunk and swish plant’s roots to help remove soil.

Helpful books

Making More Plants: The Science, Art, and Joy of Propagation by Ken Druse

The Well-Designed Mixed Garden by Tracy Desabato-Aust

The Perennial Care Manual: A Plant-by-Plant Guide: What to Do & When to Do It by Nancy J. Ondra and Rob Cardillo

Perennials: The Gardener’s Reference by Susan Carter, Carrie Becker and Bob Lily