Beverly Hoffman

This past month I have coveted! Yes, there it is. In print. Admitted. And now I have a way to deal with my desire to have my friend’s clear magenta peony and another friend’s gorgeous sedum the color of eggplant that blooms in yellow. I’ll go to their houses with a trusty spade and I’ll divide them. After all, they are dear friends.

 

Dividing plants is perhaps the easiest way not only to tidy up an overgrown section of garden, but to share plants with others. It’s also an economical way to stretch dollars. Through division, I can increase my number of plants. It allows me to do more mass planting, a repetitive element that unifies a garden.

 

Probably the most important act in dividing a plant is making certain it is healthy and mature enough to have a vast and healthy root system, which usually takes a year or so. Sometimes there are early indicators that a plant needs dividing — such as when the center looks different from the outer edges, evidenced in smaller leaves or fewer flowers.

 

Usually dividing a plant is best done in the fall or spring, when rains are frequent and the soil is fairly moist and loose. Also, choose an overcast, cool day. Use a spade or a pitchfork, dig a little trench around the drip line and then dig down about a foot. Pull back on the spade or pitchfork to raise the plant up and out of the soil.

 

An old article from “Fine Gardening” by Todd Meier suggests that the right tool can make dividing plants so much easier; without that perfect tool, division can be more daunting.
 
The easiest division: by hand
Some perennials clump together through their fibrous roots. Offsets are formed, small plants growing from another plant. It’s almost as though you have quintuplets and you simply have to separate them by gently pulling them apart, each rosette the start of another plant. Perennials that fall into this category are bugleweed (Ajuga reptans), coral bells (Huechera), epimediums, lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis), lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantine), pulmonarias, stonecrop (Sedum spectabile), etc.
 
Grab a spade or pitchfork
Another group of clumpers has such a dense root ball that it needs a wedge to open up the root system. Pull up the root ball as described earlier and then lay the entire mass on its side on the grass or gravel. Then position the spade blade or pitchfork tines in the middle and step down hard on the tool so that it becomes a wedge into the mass. With a bit of work, the mass breaks apart. Each half can further be divided the same way if the mass is huge. Perennials that need extra work to divide are plants like African lilies (Agapanthus), asters, blood grass (Imperata cylindrical), catmint (Nepeta), daisy (Leucanthemum), day lilies (Hemerocallis), forest grass (Hakenochloa macra), fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides), hostas, penstemons, silver grass (Miscanthus), snakeroot (Cimicifuga racemosa), etc.
 
Handsaw, please
Plants like astilbes, bear’s breeches (Acanthus spinosus) and peonies are even tougher to divide and need a handsaw. I have a Felco 600 with a retractable 6.5-inch stainless steel bladed saw that is easy for me to handle. Others might prefer an 8-inch blade saw. Place the plant on its side, and divide into half … and half again, making certain that each section has part of the root and some of the leaves/stalks. Peonies need a bit of special care. Make certain there are three to five eyes, little red pointed growths, in each piece.
 
Balkers
Be aware that many plants with woody stems simply balk at being divided. Many visitors ask if lavender is easily divided: no. Neither are perennials, such as carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus), delphiniums, rosemary, sea hollies (Eryngium) and silvermound (Artemesia schmidtiana). Trilliums usually fall into this category, although I successfully divided some coveted red trilliums from a friend.
 
Divide plants on a cool, overcast day

After dividing the perennials, they should be planted fairly quickly so that they don’t lose too much water, resulting in wilting and finally death. Wrap them in paper towels or lay them in a bucket with moistened newspaper layered on top. If you have to wait some hours before planting, you can soak them in a bucket of water to hydrate them. After you dig a hole, add some compost/organic matter and water, stirring up a slurry before planting the divisions.

 

Water well the first week and then taper off. Another note about peonies is not to plant the eyes too deeply — just about 1 or 2 inches below the soil.

 

Use the best divisions to plant and spread out their roots. If some divisions look weak, just toss them away.

 

In an economy that has made all of us stop and think, we can find yet another way to save a few pennies. We also can have a spirit of generosity when we divide plants and offer them to friends. Or use them to plant along a roadside or near a mailbox.

 

So, maybe coveting isn’t all that bad.

 

Beverly Hoffman can be reached via e-mail at columnists@sequimgazette.com.