Divide Plants to Multiply Garden

Perennials are wonderful plants to put into your garden. They last for years and as the plants get larger they should be divided. March and April are the right months to divide summer and fall blooming perennials such as chrysanthemums, coral bells, agapanthus, phlox, asters and fountain grasses because the soil is moist and very workable.

Before you dig the plants to divide them, make sure you know how many divisions you have room for in the garden. Perennials can be divided with a sharp cutting instrument. Many people use the sharp edge of their shovel. As you make the cut, leave enough root system to support the new plantings. Remove the dead or weak roots and trim the plants back if you have lost much of the root length.

When you replant, make sure the hole is large enough to spread the roots out so they can easily support the plant by their placement as well as their size. A good amount of humus added to the soil, along with a fertilizer high in phosphorus and some of the polymer products that help keep your plants properly watered will give your plants a head start.

Check the directions before using the polymers and then use them sparingly. These products help to keep water available to the plants long after the water would normally have disappeared from the soil.

California Assn. of Nurserymen