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gottagarden

What are you dividing to have more of in your garden?

gottagarden
12 years ago

Some of my favorite plants are now big enough to divide, and I'm spreading them to other places in my garden. This year I'm dividing:

- culver's root

- salvia azurea

- baptisia purple smoke (slow grower!)

- artemisia lactiflora guizhou

- eremurus

- geranium rozanne

It seems the nicer the plant, the slower to grow, so I'm glad to finally have big enough clumps to divide.

How about you?

Comments (9)

  • natalie4b
    12 years ago

    Tall bearded irises - I made lots of new beds, and divided them generously. Even though the original clumps were still on a small side.
    Few daylilies - have a lot of space to fill, and they are my "right hand guys" in a garden.

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    12 years ago

    Just Maiden Hair Fern, the double Lily-of-the-Valley bits I brought home from my son's place last summer has formed a nice clump where I had them healed in and I have the perfect place for it in a planter by the back door so won't split it up.

    I have been digging (New England) Asters, breaking a piece off of Harrington's Pink, Adrienne and September Ruby and replanting, the rest of the clumps are just sitting waiting for either the composting facility at the landfill or our club's plant sale. The decision depends on the weather, how much energy I have and the mood I'm in LOL. One year I donated over 300 plants to our sale but I'm older, slower, and body parts don't work as well as they use to LOL.

    I will be digging and discarding more than spreading around this year, I have areas over run with couch grass where I have to dig the plants I want to keep, containerize, until I get the beds rid of that $%#&^% grass. I've tried weeding out as much as I could each year but it's just getting worse so it looks like a complete overhaul is needed.

    Annette

  • luckygal
    12 years ago

    Annette, I've been doing the same - trying to prevent the grass from taking over the beds. I had to dig up my mini irises that were along the edge of one bed to remove grass and weeds and ended up with over 20 little clumps instead of about 6 large clumps! I'll give some of them away. I've weeded out lots of little perennial seedlings which will go in the compost. A few I've potted for friends.

    As I move perennials I'm trying to keep most of them together as I don't want to find new places for them. My biggest Autumn Joy was trying to divide itself but I wouldn't let it! LOL It's healthy and easy enough to move in one piece but could have been divided.

    Still have lots of plants to move and tons of weeding to be done. Oh my.

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    12 years ago

    OT question but...gottagarden, are Eremurus late risers? I bought my first foxtail lily last spring as a potted plant. I see no signs of it now, unfortunantly. It has been so cool here I am not sure if it just doesn't want to pop up yet or I killed it....

    It is strange, but I really don't like dividing things up unless it is because the plant is sickly and needs refreshing by division. But then again I tend to only want only one of each plant (so little space!), so that may explain it! One thing I did divide recently, and was glad to have a second clump of, is Astrantia 'Sunningdale Variegated'. Can never have too much Masterwort, especially the variegated kind! ;-)
    CMK

  • simcan
    12 years ago

    Lots and lots. Royal Candles veronica, various Siberian Iris, asters, anemones, shastas, various spring bulbs (snowdrops, and soon daffodils and tulips), ornamental grasses, daylilies, pulsatilla, pulmonaria, phloxes.... You name it.

    I took over a long-neglected but once magnificent garden and every year I edit, move, divide and add to make it my own.

    Apart from getting more of what I like, and I always like to to grow swathes of perennials when I can, so much was overgrown (especially tall bearded irises and daylilies, the garden still needs a great deal of this...I have not even touched the back except to take stuff from back there that I want out front. All extras go to my parents who have a place in the country.

    I love dividing and how the plants respond. Digging fresh holes in my clay and replanting is another story.

  • Calamity_J
    12 years ago

    Huchera, sedum, clematis,rhubarb, irises, dayliles,lemon balm, hens&chicks, to start, Oh and bluebells were trying to take over, I learned on that one, will plant them by themselves in a spot they can go crazy. Just went and bought 35 more plants from a couple of plant sales today> sheesh!I'm powerless!!!

  • gottagarden
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    When I was a newer gardener I would never divide a favorite plant, I was afraid to touch it! But given how expensive some of these are, it makes more sense to divide, and now I do that quite easily. Sometimes they are set back for a year, but then I have more of them!

    Eremurus are not late risers, they come up about the same time as everything else. Sorry.

    I'm also like Annette, doing a lot of digging and discarding. But because I can't just Kill a plant, I usually pot them up and donate to various plant sales. I do a few hundred every year and it's way too much work.

    Even though my gardens are full, some plants are just so special I want more of them.

  • natal
    12 years ago

    I felt a little guilty tossing a bunch of rudbeckia in the compost this year, but just wasn't in the mood to pot up and put curbside.

  • pippi21
    12 years ago

    Gottagarden..our garden club just had a plant sale this past Saturday and although I was unable to attend, I understand it went very well. It is manned by Garden Club volunteers and donations of plants by Garden club members. Maybe next year we can donate and attend.

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