Page 6 - North Haven Magazine Issue 28 Spring 2023

Divide and Conquer
by Sally Brockett

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Your Perennials
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he term ‘perennial’ is defined in several ways, but we generally think of it as a garden plant that persists from year to year, with new
Tgrowth produced from the plant base each year, and often producing flowers each season. They usually die back either as the days
get colder in the fall, or some may die back after their blossoms have faded. Gardeners enjoy them because unlike annuals, perennials
do not need to be planted each season. They begin to grow when the weather suits their needs, many produce blooms, and then they
die back to rest until their next cycle of growth.

Although it is convenient to not plant growth. Some may need to be maintained Tools for Dividing: A transplanting
perennials each season, the period they by removing the center that has died back spade or garden fork helps to remove the
are in blossom is relatively short, perhaps and planting some of the new, young- plant without significant damage. The
about two weeks, while an annual flower- er growth that appears in the outer ring, fork is useful for inserting into the clump
ing plant is usually in blossom through- back into the center so it is not empty. of roots and separating them into smaller
out the summer. A variety of perennials pieces.
that bloom at different times can help to
solve this problem if you wish to have How to Divide the Plant:
colorful flowers in the garden throughout Prepare the new location first
the season. so you can put the plant roots
into the soil before the wind
However, perennials do require mainte- and sun cause it to dry out. If
nance to keep them attractive, healthy, the soil around the perenni-
and not over-running other plants in your als to be divided is dry, water
garden. it the day before you plan to
divide. Also water the new
Why Divide Perennials? Perennials location if it is dry. Some
continue to grow each season and become types of perennials will split
Iris rhizomes needing dividing.
larger and larger, taking up more space in Photo Credit: fairfaxgardening.org apart easily, and you can gen-
the garden. Many also tend to grow out tly pull the roots apart with
from their center, with the new, vigorous Dividing perennials also produces more your hands. For more solid
growth forming a ring around the center of the same plant if you have space in clumps, use two forks insert-
which had been the original plant. So, in your garden to fill in with new plants. ed back-to-back in the center
a sense, they do not “stay” in the place you Sometimes gardeners like to share plant of the clump, and then pull
originally put them, and the original plant divisions with friends and neighbors or the forks apart. Others may
material may gradually die. contribute divisions of perennials to gar- need to be cut apart with a
den sales. A word of caution about mov- sharp blade.
ing perennials to new gardens – we need
to be aware of the possibility of spreading When should plants be divided?
the invasive Asian jumping worms, also There is a general rule of thumb: Divide
called snake worms. If the eggs or adult spring-blooming plants in the fall and
worms are in the soil around the roots, fall-blooming plants in the spring. The
they will be transplanted to the new gar- main point to remember is not to disturb
den location along with the perennial. plants while they are flowering or fruiting
The only way to prevent this is to wash off if you can avoid it. They need energy to
all the roots to remove the soil and eggs stimulate root growth after division and
before replanting. transplanting.

Gently separate by pulling apart. Most perennials can be divided every few
years rather than yearly. Division may be
This growth habit, and the fact that some needed when the blooms become sparse
perennials grow increasingly dense, or small, or the stems and leaves may be-
means that maintenance is needed peri- gin to fall over. If you notice the plant has
odically. Some perennials need to be di- become “donut” shaped, with an empty
vided to help spread out their roots and center space, it is time to divide and re-
growing base to encourage new, healthy plant healthy, young growth. Choose a

North Haven Magazine - Spring Issue 2023
6