My Sedum 'Autumn Joy’ are talking to me. They are splayed flat, saying, “Divide me!” Many perennials behave this way. Every 3 to 5 years, they begin to develop a hole or fall away from the center, signaling that they need to be divided to be reinvigorated.

In the case of Autumn Joy, this would be a terrible time to dig them up. They are in spectacular bloom right now and would be very unwieldy to handle. I will make a note of which plants to divide in spring, when they are compact and will have plenty of time to recover before they bloom again at the end of the summer. Mums and ornamental grasses belong in the same category.

Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) and peonies (Paeonia) are good examples of  perennials that are better divided now. And this is the ideal time to divide Daylilies (Hemerocallis species). Daylilies respond especially well to dividing and will reward you with multiple vigorous plants. (Peonies may bloom poorly or not at all the year after division, but they will thrive after that.) All of these plants have passed their peak for the season.

On a day that is mild—neither too hot nor too cold—I use a transplanting spade to dig up the chosen plant(s). I dig a ring several inches outside the edges of the plant, digging and lifting until I can feel the root ball is loose. Then I lift with spade or hands and tease the plant out of the soil. This is where my trusty soil knife is indispensable (see go-to gear). It has a serrated edge that helps cut through the root ball. I always try to leave at least 3 buds or stems with each new plant. Sometimes the plant will fall apart easily, forming its own divisions. It is not necessary to treat most perennials gently; they will tolerate fairly rough handling.

Then I dig a hole slightly broader than the root ball of the new plantlet and mix in some compost or manure. I spread out the roots, or in the case of daylilies, tubers, and cover with soil to the same level as the original plant. And water generously. It pays to listen to forecasts and do dividing and transplanting when rainy weather is expected. Nothing gets a plant off to a better start than a good rain to soak it in.

Having said all this, I have learned that most perennials and shrubs can be divided and transplanted any time during the growing season. The key is keeping them moist till they are established. The larger or older the plant, the longer it will take to settle in.

What fun it is to take one plant and make it three—or  more. This is a great opportunity to develop large drifts of a particular plant or to share with gardening friends.

Tags: ornamental grasses, Paeonia, Peonies, soil knife, Hemerocallis, daylilies, transplanting, dividing plants, Lady's Mantle, Alchemilla mollis, chrysanthemum, Mums, Sedum 'Autumn Joy', gardening in the Northeast, CT gardening, shade gardening Read More

 

As gardeners, we share a reverence for plant life, for the miracle that transforms a tiny seed into something as substantial and sturdy as a tree or as ephemeral and delicate as a lady slipper orchid. We nurture and watch, wait and hope, tend and treat each plant on our property to bring it to its fullest potential and beauty. Many of us even talk to them.

Which is why we are so reluctant to give up on any plant. To dig it up, throw it away and admit failure. I am here to give you official permission to draw the line, to call it quits when a plant is causing more misery than it is pleasure. When nursing and feeding and spraying do not result in an attractive, healthy specimen, you have the right to cut your losses and remove it.

I hereby grant you freedom from guilt, a license to kill.

New gardeners find this especially difficult, but experience teaches us perspective and we become more comfortable with the power we have to destroy.

•    I finally gave up on the American holly that I had nursed through recurring fungal diseases for 15 (!$#%#!) years. It demanded so much of my gardening time, looked so spindly and showed no signs of recovery, so this spring I decreed its demise. It’s been removed and replaced with a graceful Cryptomeria japonica and I have no guilt or regrets. It was the wrong plant in the wrong place and all my efforts to change that were futile. I just hope the replacement settles in happily.
•    My friend Debora and I admitted to each other that we love our Sedum Acre, which spreads among impossible rocky crevices, but we also yank it out by the handfuls. When it intrudes where we don’t want it, we love the fact that it is so easy to pull. Just because a plant volunteers somewhere doesn’t mean we have to accept it.
•    Next year, toss that spent poinsettia into the compost in February, and buy yourself a new one for the next holiday season! (I know for a fact that even some accomplished professionals do this.) Consider this with fall chrysanthemums, too. The nurseries have perfected the growing conditions and pruning schedules to maximize plants like these. We at home will never be able to achieve such results.

Think of it this way, as a wise mentor once told me, every empty space is an opportunity!

Replace the offending plant with something that will thrive in that location, that will inspire more happiness than worry, that will not demand so much time and effort that you cannot tend or enjoy the rest of your garden.

And remember, Nature Creates; Gardeners Edit.

Tags: chrysanthemum, poinsettia, Sedum acre, gardener's guilt, license to kill plants, unhappy plants Read More