How to Divide Hardy Perennial Plants

Most perennial plants benefit from being divided every two or three years.

Get started by loosening the roots with a garden fork. Gently work the plants out of the ground and shake off excess soil. Perennials form different types of roots. Heuchera and Hosta, for example, are fibrous and pull apart with a little gentle tension.

Hemerocallis forms large, tough roots. Use two garden forks to drive them into the centre of the clump and then lever them apart. They can require some fairly robust pressure, so keep trying!

Finally, some perennials create woody, interconnected crowns that need to be sliced apart. Use a clean, sharp spade to make a neat cut through Hellebores or fleshy Delphinium.

Other perennials that flourish with regular division include Agapanthus, Anemone, Aster, Convallaria (lily-of-the-valley), Eryngium, Euphorbia, Geranium, Iris, ornamental grasses, Primula, Ranunculus, Salvia, Sedum, Verbena and Zantedeschia.