If you want more plants or simply give away to friends, Autumn is the perfect time do divide perennials which bloom in the Summer.
The perennials do not have to be divided every year, they need to be divided if:
- You want to make more plants,
- They extended too far and you have no space,
- Want to make space for other plants,
- You want to move them and take the opportunity to revive them
- They are old and don't perform well anymore.
Summer-flowering plants ca be divided in Spring (March to May) or in Autumn (Sep to Nov).
If Autumn is too wet, delay until spring.
It’s best to do this on a dry day when the soil is not too wet.
How to do it:
Lift plants gently with a garden fork, try to limit root damage.
If the plants produce individual plantlets you can teased it out and replanted.
Some perennials, require two garden forks inserted into the crown back to back to use them like levers to loosen and break the root into two sections.
Sometimes a garden knife is enough. Some time an ax or a shovel may be needed to cleave the clump in two.
No matter what you use to dig up them, it is important to injure the root as little as possible.
Shake off excess soil so that roots are clearly visible.
Divide the plants into as many divisions as you want.
Mix in a little garden compost or other soil improver first and plant divisions as soon as possible and water them in well.
You can move them to a new part of the garden (in a sunnier or shadier place, as you think it would like more) or make some new floral arrangement.
Back to ,,Things to do in Autumn'' page
No comments:
Post a Comment