Re: Dividing Knowledge
- To: "'perennials@mallorn.com'"
- Subject: Re: Dividing Knowledge
- From: M* T*
- Date: Wed, 8 Sep 1999 02:43:58 -0400
Depends, IMO, on the particular species and the weather where you garden.
Some plants - especially those who bloom early on (Primula, for instance)
ought to be divided in late summer or early fall if your winters aren't too
bad - and some resent late division no end and croak on you as they are not
making active new root growth late in the season so their roots just rot in
cool soil (warm season ornamental grasses, for one). If you have severe
winters, late divisions are more subject to freeze/thaw heaving syndrome.
My favorite time for dividing most perennials is very early spring (early
March), if Ma Nature will let me...just as they are waking up and thinking
about growing, but before they have a lot of leaf growth to try to support
on damaged root systems.
That said, I've done divisions most times of the season - some take and
some don't and you really have to pay some attention to them and watering
when you do it mid season...plus cut them back drastically and let them
start over again growing leaves, etc.
There is a point around July when several early flowering plants -
Pulmonaria and Brunnera come to mind - seem to go through a semi-dormancy
and are just starting to put out new roots. Have found this a good time to
divide these guys, heat, humidity and all....just remove all leaves to
their new growth buds and water like mad. Symphytum grandiflorum also
responds well to mid summer hacking.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
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> From: McAlpine, Duncan G <Duncan.McAlpine@PSS.Boeing.com>
> Date: Tuesday, September 07, 1999 12:11 PM
>
> What are the pros and cons in dividing perennials in the Fall versus the
spring?
>
> Duncan
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