Welcome to horticultural insights from Mimosa Design
Thank you for being part of the Mimosa Design Community. You are receiving this email because you have worked or contacted us in the past. We want to be generous gardeners. . . .
and so we have created this space to share our top tips
Today:
“Plants for free, plants for free, whoop!”
NOW is the time to lift and divide your perennials
‘tis the season to get in the soil and lift and divide your perennials . This is vegetive procreation at its easiest and most generous.
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Plants propagate themselves by seed or by bulking up vegetatively – they spread along the ground via stolons or form clumps. By lifting and cutting the plant in to sections were some root remains you can move perennials around your garden creating rivers of colour that will perform next year.
It is easy to do here are some top tips to getting the job done well.
What to do:
1. Dig around the plant with a spade to avoid too much disturbance to the root.
2. Be confident to slice through the plant centrally or lift the whole clump in order to divide out of the ground and replace all divided pieces to their new locations.
3. Often the centre of perennials will have died out this area should be removed and composted.
4. Cut back the top growth, flowers can go in a vase or compost! Why do this? The leaves need to go as they will be transpiring through their stomata and will reduce the water content in the root system.
5. I deally plant there and then, however with a good amount of soil still around the root protecting them from drying out - or placed in a bucket of water the plants will cope for a week or so and can be potted on or shared with friends and family.
6. Plant in the location that suits your perennial best. Where have they performed well? In the shade? In the sun? Rinse and repeat create impact with drifts in the same planting conditions or experiment with clumps of excess plants somewhere new!
3 reasons why to divide in autumn rather than spring?
1. Plants are soon to be going dormant so this is a good time whilst you can see what is what and you have an idea of what might need to move where.
2. Spring is a busy time, autumn however is the opportunity to get your house in order in the garden and save spring for the seeds and cut back pruning and ahhhh!!! all the things for Spring.
3. The soil is friable (easy to work) and it is pleasant to play in the soil on an autumn day.
Plants to leave till spring:
1. grasses, I would move grasses in the spring less likely to sit in a wet patch with ripped roots and die! However if you do need to move them don’t over water and even plant on a mound to keep them well drained. Make sure evergreen grasses are not going to fall over in high winds (as you will not be cutting back this foliage).
2. Don’t bother dividing peonies and Poppies unless you are feeling confident they are happy for years in large clumps and may turn up their heels in disgust at being bothered! (it is one of the reasons they are so expensive to buy.)
Leave silver foliage plants. Silver leaves are an adaption for sunnier climes they tend to suffer rotting off if disturbed and then left to overwinter.
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