May 03, 2011

Perennial Plants and Divisions


I love Spring!...the promise of warmer weather and sunny Summer days seem closer than ever. Mind you it has been raining and cold the last couple of days but the plants have been loving every minute it . My day lilies are growing quite quickly and have spread alot so I need to transplant the new growth. The hostas have gotten quite large and have to be divided this year. Hostas, lilies and irises have very similar roots so the technique in dividing them is the same. 
My day lilies
One of my overgrown hostas and day lilies

Irises
Better Homes and Gardens has amazing tips and information, like the article below on how to divide hostas. This technique can be used on lilies and irises.

When to Divide Hostas
The best time of year to divide hostas is in late summer (August or early September). But, don't worry if you forget: You can divide hostas anytime from spring to fall.



 Here's a hint: If you divide your hostas in summer, be sure to keep them well watered for a few weeks to help them get through the shock of being transplanted. And make sure you allow at least three or four weeks for the hostas to become established before the soil freezes solid if you divide them in fall.


You'll know your hostas have to be divided when they get too crowded and the center of a clump starts to die out. As a general rule, count on dividing the plants every three to four years to keep them at their healthiest. Some slower-growing varieties may need longer before they're ready for division. And you may be able to divide faster-growing varieties every two or three years.
How to Divide Hostas
Cutting Hosta Clump
If your hostas aren't too large, dig out the entire clump. One way to do this is to dig around the clump in a circle, then use your shovel like a lever to lift the clump out of the ground. Once it's out of the ground, you should notice that the clump is made up of many individual plants. (If there's still a lot of soil around the plant, wash it off so you can see the hosta crowns.) Carefully break apart the clumps into divisions made up of at least three sets of shoots coming out of a crown.
If your hostas are too large to lift out of the ground, use your shovel to cut the clump into divisions. Carefully dig out the sections and replant them.

Here's a hint: Many gardeners find that it's easiest to divide hostas using a garden fork or flat spade.

Replanting
Plant your hosta divisions in the ground at the same depth they were growing before. Water them well.




Future gardeners in the making
There is so much to learn about gardening and I am very happy to have come across this handy dandy website that breaks it all down into soils, plants, care and much much more.


  It is still raining so I shall spend the day doing a little Monday and Tuesday blog hopping
BWS tips button

The Things We Find Inside

16 comments:

S.Greiner said...

Hi! I too just started following you! Thanks for stopping by Always Just A MoM! Have a great day!!!

Praises from a Wife and Mommy! said...

Following back! Hope your tuesday is going great!

Joy said...

Thanks for following my blog. I'm following you back here and on twitter.

One Woman Juggler Dawn said...

I am a new follower from the Follow Me Tuesday Blog Hop! Check out mine if you get a chance.
http://onewomanjuggler.blogspot.com/

The Spaghetti Westerner said...

So pretty! Thanks for sharing. I aspire to be a good gardener, but most the time I'm just clueless. So this is much appreciated!

Teana said...

Hi there!

Gladly returning the GFC follow from
http://glamandfrugalwife.blogspot.com/

Beautiful blog!!
Teana

NCSue said...

Hi there! I’m a new follower. I've also included a page on my site that lists blog hops for each day of the week. Check under the header for the link to that page, and if you know of other great hops, please let me know!
I hope you’ll visit me soon and follow back!
Have a great week.
NCSue
http://acts17verse28.blogspot.com/2011/05/lets-kill-captcha.html

NANCY said...

I love all the flowers. My favourite is Lilies and I have them everywhere around the house.

I'm your 400th follower! I hope you're having a fantastic week!

Nancy

If you wish follow me back, you can find me at http://thatsoundslikecrazy.blogspot.com

SassySweetChic said...

Hello my love! I found you through the Follow Me Back Tuesday! Your garden is absolutely gorgeous! I have been wanting to plant a garden for some years now, but can never seem to feel well enough to do it! I have Fibromyalgia and the pain just gets to be too much sometimes!
Well, I hope you havea fantastic week!
Talk to you soon!
Elizabeth

Greenacremama said...

Muchas Gracias for the lovely compliments and the follow backs and new GFC friends. Hope u are all having an beautiful day : )

Shelby said...

New follower from Tuesday Blog Hop and would love if you could follow back. I love your flower pictures.

thesnailmomchronicles.blogspot.com

Nicole said...

Returning your follow! Your flowers are beautiful! Can't wait to see more pics.

The Starwarsmamma said...

Those Irises are beautiful, they have a special meaning for me.
Thanks for stopping by my blog I'm following you back.

Patti D. said...

amazing, nice post and awesome pictures!

Unknown said...

If I could make my gardens look like that… I thinkI would totally be a gardner… my stuff just seems to die- although I do love the unkillable hosta! Thanks for checking me out at my Silly Life!
Christina

Tasher On The Spot said...

Your garden is beautiful (so are the future gardeners!). You're inspiring me to try harder this year! Following you from Blog Hop :)

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