| My Baptisia has gotten too big for the size of my garden and I was wondering when is the proper time to divide it and how should it be divided? |
| Unfortunately, baptisia is simply a large plant (allow for at least four feet width and height) when it reaches maturity and since it is so deeply and firmly rooted, there is no preferred method for dividing or transplanting it because it is nearly impossible to do it successfully. In my experience, small plants can be moved successfully with care in very early spring while still dormant if you take a very generous rootball, but larger ones have not survived the attempt because I was unable to take enough of the root. (You would need to dig down two to three feet!) You might experiment with trimming it back a bit after it blooms, or consider replacing it with something more in scale with the garden area -- or expand the garden area. I'm sorry I can't be more encouraging. |
