Thanks. I need to get busy on mine this year.

That is one serious clump of DL's.The knife isnt a sissy either.

Thanks for such a good and timely reminder. I have irises that should be divided soon.

The knife is a prop , I actually used a meat cleaver, but did not want to scare anyone

Whatever it takes to get the job done!

I've read many recommendations to divide plants in the spring, but fewer to divide in the fall. Can anyone give a (relative) newbie guidelines/wisdom re. fall vs. spring divisions? Thanks.

Hi Liz, generally if plants bloom in the spring or early summer, the best time to divide them is fall. If they bloom in late summer or fall, the best time to divide them is spring. Not all plants do well divided in the fall though, but if you do, try to do it 6-8 weeks before a hard frost. That gives the roots time to grow before the ground freezes.

Thanks goldfinch4!

goldfinch4 said:Hi Liz, generally if plants bloom in the spring or early summer, the best time to divide them is fall. If they bloom in late summer or fall, the best time to divide them is spring. Not all plants do well divided in the fall though, but if you do, try to do it 6-8 weeks before a hard frost. That gives the roots time to grow before the ground freezes.

Thanks for the excellent info!

Now I'll just have to remember it!

Hi Marilyn, I don't have any problem remembering it, I have a problem finding time to do it!

Chris

"I have a problem finding time to do it!"

Can you all give me simple instructions as to what dividing entails in terms of dividing a mini agapanthus that has 30+ blooms in a medium pot. Never done it before and the plant is very tight inside the pot so also need to know how to remove it without breaking the pot?

First, the plant sounds beautiful! The hard part is getting it out of the pot without breaking the pot. Without doing a lot of damage to the plant, I don't know of any tips on how to get it out. Sorry. Once it's out you can probably wash the soil off the roots and cut it apart with a sharp knife.

Well I have between now and Fall to jimmy it out...

If the pot has some nice size drainage holes in the bottom you could use a dowel or something and do some pushing from the bottom while holding it upside down and tapping the top rim on something.

another idea I have tried is using a flexible spatula around the sides like trying to loosen a cake before dumping it out .