Choosing the right plants for your garden can rapidly become a bit overwhelming. Luckily, one way to narrow down your options is to decide between annuals and perennials.
For instance, unlike annuals, which only last one growing season, perennials can last for at least two growing seasons. Some of them could even last for multiple years or even decades if rightfully tended to.
Perennials are less work overall, and they keep you from having to replant them every year. Another bonus of these perennials is that they can be divided, so you can easily share them with friends and neighbors to plant in their yards.
This would definitely save you money, allowing the plant to keep on growing in other locations, too. Dividing plants prevents overcrowding, controls plant growth in your garden, and also keeps the plants healthy.
To efficiently establish which plants are perennials and can be easily divided, what you want is to check your growing zone.
Some plants behave very differently, depending on the climate and other local factors, of course.
Spring is the ideal time to divide perennials, especially those that bloom in summer and fall, especially since it gives them enough time to establish before the weather gets too warm.
Here are some of the most important landscaping plants you should strive to divide this spring:
Hostas (Hosta)
Hosta is a beloved genus of plants, well-known as hostas or plantain lilies. Originally from Northeast Asia, hostas are widely cultivated as shade-tolerant foliage plants all over North America.
These low-maintenance plants can easily grow in a wide variety of zones and climates, all the way from Northern states with cold winters to warm Southern states.
Most of these hosta varieties thrive in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9. Hosta flowers are very simple, but their leaves are definitely the boldest.
They’re tropical-looking and come in a wide variety of colors, such as teal, yellow, and green, as well as variegated. It’s fairly important to divide hostas depending on their growth (usually every 6 to 10 years) to help them keep their size and keep them healthy, too.
You’ll see that as soon as the leaves pop out in spring, you can use a garden fork, knife, and shovel to dig and lift the root ball out and then divide it.
Each of these divisions should have its own set of leaves. Then, you can move the smaller plants to a shady area and water them well.
Aster (Aster amellus)
Aster is yet another fall-blooming plant that can grow in USDA Zones 3 to 8. If you ask us, this plant should also be divided in the spring every 1 to 3 years.
It produces flowers that are very similar to daisies in various shades of purple, yellow, and white. Since aster is one of those plants that can spread aggressively, dividing it definitely helps manage the growth.
That’s why we recommend splitting asters as soon as any new growth shows up in the spring. In order to do this, you can dig and lift the root ball out with a sturdy shovel.
Then, cut the ball into smaller pieces, each around 5 to 6 inches wide, with a tree pruner to get at least one large bunch of leaves in every division.
Then, move the new, smaller ones to a sunny location and water them well.
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
These beloved yellow flowers with a dark brown center are also native perennials that can rapidly become overgrown.
They generally grow in gardens in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9. Hence, it’s a wonderful idea to divide them into sections of 3 to 4 inches, every 5 years during springtime.
If you notice overcrowding of the flowers, you can watch for new growth in the following spring. That’s mainly the time to divide them.
You can use a pitchfork or shovel to dig and lift out the root ball of the plant. Then, carefully cut the ball into smaller pieces, and move them to a sunny spot.
Sedum (Sedum spp.)
Sedum is commonly known as stonecrop, and it’s a group of succulent perennials that grow in a wide variety of sizes and shapes that are also native to temperate zones of the United States.
They can be especially found in damp, rocky woods. They generally thrive in USDA Zones 3 to 10. Their stems and leaves are designed to store water, which makes them heat-tolerant and drought-resistant.
The 5-petaled flowers on upright stonecrops might grow in clusters, and they also come in colors, such as white, pink, purple, yellow, and even red. Other sedum varieties can even grow so low as creeping ground covers.
Sedums should be carefully divided in the spring every couple of years to revive them, especially if they have dying centers.
As soon as you spot new growth at the base of the clumping plants in spring that resembles small rosettes, you can divide the sedum by separating them into clumps, either with a shovel or with a garden fork.
Then, transplant them to a sunny location and water them well. For creeping types, you can cut off a healthy stem around 6 inches long, then root them in a brand new place with loose soil. Then, you can place a rock on the stem and hold it in place to efficiently root.
Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
This one is often referred to as purple coneflower. Well, this beautiful native perennial boasts an intricate, spiky, and brown center, with gorgeous purple petals.
As a general rule, coneflowers thrive in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9, but some cultivars tolerate even a Zone 10. It is widely advised to divide coneflowers every 2 to 4 years in the spring, in order to keep them thriving in the garden.
You can easily divide coneflower right after noticing new growth at the base of the plant. You can use a shovel or even a garden fork to dig and lift the root ball, then divide it into different sections, each with a strong set of leaves.
Then, replant the smaller plants in a sunny spot and water sufficiently.
Ornamental Grasses (Festuca, Pennisetum, Panicum)
This is quite a broad category of plants, mainly consisting of wispy ornamental grasses that come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes as well as colors.
Some of these types need plenty of sun, while others grow better in shade. Some of the most noteworthy examples include the blue fescue, fountain grass, switchgrass, and prairie cordgrass.
They also tend to be quite popular in colder hardiness zones, probably due to their resilience to cold temperatures throughout the fall and winter seasons. You can use a shovel, a sharp knife, and a saw to cut out all the clumps.
Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum indicum)
Also known as mums, these popular flowers can be easily found in USDA Zones 5 to 9, in a wide variety of hues.
They are hardy perennials that grow back year after year, with the right amount of care. Even so, chrysanthemums can start to overcrowd and produce weaker flowers over the course of years.
Therefore, it’s highly advised to divide them every 2 years in the spring. As soon as you spot small leaves at the base of the plant, you can use a shovel or just a garden fork to dig out the root ball.
Then, divide it into smaller sections, then transplant the divisions to a spot that gets more sun. They also grow efficiently in pots, which is a wonderful option, especially when transitioning chrysanthemums from one location to the next.
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