| Garden Center in Hudson, NH |
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Countrybrook Farms Nursery & Garden Center
175 Lowell Road Route 3A
Hudson, NH USA 03051
603-886-5200
"Where your daydream landscape becomes reality" |
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See the perennial and roses photo slide show > Perennials & Roses Photo Slide Show | |
| Perennials - When & How To Divide A favorite maintenance task in my perennial garden is dividing. There is no set rule as to when to divide perennials. Some need dividing every 3-5 years, some 8-10 years and some would rather you not bother them at all, ever. Fear not you can do this! Dividing perennials is really more traumatic for a new gardener than it is for the perennials.
Perennials will usually let you know when they would like to be divided. Look for flowers getting smaller, the growth in the center of the plants die out with growth only around the edges, plant starts to flop open from the center, or it just outgrows it’s boundaries. If your're not sure, bring some close up photo's of the plants and we'll try to help you.
Perennials that flower in spring and early summer generally prefer to be divided in the fall, while late summer and fall perennials prefer to be dived in the spring.
A cloudy or rainy day is the best time for this procedure so you don’t expose the roots to hot sun, or drying winds. Prepare the new planting area ahead of time if possible. Add amendments and mix fertilizer well into the soil to be planted.
To start dividing, you begin by digging all around the entire plant as if you are digging it up entirely. Then while it is still in the ground use a spade, or sharp knife to carefully cut the large clumps into smaller pieces. Think of it as cutting up a cake, cutting it all into pie shape parts. For a few perennials considerable muscle is needed.
Discard any dead center parts and severely damaged roots. Keep the divisions shaded and moist until you plant them. Soaking them in a bucket with Root Stimulator is helpful.
Some perennials rarely need dividing. A few perennials really are drama queens that dislike to be divided and will even withhold flowering until they deem that you have been suitably punished. Here are some that do not like to be divided or moved and they will very likely pout for quite a spell if they are:
Peony 
Gas Plant
Anemone
Barrenwort
Bluebells
Baby’s Breath
Sea Holly
False Indigo
Hellebore
Sweet Pea
Balloon Flower
Poppy
Lupine
Loosestrife
Monkshood
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| Perennials that may require somewhat more frequent division
Aster
Astilbe
Bellflower ~ Campanula
Bee Balm ~ Monarda
Coral Bells ~ Heuchera
Coneflower ~ Rudbeckia
Delphinium
Bleeding Heart ~ Dicentra eximia and D. formosa hybrids
Purple Coneflower ~ Echinacea purpurea
Blanket Flower ~ Gaillardia
Geum
Iris
Phlox
False Dragonhead ~ Physostegia
Primrose ~ Primula
Snow-in-Summer ~ Cerastium
Turtlehead ~ Chelone
Mum ~ Chrysanthemum
Shasta Daisy ~ Leucanthemum
Tickseed ~ Coreopsis
Pincushion Flower ~ Scabiosa
Goldenrod ~ Solidago
Lamb's Ear ~ Stachys byzantina
Stokes Aster ~ Stokesia laevis
Painted Daisy ~ Tanacetum
Spiderwort ~ Tradescantia
Speedwell ~ Veronica
Yarrow ~ Achillea
Wormwood ~ Artemisia | |
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Perennials With Long Blooming Periods
Brunnera ~ False Forget-Me-Not 
Bellflower ~ Campanula
Blanket Flower ~ Gailardia
Balloon Flower ~ Platycodon grandiflorus
Bee Balm ~ Monarda
Bleeding Hearts ~ Dicentra eximia
Catmint ~ Nepeta
Cushion Spurge ~ Euphorbia corollata
Cranesbil ~ Geranium
Delphinium
False Dragonhead ~ Physostegia virginiana
Geum
Globe Thistle ~ Echinops
Goldenrod ~ x Solidaster
Ornamental Grasses
Helen’s Flower ~ Helenium
Hellebore
Coneflower ~ Rudbeckia
Daylily ~ Hemerocallis
Coral Bells ~ Heuchera
Lavender ~ Lavandula
Russian Sage ~ Perovskia
Phlox
Pincushion Flower ~ Scabiosa
Stonecrop ~ Sedum
Sunflower ~ Helianthus
Sage ~ Salvia
Speedwell ~ Veronica
Spiderwort ~ Tradescantia
Tickseed ~ Coreopsis
Violet ~ Viola
Yarrow ~ Achillea
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| Perennials With Fabulous Foliage
Astilbe ~ fine textured green foliage
Barrenwort Epimedium ~ attractive glossy green leaves
Blue Oat Grass Helictotrichon sempervirens ~ blue foliage
Bugleweed Ajuga ~ foliage of various colors
Blue Lyme Grass Leymus arenarius 'Blue Dune' and 'Glaucus' ~ metallic blue foliage
Bugbane Cimicifuga ramosa 'Atropurpurea', 'Brunette' and 'Hillside Black Beauty' lovely purplish leaves
Beard-tongue Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' ~ reddish purple foliage
Balloon Flower Platycodon grandiflorus ~ attractive gray-green leaves
Bergenia ~ bold evergreen foliage
Coral Bells Heuchera ~ lovely foliage of various colors
Creeping Phlox Phlox stolonifera ~ glossy evergreen foliage
Cottage Pinks Dianthus ~ a number of types have blue foliage
Clematis Clematis recta 'Purpurea ~ purplish foliage
Cushion Spurge Euphorbia polychroma ~ mound of green foliage
Cranesbill Geranium ~ palmate~shaped green leaves
Coneflower Rudbeckia maxima ~ bold, bluish gray foliage
Candytuft Iberis ~ glossy evergreen foliage
Dwarf Goatsbeard Aruncus aethusifolius ~ fine textured green foliage
European Ginger Asarum europaeum ~ glossy evergreen foliage
Ferns ~ fine textured foliage in various shades of green
Fern Athyrium 'Ghost' ~ silvery white fronds
Fern Japanese Painted Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum' ~ mottled silvery green fronds
False Forget~Me~Not Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' 'Looking Glass” & 'Variegata' ~ lovely green heart-shaped leaves
Fumewort Corydalis finely divided fern-like foliage
Foamflower Tiarella ~ deep green leaves of various shapes
Goatsbeard Aruncus dioicus ~ handsome foliage similar to Astible
Golden Ray Ligularia ~ bold green or purplish foliage
Hosta ~ bold foliage of various colors
Hellebore Helleborus ~ leathery foliage
Jacob's Ladder Polemonium ~ fine textured green foliage
Joe-Pye Eupatorium fistulosum and E. maculatum ~ dark green rugose leaves
Lady's Mantle Alchemilla ~ green hairy leaves
Lilies ~ Lilium
Loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata 'Purpurea' ~ chocolate purple foliage
Lungwort Pulmonaria ~ mottled to silver foliage
Lamb's Ear Stachys byzantina ~ silver foliage
Maiden Grass Miscanthus ~ linear foliage of various colors
Meadow Rue Thalictrum ~ fine~textured, blue~green foliage
Ornamental Grass ~ grassy foliage assorted colors
Ornamental Grass Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' ~ grassy blue foliage
Ornamental Onion Allium tanguticum 'Summer Beauty' ~ shiny, stiff green foliage
Plume Poppy Macleaya ~ grayish green lobed leaves
Perennial Hibiscus 'Kopper King' ~ copper leaves with orange-red undersides
Peony Paeonia ~ handsome green leaves
Queen-of-the-Meadow Filipendula ulmaria 'Aurea' ~ golden foliage
Rose Campion Lychnis coronaria ~ silver foliage
Russian Sage Perovskia ~ fine textured, silvery gray foliage
Sea Holly Eryngium ~ architectural green foliage
Snakeroot Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' ~ chocolate – purple foliage
Stonecrop Sedum cauticola 'Lidakense' ~ small, rounded leaves purple
Stonecrop Sedum 'Frosty Morn' ~ variegated foliage
Stonecrop Sedum 'Matrona' ~ gray-green foliage shaded maroon
Speedwell Veronica spicata ssp. incana ~ silver foliage
Speedwell Veronica 'Waterperry' ~ shiny green leaves with bronze tones
Spurge Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon' ~ gray-purple matures to purple
Sweet Woodruff Galium odoratum ~ fine textured green foliage
Sweet Iris Iris pallida 'Argentea Variegata' ~ linear foliage striped white
Switch Grass Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' ~ reddish purple foliage
Sweet Iris Iris pallida 'Variegata' ~ linear foliage striped creamy yellow
Sundrops Oenothera fruticosa 'Sonnenwende' ~ dark red foliage spring & fall
Smooth Phlox Phlox glaberrima ~ shiny, deep green foliage
Sweet Flag Acorus ~ green or variegated linear foliage
Switch GrassPanicum virgatum 'Cloud Nine', 'Dallas Blues' 'Heavy Metal' ~ blue foliage
Siberian hybrids Iris ~ linear green foliage
Spotted Dead Nettle Lamium ~ silver variegated or golden foliage
Turtlehead Chelone ~ dark green, distinctly veined leaves
Umbrella Plant Darmera peltata bold green foliage
Variegated Jacob's Ladder Polemonium caeruleum 'Brise d'Anjou' ~ variegated foliage
Variegated Solomon's Seal Polygonatum falcatum 'Variegatum' ~ handsome variegated foliage
Variegated Ribbon Grass Phalaris arundinacea 'Feesey' ~ variegated foliage
Variegated Yellow Loosestrife Lysimachia punctata 'Alexander' ~ variegated foliage
Variegated Japanese Forest Grass Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' ~ variegated foliage
Variegated Yellow Flag Iris pseudacorus 'Variegata' ~ yellow variegated foliage in spring
Variegated False Dragonhead Physostegia virginiana 'Variegata' ~ variegated foliage
Dwarf Solomon's Seal Polygonatum humile ~ small, oval shaped, green leaves
Violet Viola labradorica ~ heart shaped leaves with purplish tones
Woodland Phlox Phlox divaricata 'Chattahoochee' ~ shiny, dark green foliage
Wormwood Artemisia ~ silver foliage of various textures
Yarrow Achillea 'Anthea' 'Moonshine' & 'Schwellenburg' ~ fine textured silvery foliage
Yellow Waxbells Kirengeshoma palmata ~ green maple~like foliage
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| Perennials That Prefer Full Sun
Aster
Adam's-Needle Yucca
Black-Eye-Susan Rudebeckia
Balloon Flower Platycodon grandiflorus
Blackberry Lily Belamcanda
Bee Balm Monarda
Basket-of-Gold Aurinia saxatilis
Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa
Bellflower Campanula
Blanket Flower Gaillardia
Baby's-Breath Gypsophila
Blue Oat Grass Helictotrichon sempervirens
Blazingstar Liatris aspera
Beard-tongue Penstemon
Bearded Iris Iris
Bergamot Monarda fistulosa
Blue Lyme Grass Leymus arenarius
Cranesbill Geranium
Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata
Clematis (all)
Crocosmia
Coneflower Echinacea
Coral Bells (some) Heuchera
Campion Lychnis
Canada Milk Vetch Astragalus canadensis
Cottage Pinks Dianthus
Candytuft Iberis sempervirens
Catmint Nepeta
Delphinium
Daisy Leucanthemum
Dropwort Filipendula vulgaris
Daylily Hemerocallis
Flax Linum
False Indigo Baptisia
Fleabane Erigeron
Gas Plant Dictamnus
Globeflower Trollius
Golden Marguerite Anthemis
Goldenrod Solidago
Globe Thistle Echinops
Hen-and-Chicks Sempervivum
Hollyhock Alcea
Iris (all)
Lily Lillium
Lamb's Ear Stachys byzantina
Lupine Lupinus
Lavender Lavandula
Monkshood
Mallow Malva
Mullein Verbascum
Mum Chrysanthemum
Ornamental Grasses (most)
Oriental Poppy Papaver orientale
Orange Coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida var. speciosa
Peony Peonia
Perennial Hibiscus
Prickly-pear Cactus Opuntia
Plume Poppy Macleaya
Poppy Mallow Callirhoe involucrata
Pearly Everlasting Anaphalis
Pussy Toes Antennaria
Purple Prairie Clover Dalea purpurea
Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
Prairie Smoke Geum triflorum
Rock Cress Aubretia
Rock Cress Arabis
Russian Sage Perovskia
Rock Soapwort Saponaria ocymoides
Sage Salvia
Stonecrop Sedum
Sandwort Arenaria
Sea Holly Eryngium
Speedwell Veronica
Spurge Euphorbia
Spiderwort Tradescantia
Sundrops Oenothera macrocarpa
Switch Grass Panicum virgatum
Sunflower Helianthus
Sea-lavender Limonium latifolium
Snow-in-Summer Cerastium
Tall Phlox Phlox paniculata
Tree Peony
Tickseed Coreopsis
Thrift Armeria
Tansy Tanacetum vulgare
Thyme Thymus
Verbena
Wand Flower (tender) Gaura
Wormwood Artemisia
Yarrow Achillea
Yellow Coneflower Ratibida pinnata | |
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