Proctor: Divide and conquer perennials

Friday, April 13, 2007

Dig, dig, dig. That's what spring's all about. It's not that digging is my favorite thing in the world. Far from it. I do like the smell of fresh earth. And I like immersing my hands in it. The actual digging part I could do without. It does, however, underline the importance of quality tools.

There are a hundred ways to cut corners in your garden budget, but don't skimp on tools. A quality trowel, spade and hoe are essential gardener's hardware. If they bend the second you meet a rock, they aren't worth the bargain price you paid. Mine go through plenty of abuse (they're really not designed to pry up broken concrete) but they get me through the digging phase of the season.

The main reason for all this digging is re-arranging and division of perennials. It's now or never. After it gets hot, the mortality rate climbs. Dug, divided and replanted in spring, the plants suffer less shock from the treatment and can reestablish their roots.

Don't be afraid to tackle an aging clump of daylilies that's lost its vigor. Spade or fork it up (a digging fork comes in handy, too) and take a look at what you've got. Most established perennials can easily be split into two or more pieces.

A quick thrust with a spade will yield several good size chunks. If you don't have practice with this or feel it's beyond your strength, a serrated knife can be employed. I actually prefer a knife to saw through really dense root balls such as those of ornamental grasses.

Replant the new pieces in freshly dug holes. Throw in some compost for good measure and pat the extra soil into a dike around the plant. Fill the dike with water very slowly so that it really soaks in deeply. This is called "puddling in." Make it good and muddy. Ease off on the water in a few weeks as the plant sends out new roots.

If you don't want or have room for all the pieces, pot them up in plastic gallon pots in fresh potting soil. Keep them watered and you'll have nice surprises for your friends and colleagues.

You can also do this with perennials that have prospered a bit too well. Purple meadow sage (Salvia pratense) just loves my garden. Pretty, pest-free, drought tolerant and long-lived, it's practically perfect in every way - except one. If not deadheaded, meadow sage seeds itself aggressively. It plays garden Chinese checkers, jumping from mid border to the front, crowding out shorter perennials such as dianthus, crane's bills and creeping phlox.

Though its one fault is really my fault (for not deadheading well), I'm digging up the unwanted seedlings now. They spring up aggravatingly in the middles of clumps of iris and alliums, making me determined to not slack off on the deadheading in midsummer this season.

Don't let my slight problem dissuade from growing this fine perennial. In fact, it's just the sort of plant of which we should all grow more. I'm all for growing what wants to grow for us: plants that don't need pampering and pesticides. And if it needs a good whacking back in midsummer (after which it reblooms), that's a very small price to pay.

Many great perennials like meadow sage don't get much press. They're not new and glamorous, just good old garden workhorses. Jupiter's beard, baby's breath, snow daisy, catmint, lamb's ears, valerian and veronica make great border plants and offer much for very little effort.

You can create a lovely garden working with them if you value their charm. Use them to play up the real attention grabbers such as daylilies and shrub roses.

As I dig this spring, removing or replanting, I find spots where I once grew some exotic beauty or other that never really had much intention to stick around. I'll try new, much-hyped introductions again, of course, but right now it's comforting to be around old friends.

In the garden this week

• Prune hybrid tea roses, grapes, butterfly bush.

• Continue to plant beets, carrots, turnips and onions.

• Deadhead tulips and daffodils as they fade but leave foliage to mature.

• Get after cool season weeds before they bloom and set seed.

Rob Proctor's new book, Gardening on a Shoestring, is now available in bookstores.