It happens every year.  The spring bulbs begin to flower and I realize that I need a lot more of them.  The empty spots in my beds and borders cry out to be filled.

I make notes about the situation in my garden diary so that I will remember to buy more bulbs in the fall, but I also do something more immediate.  As soon as flowering finishes, I divide established clumps of snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils and install the divisions in some of the bare spots.  Doing this reinvigorates the established clumps and saves money on fall bulb purchases.  I don't divide all the big clumps at once; I dig up about one third of them per year for minimum disruption of the garden as a whole.

 The advantage of dividing now is obvious.  You can actually see the plants, which makes it easier to avoid slicing into bulbs.

Daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops are good investment plants because they increase over the years.  Dividing them is an excellent way to tend your investment.