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Perennial Care

Which Perennials to Divide in the Fall

Which Perennials to Divide in the Fall - Nature Hills Nursery

Charlotte Weidner |

When it comes to plants… too much of a good thing is seldom bad! Unless you are a plant and your roots and crown are overcrowded and your neighbors are growing in number!

Everyone loves some wiggle room, so this fall - it’s time to divide to keep your plants happy! But which plants should you divide this autumn and which should wait until spring?

Nature Hills Nursery has the answers for you!

Dividing and Transplanting Perennials

Perennials are wonderful flowering and foliage plants that bring loads of color, vital nectar and pollen-rich flowers for pollinators, long-lasting or long-blooming flowers, and fresh growth throughout the growing season before typically dying back to their roots for the winter. Just to start it all over again next year…a bit bigger.

Most plants will do fine no matter when you get them moved around as long as you are able to give them the care and watering they will need until established. However, when perennials are dormant, they aren’t growing above ground. That means roots can grow below ground as long as the ground isn’t frozen solid. So dividing and transplanting in the autumn allows the roots to establish now and be ready to get growing in the spring like nothing happened.

When a Perennial has been growing in the same location for a few years, it can deplete the soil of nutrients, fill the soil area with dead roots and debris, push soil out away from the inner root clump and away from roots, and generally wear out their welcome in that area.

There Are Many Good Reasons To Divide Your Perennial Plants:

It’s recommended you divide perennials every 3-5 years.

  • Keep the plant's health
  • Stimulate new growth and better flowering
  • Increase air circulation around the plants
  • Maintain the size in tight spaces
  • Maintain the health of the roots
  • Prevents overcrowding
  • Break up larger clumps and maintain vigor
  • Spread them throughout the garden and repeat them throughout your border
  • Share a prized perennial as a gift!
  • Create more space for roots to grow and absorb nutrients and water
  • Replenish the site with fresh earth, compost, and other amendments

Some Perennials, like Peonies and Rhubarb, have been well-known to grow undisturbed in the garden for 50 or more years! Almost all other perennials though, appreciate being divided and transplanted into an area with increased nutrient access.

Why divide perennials in the fall?

Signs When To Divide Your Perennials

Some of the telltale signs it’s time to divide your perennial plants include:

  • Reduced or non-existent flowering displays & smaller flowers
  • Yellowing leaves for no reason
  • Stunted, wimpy, sickly-looking growth
  • The center of the clumps is dying out/Bald spots
  • The clump is overtaking its area or overtaking other plants
  • Excessively leggy growth that needs to be staked when it didn’t in the past
  • Plants are getting newly shaded out by larger plants
  • Plants are suddenly competing for space

Avoid dividing a plant that is already stressed - like drought, physical damage, etc., but in cases like planted in the wrong location (too shady/too sunny) or the ground has poor drainage or is wet/flooded and the plant is suffocating, by all means, get it moved to a more appropriate location!

It’s also recommended you do not divide or transplant plants while they are flowering.

Avoid dividing or transplanting Perennials with large tap roots or delicate root systems.

Perennials That Are Best Divided In Fall

These Perennials are usually divided in the autumn a few weeks before the ground freezes solid (hard freeze). Preferring to be dormant first so they will remain dormant all winter and work on getting those roots settled under a blanket of snow.

  • Allium/Perennial Onion
  • Asiatic Lilies (after foliage yellows)
  • Bellflower
  • Black Eyed Susan
  • Bleeding Hearts
  • Corydalis
  • Foam Flower
  • Foamy Bells
  • Perennial Geranium/Cranesbill
  • Hostas
  • Oriental Lily (after foliage yellows)
  • Oriental Poppy
  • Peony
  • Primrose
  • Sedum
  • Spiderwort
  • Tiarella

Perennials That Are Best Divided In Fall

Trim back any excess leaf matter from the crown and mulch the area with a fresh layer... with a fresh layer of arborist mulch to protect it. Remove these trimmings from the area, especially if those leaves showed any signs of powdery mildew or other fungal issues last growing season.

Perennials That Can Be Divided Spring or Fall

Some Perennials that are just fine with being moved around and divided any time they are dormant in the early spring or late fall.

Transplanting in early spring or fall means no excess heat and sun and typically no drought to contend with, nor do the plants need to focus on actively growing above ground at this time - giving them plenty of time to work on just new root formation.

  • Astilbe
  • Bergenia
  • Blanket Flower
  • Catmint/Catnip/Calamint
  • Coneflower
  • Coreopsis
  • Creeping Phlox
  • Daisies/Shasta Daisies
  • Daylily
  • Foxglove
  • Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
  • Goat’s Beard
  • Hellebores/Helleborus
  • Hosta
  • Lavender
  • Liriope (Lily Turf)
  • Lungwort
  • Obedient Plant
  • Sea Thrift
  • Verbena
  • Veronica
Perennials That Can Be Divided Spring or Fall

How To Divide Perennials

Take stock of your Perennial in the ground, clear away leaf litter and mulch. Brushing away as much surface soil as possible to get a good idea of where the root ball extends. You can even use a hose to wash away soil for a clearer view of the roots.

Plan your cuts! Look for clumps that are either already pulling away from the main Mother plant (pups or daughter plants), or just divide them up into 6-12 inch chunks.

Dividing Perennials

Using a sharp, straight, sterilized spade, push it down all around the Perennial root ball, just outside of its reach. Go as deep as you can with each push (usually away from the roots by about 1-2 feet depending on the size and type of perennial). If you are seeing cut roots after removing the shovel, back away a bit and continue.

Using the shovel, spade, or garden fork, start going around the root ball at an angle and gradually begin lifting the entire root ball, or just removing sections and separating it from the area. Work around the entire section, lifting gently until it comes loose.

Pull the root ball or root section out and hose off excess soil for a clear view of the roots.

Coneflower

Once you know how many plants you’ll be breaking the Mother Plant into, dig and prepare the sites for the soon-to-be-divided plants to be transplanted into. Wrapping the exposed Mother Plant’s roots to keep them from drying out or being exposed to the sun.

Using a clean, sharp spade or garden knife, carefully make your cuts from crown to bottom, working around larger roots to keep from disturbing them. You can also use two garden forks, back-to-back, to pull apart the sections. For more delicate/smaller perennials, you can even use your hands to tease the roots apart.

As you separate each section, keep it watered, soaking in a bucket, or wrapped to prevent the roots from drying out or being exposed to the sun.

Transplant Your Divided Perennial Sections


Now you have your plants separated, it’s time to replant them or transplant them into their new homes!

  1. Perennials, annuals, and vegetable gardens are all plants that benefit from amending the soil to improve the organic matter, improve drainage, and improve the soil these plants will establish into.
  2. Sprinkle in some Nature Hills Root Booster. If you are moving the Perennial from the area entirely, fill the hole in with topsoil.
  3. Plant a section of the newly divided Perennial, water it in very well, and ensure its roots are planted at the same depth they were previously - no deeper and no higher. Then backfill with fresh topsoil, and tamp down, and water completely saturating the root area.
  4. Repeat with the remaining sections you’ve divided!
  5. Top-dress all the new plants with a 3-4 inch deep layer of arborist mulch and/or compost
  6. Check them daily and water deeply using the Finger Test as needed. Those disturbed roots will take a few days to get over the shock.

Multiply Your Garden Perennials!

Like a reward for all the pampering and care you gave them, dividing your Perennials is rewarding! Your plant babies can often be divided into 2, 3, 4, or more new plants for you to share and spread the love!

How many plantlets you divide your main clump into is also determined by how long you want to wait for that new plant to grow back to its mature clump size. If you have the patience and want to turn that one large Daylily clump into a new edging row, you can do it - but it will take several years for those transplants to fill in.

This form of propagation keeps your Perennial healthy and your garden brimming! So get out there this fall and see which of your plants need some wiggle room!

Don’t have root for your divisions? Give them away to an eager friend, family member, or neighbor! Schools, Churches, and Retirement homes are always great places to gift your excess divided plants too! Otherwise, a local plant club or Master Gardener in your area will be happy to take them off your hands.

Happy Planting!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you transplant perennials in the fall without harming them?
Yes, fall is actually an ideal time to transplant most perennials, as the cooler temperatures reduce transplant stress and the soil stays warm enough for roots to establish before winter. When perennials are dormant above ground, their roots continue to grow below ground until the soil freezes solid, giving them a head start for vigorous spring growth. Aim to complete transplanting at least 4 to 6 weeks before your first hard frost to give roots adequate time to settle in. Water newly transplanted perennials thoroughly and apply a layer of mulch to insulate the root zone through the winter months.

Why does dividing perennials in the fall lead to healthier, more vigorous plants?
Dividing perennials in fall takes advantage of dormancy, when plants have stopped putting energy into above-ground growth and can focus entirely on root establishment before winter sets in. The process also gives you the opportunity to replenish the planting site with fresh compost and amendments, removing the dead roots and debris that accumulate over years and deplete soil nutrients. Most perennials benefit from division every 3 to 5 years to restore vigor, improve flowering, and prevent the overcrowding that weakens plants over time. This fall, dig and divide your perennials while the soil is still workable, amend the replanting area generously, and water divisions in well so roots can settle before the ground freezes.

How do you divide and transplant perennial flowers step by step?
To divide perennials, begin by watering the clump thoroughly a day before, then use a sharp spade to dig around the entire root mass and lift it free from the soil. Once lifted, split the clump into sections using a sharp spade, garden fork, or knife, making sure each division has healthy roots and at least a few growing points or eyes. Replant divisions at the same soil depth as the original plant, spacing them according to the mature size of the variety, and water deeply to help roots establish before the ground freezes. Refresh the planting hole with compost and amendments before replanting to give your divisions the best possible start.

When is the right time to divide perennials in fall versus spring?
The best time to divide fall-blooming perennials like asters and coneflowers is in spring, while spring- and summer-blooming perennials such as hostas, daylilies, and ornamental grasses are ideal candidates for fall division. Fall division works well because dormant plants can still establish roots underground before the ground freezes, giving them a head start for vigorous spring growth. As a general rule, aim to divide in fall at least 4 to 6 weeks before your first hard frost to allow enough root establishment time. Dig, divide, replant at the same soil depth, water thoroughly, and mulch the root zone to protect divisions through winter.

Can you divide mums in the fall?
Mums can technically be divided in fall, but it is generally better to wait until spring when new growth emerges from the base of the plant. Fall division puts unnecessary stress on mums right as they are preparing for dormancy, reducing their chances of surviving winter. For best results, divide mums in spring once you see 2 to 3 inches of new growth, and replant the vigorous outer sections while discarding the woody center.

Which perennials should you avoid dividing in the fall?
Spring-blooming perennials like bleeding heart, iris, and early bulb plants are generally better left alone in fall since dividing them can disrupt their root development right before their most active growth period. Plants that have just been established within the past year should also be skipped, as they need more time to build a strong root system before being disturbed. As a rule of thumb, wait to divide any perennial that blooms in early spring until after it has finished flowering, typically in late spring or early summer.

How do you know when a perennial needs to be divided?
There are several telltale signs that a perennial is ready to be divided, including reduced flowering, overcrowding, dead zones in the center of the clump, or roots pushing up out of the soil. As a general rule, most perennials benefit from division every 3 to 5 years to maintain their vigor, improve air circulation, and replenish the surrounding soil. If your plant looks tired or is spreading beyond its intended space, it is time to act. Dig up the clump, separate it into healthy sections with strong roots, refresh the planting area with compost, and replant at the appropriate spacing for that variety.

Can coreopsis be divided in the fall?
Yes, coreopsis can be divided in the fall, making it a great candidate for autumn garden maintenance. Dividing every 3 to 5 years keeps the clumps vigorous and encourages better flowering the following season. Wait until the foliage has died back, then carefully lift and separate the root clumps, replanting divisions at the same depth they were previously growing. Water the new divisions thoroughly after planting to help the roots establish before the ground freezes.

When should you divide coneflowers for the best results?
Coneflowers (Echinacea) are best divided in fall after they have finished blooming and begun to die back, or alternatively in early spring just as new growth emerges from the ground. Fall division gives the roots time to establish before winter, resulting in stronger plants ready to take off the following growing season. Dig the clump, separate it into sections each containing several healthy shoots and a good root mass, and replant immediately at the same soil depth, watering thoroughly to help them settle in.

When is the best time to divide penstemon?
Penstemon is best divided in early fall, giving the divisions time to establish roots before the ground freezes. Like most perennials, dividing every 3 to 5 years keeps the plant vigorous and promotes better flowering. Dig the clump, split it into sections each with healthy roots and crown buds, replant at the same depth, and water thoroughly until the ground freezes.
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