No time like the present to divide those perennials

Shasta daisies are coming up; this patch is about 12 feet long and five feet wide;

it needs to be divided this spring. The ornamental grass (at left) will also be divided.

The message from one of Iowa's top gardeners contained some dreaded news: The best time to divide ornamental grasses, and perennials like Shasta daisies, is in the early spring.

Dreaded, because the note arrived in late July, when this homeowner had some extra time to divide the items in question. Springtime is busy enough, without facing a bank of flowers that really should be divided. How to accomplish this?

After some thought, it was decided to shovel a path through the Shasta daisies, just as they are emerging from the earth. This patch was first planted about 15 years ago and has grown to be about 12 feet long and six feet wide. It has never, ever, been divided.

Richard Juaron, professor, Iowa State University, is an expert on gardening in Iowa, often quoted in newspapers and as a guest on public radio shows. Early spring, he said, is the best time to do these type of divisions.

One of the ornamental grasses is about five foot in diameter. It's a bear to shovel, or cut through, and previous attempts never seem to work.

For a large clump like this one, Jauron suggested, use a sharp shovel or wide-bladed axe to cut or hack the clump into sections. "Once the sections are pried out of the hole, they can be cut into smaller sections with a sharp knife," he wrote in an email message.

Likewise, Shasta daisies are best divided in the early spring, the professor advised. "Dig up sections or clumps and divide with a sharp spade or knife," he wrote. Regular division of the daisies will extend lives of the plants.

The professor knows his stuff: The daisies are pretty easy to shovel these days, helped by the warming ground and recent rains.

There are a couple of positive reasons to follow the expert advice:
   1. Working in the garden is good exercise, especially physical work like shoveling in the earth.
   2. Dividing the plants helps control the size of the perennials, and as noted earlier, they look better and are more healthy.

Suggestions:
   1. Rest often while doing this rather arduous work, and stay hydrated.
   2. Treat yourself by doing something to make the property prettier, after doing the work. Stake out a flag, perhaps, or pull that new lawn ornament out of storage.

Remember, hard work now will pay off this summer.