Help ... Perennials are up and 6 week min until last frost

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zelda_marie Apr 04, 2010

I am a relatively new gardener in Zone 4, North Minneapolis Suburbs, Minnesota and just had the surprise of my gardening life.

I just came up from the garden and my perennials are up … Columbine, Coreopsis, Obedient, Feverfew, Sedum, Silver Cascade®, Dusty Miller, Pincushion Flower, Lamb's Ear, Mums, Ornamental Grasses, Hard Rushes, Blue Fescue, etc. Out last frost date is typically May 15. We could still have some miserable weather, but it has been an uncommonly mild spring.

I need to divide many of these and wonder if I can do it now? We have rain forecast, but if we don’t get any, should I be watering.

Needless to say, I’m in a state of shock, and don’t know what to do.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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CountryGardens Lewisville, MN(Zone 4a) Apr 04, 2010

They grow when they feel it is right. This is an early spring. I think I would wait a month or so to divide them. They'll get a foot hold better when it's warmer all the time. I wouldn't worry about watering either. They have deep roots & the ground shouldn't be dry yet.
Do you have sandy soil where you are ?
If you do, you might want to water later in the year when it doesn't rain for long period of time.
Bernie

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zelda_marie Apr 04, 2010

Thanks for the info, Bernie. I’ll just let them go, as you suggest, being I have plenty of other stuff to do like clean out the garden of leaves and cut back the dead stuff from the sedums and the mums and baby seedlings.

We have heavy clay which I am continually amending and it is better than when I started. When we get heavy rains, the garden turns into a small lake. Long story, the only fix is to move the garden because it was placed in the wrong spot on the property and it gets the runoff to a storm drain. But that isn’t going to happen, so I’m learning to deal with it and garden around it.

Thanks again!

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