dividing and transplanting for dummies?

My perennials have tripled or quadrupled in size this season and would like to find a site that explains in detail when and how divide and transplant these plants. It would have to spell it out in great detail when and how because I am still new to gardening. Any of you have a favorite site you use ?
Thanks Vicki

don't have a site, but check out Ken Druse's book called Making More Plants. I think it has a great section on dividing. But really, the best thing is to just look at how the plant grows at the roots in order to know how to do it. Unless it has a taproot, it's pretty easy to do. Many plants, once you dig them up and rinse the soil off their roots, show you readily how to divide them. Many others, just stick the shovel at the edge of the plant and cut off a large piece, roots and all, and move it. What do you have that you are dividing?


Here's Taunton's website:
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00022.asp

This message was edited Aug 30, 2008 9:12 AM

Hi,
Thanks for your response, I need to do something with an aster, garden phlox, bee balm, columbine winky mix, and mums.
Vicki

All of these are fairly easy, with the exception that columbine sometimes resents root disturbance. Also, in general it's a short lived perennial so congratulations on having one large enough to divide! You can either dig the entire plant and then use a root knife or a spade to divide the clumps, or you can just stick your shovel down into the clump and cut it into pieces that way, then dig the pieces up with as much root as you can and replant. If you want to keep the same plant where it is, but make it smaller, then the last method is easiest. With the phlox, when you dig it, you find new babies where you dug next spring. They grow from the little pieces of roots that are left in the soil. Don't be afraid to divide these. They are tough, easy plants and you are extremely unlikely to kill them.
With the columbine, you may want to get someone else to recommend a 'treatment' for that plant since mine always die before they get big enough to divide. They reseed nicely, but never get that old.

I have never had a problem with Columbine just don't be nice, dig them up cut with a sharp knife replant with some fert. and new soil, good to go. have moved 10 babies and divided 4, all are doing well.
Just my experience, don't know about others.

I'd say that experience is testimony enough! How do you people grow columbine to the point where it needs dividing? Seems like mine last a few years and then poop out, although I always have babies in the garden.

I think my method is close to what you do, Tills. But i grab them at the base & rip them out of the ground first. Then i dig a nice hole, add compost & native soil, plant columbine root (leaves are chopped off) & water. Mine come back every year. They also grow in the gravel here, too. I think it is necessary to scare them a bit so they mind.

When I do my seeds, I place 5 or 6 seeds in a plug, when they are in there 2nd season you can divided them, and the first season is when you take true seeds from the mother, the next year you have a bee helping to mix it all and no longer have the true color. Did not know this till this year, All the babies I dug up from second year, are not true to the parent, which is blue, the off spring is pink that is what all who have them said. I have not hear for those I have sent seeds to from the mother. Still have some, not sure if they will Germ.

I feel good now, I thought I was the only one that was mean to them, but they love me LOL

You crack me up!! Maybe I'm just too 'nice' to them, but I had no idea they were that stubborn. Reminds me of my hair. I have to beat it into submission to get it do behave for me.
Actually, I have a lot of columbine but I ignore them and they bloom so early on that I forget about them until next year. For all I know, I should divide some, but I doubt it.

I also give them a bad hair cut after blooming, then new leaves start coming out. If I want seeds, I leave one or two stalks and cover it with panty hose toes. Funny.

They are probably terribly resentful of the pantyhose routine! I know I resent pantyhose with a passion...

LOL, But get all my Seeds.
Hate them too. ^_^