7 Perennials To Divide In March For stronger growth (and how to do it properly)

Pruning, planting, preparing: March is a busy time in the garden as our plots finally shake off the last of winter’s chill. But, according to a former royal gardener, there’s a commonly overlooked task many of us forget to do.

‘Now is the perfect time divide your herbaceous perennials,’ says Jack Stooks, who is currently working with Savoo. ‘March is when our plants are beginning to grow, so you want to dig them out and divide them. Not only is it a good way of keeping them fresh and stopping them from rotting, but you can also spend the time to divide them up and share the baby plants with other people.’

Dividing plants means to split them in half, each with roots and shoots, to create a new plant. It’s an especially good process to prevent overcrowding or rejuvenate overgrown perennials.

Nobutoshi Akao//Getty Images

Agapanthus

What are the best plants to divide in March?

‘The best plants are those between three and five years old, such as a hoster that will gradually get bigger and bigger; it needs to be dug out. You wouldn’t need to divide a plant you have just bought, that’s in a pot, for instance,’ says Jack.

The plants to divide in March are:

Alchemila mollisDay LiliesChimaera CallusAgapanthusHemerocallisMarjoramGeranium Jacky Parker Photography//Getty Images

Alchemila mollis

How to divide your plants

Dividing your plants is easy work when you know how. ‘You need to dig up the whole plant,’ says Jack. ‘Ideally, you want to get two forks, one that will go in one way, and another in the direction of the plant and use them in the middle of the plant to lever it open.’

It’s important to note that you aren’t tearing or breaking the plant, but instead encouraging and forcing it to open itself.

‘Once it’s split, you can check the roots, check for any dead bits and get rid of them. If there are any weed roots, you can pull them out. It’s a good way of doing border and weed clearance at the same time, and making space for.’

Then you can plant your ‘new’ plant in the ground or pop it into a container to give to a friend. ‘It’s a nice way of sharing and splitting plants with family members and friends.’

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