Ep 201. Dividing Perennials and Sharing Growth

Mary Stone discusses the beauty of early spring, the sunny faces of daffodils and their significance, and the roots of a family tradition of gathering cuttings from the family plot. Mary describes the benefits and the how-to of dividing perennials in early spring. 

She answers a listener's question about daffodil bulbs planted late and creating an instant garden of Easter leftovers. Mary ends by reflecting on personal growth and the importance of community and nature.

Links to Related Posts and Podcasts:

Dividing and Sharing Perennials - Blog Post

Episode 154 Root Pruning and the Journey of Growth

Root Pruning and Journey of Growth – Blog Post

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I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com.

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Thank you for sharing the Garden of Life,
Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
                                        AskMaryStone.com

More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
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Transcript

Ep 201. Dividing and Sharing Perennials

Sat, Apr 12, 2025 5:28PM • 10:38

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

perennials, dividing, sharing, daffodils, early spring, family history, gardening tools, root systems, plant cuttings, hosta, coral bells, garden dilemmas, comfort zone camp, mental health, nature inspiration

SPEAKERS

Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00

Mary, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to garden dilemmas, delights and discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in, in the spirit of learning from each other, we have lots to talk about. 

Mary Stone  00:25

Hello there. It's Mary Stone on a very chilly screen porch. It was 39 degrees this morning, but I think it's warmed up to maybe 45 I'm not sure. Don't you enjoy early springs, flip flopping weather from cold to warm and back to cold. And how we adore the deciduous trees that are budding. Some are fuzzy, others are fluffy. They are so cute, and the daffodils are now flaunting their sunny faces. Easter comes a bit late this year, and I wonder if we'll still have them blooming. I sure hope so. It was close to 80 degrees a week ago, and I overheard folks looking for annuals at our local farm market who also sells plants. It's too early, folks other than pansies, which aren't annuals, technically, but short-lived perennials, perhaps a topic for another day. Today, we're going to chat about dividing and sharing perennials. But first, I want to thank you for your kind, supportive words from our last chat about a milestone in our journey together. Yes, indeed, as we go through milestones, it's a time of reflection, but live in the present, because each day is a gift, as are the people and the pets that come into our lives and all things green with a splash of color. 

Mary Stone  01:38

So on to this week's story, and it starts like this, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. It's the time of year to divide things, which may seem to contradict the oneness we feel with nature and each other. We have enough division in our world. Don't you agree? But dividing perennials is about making more of a beautiful thing and sharing them with others. Which brings me to a bit of family history.

Mary Stone  02:02

 I traveled to Pine Bush, New York to tend to my family's plot, bringing a sack of garden tools, three I especially cherish that were once my dear old moms, fiskers, tools that were made in America way back when, very handy and very hearty, as evidenced by their years in service before leaving, I considered digging up a clump of daffodils, but I thought for sure I must have brought them before. Plus plants in full bloom are not the ideal time to make a move. 

Mary Stone  02:33

The sunny faces of the daffys are blooming more bountiful this year than in years past. They magically seem to reach peak bloom on Easter Day, no matter the weather. Hence why daffodils, which is Narcissus, are symbols of rebirth and new beginnings. They say yellow daffodils represent joy and positive energy. White means purity and youth. Orange means hopefulness and camaraderie. But they all say happiness. 

Mary Stone  03:01

There's a garden shaped like a cross stuffed with daffodils tucked away on a country road as you make your way to route 80. I just love to come upon it. And I actually, every Easter morning drive that way to catch a peak I sure hope is going to be in bloom this year. So, if I may share the history of how cuttings from a garden in my family began. 

Mary Stone  03:24

The New Prospect cemetery is modest, with headstones next to a church that date back to the 1800s, many with names that are worn away. Mom loved to tell how her grandma, whom she called Baba, used to help herself to plant cuttings around the gravestones when they visited, and how her aunt, Bessie, who raised her, would scold Baba for taking plants. They would give them to me if they were here her comeback. And as every generous gardener knows, Baba was right, it's not stealing, it's spreading joy and the gift of life, which inspired the idea to bring divides from my garden that first spring after mom passed away, and plant them around the family headstone. 

Mary Stone  04:05

The dried stems from the Shasta Daisy proved a bountiful summer bloom the year before and the giant lamb's ear, Stachys Helene van Stein, also known as Big Ears, were plentiful taking over the palace purple coral bells. I separated the lamb's ear and planted them amongst the headstones of generations past, giving the coral bells more room to flourish. There were indeed two sprigs of daffodil foliage to the left of the gravestone, but no promise of blooms this year. That's okay. They'll absorb enough nutrients to flower next spring.

Mary Stone  04:40

The Hosta divides were showing their little faces. I acquired them from the Hosta lady, the mother in law of a dear friend who lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania when she passed away. Paulette invited me to gather some of her 100 varieties, not knowing which types I have. I call them all Nancy, after the Hosta lady. It's such fun to think about her, who I never met in person. But somehow you know, you feel you know somebody who shares plants with you. There's something about the roots of them all that seems to stay rooted in you. 

Mary Stone  05:12

Most say the best time to divide spring and summer blooming perennials is in the fall and fall bloomers in the spring. That way all the plant's energy can go to the root and leaf development rather than flowering. I say most perennials recover best if divided in early spring, just as new growth emerges, no matter when they bloom, the root systems are full of stored energy and less likely to suffer physical damage and leaf evaporation than when they're fully developed. Plus, the young foliage is easy to work around. While there are many spring to dos, this is the one I marvel at. Making more of what you have without spending money. It is like finding a bargain. Sharing with others adds to the delight, and it rejuvenates the old and keeps ambitious multiplying plants under control.

Mary Stone  06:01

 Before you dig up your plant, water thoroughly and prepare the whole or give away pot where the division is going. Choose a cloudy, chilly day, such as today, ideally when light rain is in the forecast to keep roots from drying out, there are two basic ways of dividing perennials. Firm, dense roots like Hosta or ornamental grasses need to be cut apart with a sharp knife or spade. It takes some strength and some aerobic conditioning. You should see me jumping on the spade to split the roots. It's kind of like jumping on a pogo stick. It kind of makes you feel like a kid, not a bad thing. Think of it as great exercise, and gardening is plus. It's good for the soul. Tangled in fibrous roots or clumps can be teased apart by hand or with two garden forks placed back-to-back and pulled gently apart. 

Mary Stone  06:49

So, make some divides, spread them around your garden and share them with neighbors. Why not use some in pots and window boxes too. Come fall, you can transplant them into your garden or give them as gifts, making more plants to share with others for generations to come. Here's to spreading joy. Garden dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com.

Mary Stone  07:11

 Speaking of daffodils, Jim of Washington, New Jersey asked whether the daffodil bulbs he planted in March, having forgotten to plant them in the fall, would bloom this spring. Like most spring blooming bulbs, most daffodils require a chilling period of below 40 degrees for eight to 12 weeks to flourish. Some more miniature daffodils don't need that chilling period, but during the winter, bulbs are busy growing roots. As long as Jim's bulbs are not dried out, they'll likely only push out foliage this year, but don't worry, Jim, they'll bloom next year for you.

Mary Stone  07:46

And I heard from Tara of Sparta, a dear client and an accomplished gardener. She sent a photo and wrote the first Daffodil for my instant garden last year, after Easter, I'm going to buy a bunch more. I'm happy they came back. It is so fun because last year she told me that she bought these, you know, Easter leftover daffodils and pots, and planted them around her garden, and was hoping that they would come back. And they did. I had never even considered doing that. Tara, it's such a brilliant idea. We all should make use of those extras left at the garden center that are on sale right, but there are bulbs and corms you can plant now, as we spoke about in episode 197, favorite spring planted bulbs and colleens, corn cob robber. I invite you to tune in. And I want to also mention another episode I adore, which is episode 54 which also talks about dividing perennials, but it talks about sharing comfort featuring a fox den that Jolie came upon the morning I was heading off to comfort zone camp in early spring a few years ago. 

Mary Stone  08:50

Speaking of yesterday, it was year four that I represented comfort zone camp at the Game of Life Event at Sussex County Technical High School. And I ran into my friends from the Mental Health Association we spoke about last year in episode 154 root pruning and the journey of growth, running into the agency helped turn my life around two years ago, and I'm just so grateful for the healing and growth that happened since then, but I still have much to learn in this garden of Life. Don't we all? Thank you for growing with me and sharing this time. 

Mary Stone  09:25

I invite you to email me at ask marystone@gmail.com because I would love to hear about your family history and how you found your love of nature and gardens. They are such good stories, which reminds me of a camper at Comfort Zone who was about eight years old, we were collecting gatherings of plants around the grounds to use in a presentation. He called it fauna and flora, and I just giggled, because I said to him, you are the next horticulturist to come into our world to make a difference. Anyway, thank you again for this time together. I look forward to the next time on the screen porch, but for now, I'm going inside. I'm a bit chilly out here. Have a great day. 

Mary Stone  10:08

You can follow garden dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag. Mary Elaine stone, garden dilemmas delights and discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch, and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.