Dividing Time for Perennials

     Now that the days are getting cooler it's an ideal time to get out your shovel and take a good look at your clumps of perennials. Are they a little overgrown? Perhaps you promised a piece of something to a friend a few months ago, or you'd like a clump of your favorite spring-blooming perennial in another location. These basic guidelines for successfully moving plants may get you motivated.

     Though there are few hard and fast rules about gardening, you may have heard the adage "if it blooms in the spring divide it in the fall, and if it blooms in the fall divide it in the spring". The rationale behind this is to give the plant ample time to reestablish a good root system before you expect it to put on a spectacular flower show. I usually tell customers to hold off dividing borderline winter hardy plants (like ginger lilies, for instance ) until the spring, no matter when they bloom, because you'll want the biggest root system possible going into the winter months. Remember, it's the stored sugars in the established root system that will help this type of perennial survive the winter.

     Customers are often confused about how to tell whether their plant needs dividing. A lot depends on the growth rate of that particular perennial and whether it's been happy in its location. After a few years many perennial clumps have formed a circle where the center growth is less vigorous (smaller leaves, spindly stems) compared to the outer edge where the best flowers seem to be and the foliage is very healthy looking. These outside sections are what you want to separate into smaller pieces and replant. I tell customers that they'll usually be able to tell when the time is right simply by observing the plant's performance in their garden. For instance, even if you watered regularly and provided a little fertilizer has the plant flowered less this year than it did last year? Or, has the plant been growing in the same location for six or seven years?

The most successful transplanting results will be obtained when you do the dividing and get the divisions back in the ground in a timely manner. In other words, don't chop up the plant, stick it in a plastic bag in the garage and forget about it for a few weeks. Attentive aftercare (translation: periodic watering) is also crucial, no matter what season you do your dividing. Trimming back the top growth (see figure 1) also makes the plant establish itself faster because it now knows to concentrate on root development rather than trying to somehow maintain all of that foliage above the ground.

     To the novice gardener large perennial root systems may look a little intimidating once they are out of the ground. You can use the jet spray nozzle on your hose to remove excess soil around the roots so that it's easier to see what you're working with. Some smaller offsets can be gently pulled off the older center section, while others will have to be carefully removed with a knife or spade. These photographs show me dividing a daylily clump (figure 1), and you can see that I used a small knife to cut through the center of the clump (figure 2) , and after a few more cuts I end up with what we daylily people call a double fan (figure 3) that's ready for replanting.

figure 2

figure 1

figure 3

     In addition to daylilies, the following can be divided this month: hostas, coneflowers, rudbeckia, gaillardia, coreopsis, hellebores, monarda, daisies, ornamental grasses, tall garden phlox, some salvias (woodier salvias are not easy), Siberian and bearded iris, liriope and ferns. Want to learn more about increasing the numbers of your garden plants? Call now to register for my fall Propagation Techniques class on Saturday, September 10th from 10-11:30 a.m. that will cover seed starting and taking cuttings in addition to dividing. Hope to see you there!

Ann Weber

Make Mine Muscadine

The Mother Vine of Roanoke Island

     When Sir Walter Raleigh first came ashore at what is today North Carolina, he was astounded at the number and size of grape vines growing. The grape he saw was one of our best native fruits, the Muscadine grape (Vitis rontundifolia).   Roanoke Island, site of the failed Lost Colony, is home to the famous Mother Vine, a Muscadine grapevine over 400 years old that is still productive and from which many cuttings have been made. Muscadines grow wild from Delaware south to Florida and westward beyond the Mississippi River, thriving in the heat and humidity of the South where European grapes whither.  

Most muscadines have thick dark skin, but bronze varieties are available also.

     Other than loving our local climate, Muscadines also differ from more common grape varieties by being less prone to disease, insects and root problems. The actual fruits are considerably larger than typical grapes and have extremely thick skin and lots of seeds, but don't let that stop you from eating them. Even though you have to work a little more to get at it, the flesh from Muscadines is extremely flavorful and sweet, and research is proving it to be very heart-healthy and possibly good at fighting cancer. Other than eating them fresh, Muscadines can also be made into juices, jams and jellies. The discarded hulls are the key ingredient in a truly Southern treat, Muscadine hull pie. This grape also supports a robust wine industry, mainly centered in eastern North Carolina. Muscadine wine is very sweet and usually considered a dessert wine. 

     Growing Muscadines is fairly easy, especially compared to other grapes. You will need to have an area that gets full sun, and they will need to be grown on a sturdy arbor or trellis. They do well in a variety of soil types, but prefer a sandy loam and resent especially soggy soils. There are numerous varieties available to the gardener, with the oldest being Scuppernong, named after the Scuppernong River in North Carolina where this bronze colored selection with large sweet fruit was first found. In fact, the Scuppernong grape is the official state fruit of North Carolina. Most Muscadine varieties require that you plant two different plants for good pollination, but there are several that are self-pollinating. The fruit ripens in September and October and should be soon seen at local farm stands and markets. If you would like more detailed information on growing Muscadines and which varieties would do best for you, click on this link.

     Given their ease of growth, tastiness and health benefits, maybe you, too, will say "make mine Muscadine"!

Les Parks

The Garden Centre of Another Color

     As most of our customers know, I am an Anglophile. I have been lucky enough to vacation in England for the past two summers, and I find I am more fascinated than ever before. It is a place where my curiosity for both history and gardens meet. On this summer's trip I was introduced to a wonderful garden center in Newent, called Three Shires. Please know when I say garden center it is unlike anything we are used to here, so get all preconceived ideas and judgments out of your head. Garden centres (they spell it differently there) in England are an all day shopping event. Not only are most huge, but they have restaurants and playgrounds. It could possibly be looked at as a day trip for the whole family.

     As I walked up to the Three Shires main building I was thinking it was nice, not too big, quiet and understated. Then I opened the door and my jaw fell to the ground. Inside was the largest gardening store I have ever seen. It had candles, furniture (indoors and out), cooking items, dishes, books, plants (of course), clothes and a lot more. I was absolutely floored and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my vacation right there.

     As I walked through the shelves of candles in every possible scent, I came upon a table of handmade soap. These were displayed with towels, soap dishes, small boxes for gift giving and cards to complete the gift. This area gave way to kitchen items, china, linens, pots, pans, aprons - well you get the idea. This garden center's interior was probably 3 acres in all, and I could go through each individual area and explain it, but I will let the pictures speak for me. When I say I have never experienced anything like it, please know I don't say that lightly.

     Once I was finished touring the inside, I had lunch in the restaurant, which was not only good, but this allowed me to rest up and get a second wind. After lunch I walked outside to look at their rather large pond display only to be distracted by a churning and rippling in the water. On closer inspection I noticed Koi nearly the size of tuna being fed by a 3 year old boy. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, as were the Koi. Leaving that wonderful scene, I headed off to explore the plants and other outdoor items. This area was by no means small, and it was very efficiently set up. There was an area displaying swing sets and jungle gyms directly across from an actual children's playground. All of the statuary, picnic pieces, trellises, bagged goods and paving stones were neatly displayed. The plants for sale were mostly categorized by sun or shade. Perennials, annuals, shrubs and trees were all sharing the same space because they liked the same conditions and looked good together. When you picked out a shrub, and wanted something to go with it, it was all right there together. I thought I had seen everything until I rounded a corner and there were fruiting and flowering blueberries, strawberries and pansies - all together as happy as clams.

     It's strange living in our area and vacationing in a more gentle climate. You forget that not everything is grayish and begging for water in August.   Some people get to eat freshly-picked strawberries while sitting by a pond with tuna sized Koi at this time of year. Lucky them!

Margie Cooper