10 Perennials You Can Divide This Fall Instead of Buying More Plants

Dividing healthy, crowded perennials in fall can refresh the parent plant and provide new plants for borders, bare spots, or sharing. Match the timing to the specific perennial, replant divisions promptly, and keep them watered while their roots establish – Shutterstock

A crowded perennial bed can look like a shopping list waiting to happen, with one plant here, another plant there, and several suspiciously empty spots begging for a nursery run. Before handing over the credit card, take a closer look at the plants already growing in the yard, because fall division can turn one established perennial into several new plants.

Many spring- and summer-blooming perennials divide well in fall, when cooler conditions reduce stress and give roots time to settle in before winter. The result can fill a border, create a new planting area, or provide divisions to share with a gardening friend. One healthy clump can sometimes do far more work than a car full of nursery pots.