Fall garden centers can make a gardener feel wonderfully reckless. One minute, the plan calls for a few replacement plants, and the next minute the cart somehow contains enough mums, perennials, and ornamental grasses to require a financial debrief on the drive home. Before spending $200 on new plants, take a tour of the garden because some of the best additions may already be sitting there, quietly multiplying.
Dividing established perennials can turn one crowded plant into several new planting opportunities without another trip to the garden center. It can also refresh plants that have become overcrowded, developed bare centers, produced fewer flowers, or simply wandered beyond the space originally assigned to them.
