Early Spring!
Time to divide crowded perennials and those that no
longer flower well
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Dear Janet,
I'm starting to divide my perennials - wow, how they
grow. Do I throw out the center of the sedum when I divide
it?
I'm digging up perennials that have gotten too big and
splitting them into smaller pieces but I wonder if there are others
I should divide even earlier to keep them in the best
shape.
M.G.
Dear M.G.,
Perennials bloom best and are most resistant to disease and
insect problems when they are not crowded. So it's a good idea to
divide whenever a plant reaches the maximum size your garden
allows.
Although you can divide whenever you have the time to do it,
April is an excellent time for this job, and so is September. At
those times we can be fairly certain that replanted pieces will
have at least a month of cool air and warm soil, perfect conditions
for establishing new roots.
As a general rule, divide perennials with running roots every
two years, and throw out the oldest, center parts. Bee balm, some
artemisias and yarrows are in this group.
Divide any clump--forming perennial such as tall sedum 'Autumn
Joy' when you see it is producing smaller stems at its center than
on the edges. Those central, crowded stems bear fewer, smaller
flowers, are more susceptible to pest problems and often need help
standing up. Take a look at your hostas, daylilies, Siberian irises
and ornamental grasses now as new growth starts and you will see
that even those still in tight clumps need division to free up the
central stems.
Divide every plant you lift into at least four pieces. Break off
the oldest, center bit of each piece and compost it. Re-set only
one division in the original space. Give the rest to friends, start
new gardens with them, or put them on the compost.
Short reports:
Check around for disposal sites for emerald ash-borer
infested wood.
Be sure to call around locally to look for a site to dispose of
emerald ash-borer infested wood. These infested trees should
not leave your local area. Search on line to get ideas of
places close to you. If you wish to dispose of them yourself
then find a professional to talk you through the steps to be sure
that the infested would does not contribte to harming other
trees.
"For shame!" To those tree care companies...
...who are trying to cash in on the concern of ash tree owners
by claiming to have an "Emerald Ash Borer Solution." Although such
companies can defend their ads as true because their treatments
involve a water-soluble insecticide as a possible preventive to EAB
infestation, it is most certainly not a cure for already infested
trees or an answer to the problem as a whole.
If those companies are the experts they claim to be and someone
you should work with on your trees, they will honestly admit at
least three things:
- That there is no saving an ash tree already showing
significant damage.
- That insecticides cannot reach borers already inside an ash
tree.
- That insecticide treatments aimed at keeping the borers out of
a tree not yet infested cannot be guaranteed and must be repeated
every year.
If they are thinking of the long term interests of their clients
within the six-county EAB quarantine area they will recommend that
you remove infested ash trees as soon as possible. They will also
urge their clients to start thinking about planting replacement
trees near still-healthy ashes, because they have heard and
understood Forestry Department, DNR and Department of Agriculture
experts who project that every ash tree within that area will
probably become infested during the next three years.
Green thumbs up
to more than 120 volunteers who have spent three days learning
about ash trees and emerald ash borers, and being tested to become
EAB Town Crier and Scouts. They did all this so they can volunteer
many more days over the next two years to walk their communities
and provide information directly to ash tree owners. I am so proud
to be working with all of you!
Green thumbs down
to those who use the words "done" and "garden" in the same
sentence, as in "When will this garden of yours be done?" You don't
understand the concept, because a garden is never "done." It is a
living, changing thing and all the more beautiful because of those
characteristics. Those in the know, like W.S. say, "A garden
is a process, not a product, and I intend to keep on growing all my
life!"
Originally published 4/5/03
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