K-State Garden Hour: Dividing plants is good for making friends, too
Carmichael outlines best practices for sharing perennial plants
At a glance: Dividing and transplanting perennial plants may be more than a way for gardeners to rejuvenate tired landscapes and boost flower production: It’s also a way to make new friends.
More information: Travis Carmichael, 620-341-3220, trcarmic@ksu.edu
Related: Kansas Garden Guide
Dividing perennial plants, such as peonies, is a good way to rejuvenate a garden -- and make friends, too.
Sept. 8, 2026
By Pat Melgares, K-State Extension news service
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Dividing and transplanting perennial plants may be more than a way for gardeners to rejuvenate tired landscapes and boost flower production. Kansas State University horticultural expert Travis Carmichael says it’s also a way to make new friends.
Carmichael, the horticulture and community development agent with K-State Extension’s office in Lyon County, said many perennials benefit from being divided every three to five years. Some vigorous growing plants can be divided even more often.
“A lot of our perennial plants do need some division over time to help maintain that vigor and flower production,” said Carmichael, speaking during K-State Extension’s monthly Garden Hour webinar. “It helps keep things from overcrowding, so we’re just not growing constantly into each other, choking everything out.”
Listen to an interview by Jeff Wichman with Travis Carmichael on the weekly radio program, Sound Living, produced by K-State Extension
One of the first signs that it is time to divide perennials is a noticeable decrease in flower production. Carmichael said this is a common complaint from gardeners who come to the extension office with concerns about irises, daylilies and other long-lived plants that no longer bloom “like they used to.”
Carmichael said another clear signal comes from ornamental grasses, which often begin to die out in the center of the clump.
While many perennials respond well to division, some do not require it as frequently. Peonies, for example, can be divided and shared, but generally do not show the same decline in vigor over time as other perennials.
“They’re just happy being the size they are,” Carmichael said.
Beyond improving plant health, division can help gardeners achieve continuity in their landscape design by allowing them to repeat favorite plants in multiple locations. It also offers a low-cost way to expand plantings and share extra divisions with neighbors and local gardening groups.
“Dividing’s a great way to make new friends,” Carmichael said. “If you work through an iris patch, you always end up with way more iris than you ever intend to put back.”
Carmichael emphasized the importance of using the right tools and techniques. He recommends sharp pruners, a sturdy spade or garden fork, and even retired kitchen knives or, for tough ornamental grasses, a corn knife or machete. Clean, smooth cuts help plants heal more quickly and reduce the chance of rot.
While spring is a good time to divide perennials, others can be divided in the fall, after cutting foliage back to about six inches. Gardeners should dig carefully to lift as much of the root ball as possible, then gently remove excess soil to locate natural divisions.
Carmichael advises replanting divisions promptly, keeping roots shaded and moist, and returning plants to the same depth they previously grew. Holes should be large enough to spread roots outward rather than bending or crowding them.
Once replanted, consistent watering is critical through the first growing season. Newly divided plants often skip blooming the first year as they recover, but “flowering should then return during the second growing season,” Carmichael said.
For more information, Carmichael encouraged gardeners to view the full K-State Garden Hour webinar on dividing and transplanting perennials, available online. More information on gardening and care around the home is available from local extension offices in Kansas.
***
K‑State Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the wellbeing of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.