Who would be without perennial plants in the garden?  There are some perennials that you can safely divide -  you can start with one plant of a particular genus and end up with enough to be able to fill your garden or give away to friends!  Here’s just a sample of plants that you can divide when the weather allows you to get into the garden… 

Helenium, Centaurea dealbata, Nepeta, Polemonium, Stachys byzantina, Pulmonaria, Lysimachia, Lythrum, Heuchera, Asters (some), Anemone hupehensis, Achillea, Geranium (some), Ophiopogon (some) – the list is endless.

In my opinion, the best value-for-money perennials are the Heleniums and in my garden, I grow ‘Moorheim Beauty’, ‘Gartensonne’ and ‘Double Trouble’.  A good time to divide them is from late January onwards.  Only divide after they have had time to establish in your garden after about 2 years or when they look congested.   Dig the established plants out of the ground making sure that you do not damage the fibrous roots too much.  You will need two forks to divide the plants.  You want to limit the damage to the plant as much as possible and using two forks back to back helps to gently prise them apart without tearing or chopping through the roots.  Place both forks back to back by pushing into the centre of the clump and lever them together to prise the clump apart.  All being well you will have two healthy looking plants instead of one.  If the clump is large enough, you may be able to divide it further.  Fork over the soil that the plant came out of and replant the divided Helenium into the planting hole leaving the new shoots to show at the surface.  Feed and mulch around the plant with a compound general fertiliser and an organic compost or farmyard manure.  This will help give it the best start to the season.  Then do the same with the rest of the divided plants or be kind and give them away to your friends and family!