Few garden tasks are as enjoyable as dividing overgrown flowering plants. Where once there was a single clump, you might have the potential for a half-dozen.

Daylilies are among the easiest to divide. Simply slide the point of you shovel straight into the ground 12 inches away from the center of the clump. Repeat, going around the plant until you come back to the beginning.

With a mighty heave, pop the whole soil and root mass out of the ground. If the soil is dry, roll the rootball on the ground, then lift and shake it to remove as mush soil as you can. This exposes the roots so you can see clearly where to separate them. Look for a green stalk of foliage with a small tangle of roots coming from it.

I use a serrated steak knife to sever the connection to the main root mass, then pull the division completely free.

Tossing this into a bucket, I look for more “babies” around the edge of the root ball.

By the time I’m finished, I could have 6 – 12 new individual plants. I put them in the ground immediately, water them in, wash my hands and call it a day!

daylily