Divide and conquer

Looking at the garden I can clearly see the future - this is what it would normally look like in two or three weeks. I cannot remember a year when our plants and gardens advanced in an orderly manner, to a strict timetable, as each year one flower or another jumps the queue, or gets caught napping. Yet it always seems worthy of comment when the cherries flower with the crab apples, or roses and snowdrops share time together. What really catches us out though is when the whole cast arrives early.

At the time of writing the borders are developing that beautiful lush appearance, normally associated with a couple of weeks hence. The day time temperatures are still cool, especially when the sun is absent, so the inclination to stop and linger in the garden is often absent too. And it seems like there is so much to do to get ready for the main event (the summer) that this most wonderful time can pass us by.

Of all the spring tasks though that can reap benefits later in the year, one of the most effective is to get the ground covered. The old adage that ‘nature abhors a vacuum’ is a good one. Every patch of bare soil in your garden will be a place that will need to be re-visited, on bended knee, many times over the coming months as the weeds arrive in successive waves. The trick is to cover every last inch with either groundcover plants or mulch.

The most economical way to increase the number of plants in your garden is to propagate some and there is one quick and simple method of propagating that has instance results. Many common garden plants have a base, or crown, that over the years expands outwards and once it is more than about 20cms in diameter can be dug up in spring, chopped into 2, 3 or even 4 pieces (known as dividing) and then replanted immediately. This not only gives you mature plants instantly to fill gaps but also re-invigorates them. Plants that are happy to receive this treatment include alchemilla, phlox, geranium, delphinium, catmint, iris and daylily, to name just a few.

While the time to divide plants this year is past, mulching gaps in borders now with bark will keep the weeds down this year, and give you time to make a note of which plants can be divided next spring.