Dividing Your Perennial Bulbs

Although perennial bulbs are fairly low maintenance there are a few things that need to be done to ensure healthy, yearly blooming. The main consideration with perennial bulbs is dividing them. This is done every couple of years to ensure that the bulbs do not become overcrowded. 

One of the perennial bulbs that need this kind of maintenance done is the tulip. What you need to do is very simple and shouldn’t be considered that much work to make your garden grow better. Carefully dig out the area you’re excavating. You don’t want to harm the bulbs and want to be especially cautious digging around the roots. Once you have the bulbs dug up you must find a way to gently take them apart. Hopefully this can be done by hand but sometimes you may require a knife to help pry them apart. You’ll want to be sure that your perennial bulbs don’t get damaged as you separate them. You must watch when separating them to make sure that each bulb has some root connected to it. You will find that one bulb you dig up may have two to four little bulbs attached.

Once all the perennial bulbs have been dug up and separated you have two options on the next step. The best alternative is to replant them immediately. If this is the one you choose then dig out the flowerbed and replant the perennial bulbs you uprooted and the ones you divided off.  Be careful to space them far enough apart that there is no overcrowding. Then next time your perennials are to blossom you will have many more flowers to enjoy.

The other option is to remove your perennial bulbs, place them somewhere moist, a cold cellar perhaps, and then replant them at some other time. Some people feel that it is better to do this, in the fall, to ensure better overall growth of their perennial bulbs. Whichever your preference is, the minimal work that is required to keep your garden overflowing with flowers in the spring is well worth the effort.