Dividing my Easy Ned Daylilies September 26, 2016

My Easy Ned day lilies didn't bloom well this summer so I decided it was time to divide them.  They can be divided right after they bloom all the way through the fall.  Here in the south I see no reason to hesitate dividing in the fall since this is our best garden season, even better than spring.

First, dig around the clump and pull it up out of the dirt.  Be sure to direct the shovel straight down and not at an angle or you might gut the tubers.  I sliced a few on my first thrust of the shovel.

 Shake off all the excess soil - soil is precious!

Next, I wash away as much of the remaining soil so I can better see where I need to cut.

Below, I could have separated the clump even more than I did, but I'm not trying to increase inventory and sell them, I'm just trying to get more blooms.  When separating them just make sure you have at least one fan and some root.  Cut through the mass of roots and tubers with a knife.

Then, cut off most of the green tops (the greenery won't live after all that shock, so you don't want the plant expending energy on the effort of trying to keep it alive).  If you have a lot of root mass you can cut some of that away as well.  Throw the greenery in the compost pile.

I dug up two clumps of daylilies and I planted twelve plantings in the garden along the back of the house, in the beds at the front of the house, and in the Star Garden.