Ever wonder what to do with your overgrown perennials? Well…divide them! This is the time of year to divide plants that have either outgrown their space, or are developing a dead patch in the center. Many of the familiar garden perennials are prime candidates for this type of simple propagation. It takes a minimal amount of tools, just a little bit of forethought and preparation.

We at the MsK Nursery at the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden have been having more conversations about how to build rain gardens lately. Urbanization, reduction of the tree canopy and increased impervious surfaces all equal high-impact rainfalls. It doesn’t take much to see your street turn into a stream or the basement into a bog. Rain gardens are fantastic because they intercept precipitation and can prevent pollutants washing into drains connected to Puget Sound and will help minimize overflows during storms.

The official beginning of spring is still a month off, but there are many perennials grown in MsK Nursery that emerge in late winter/early spring.  Here are two of our early arrivals.

Most deciduous cuttings are usually done in Spring, Summer, or Fall, when there is new stem growth. Cuttings for propagation of evergreens, however, are best taken during the winter chill. The reason for this is that seasonally cold temperatures and shorter daylight hours induce rooting in these plants.