Many perennial plants can live for years without division. Some perennial plants even resent division, mostly those with long tap roots or woody crowns, like Russian Sage and Baptisia. But most other perennials will eventually deteriorate, if left to grow indefinitely and benefit from being divided, either to rejuvenate them or to keep them from being squeezed out of the garden. There are 3 basic reasons for dividing perennial plants:
- To make more plants
- To revive an older plant
- To keep the plant’s size in check
You can divide a large plant anytime you want to make more plants, even when you first bring it home from the nursery. In fact, buying a large plant can actually be a way to save money, if you plan to divide it into many plants immediately.
But how do you know when your mature garden plants need division? They’ll show you with the following signals.
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 Center of Plant is Dying Out. |  Splitting Open from the Center. |  Less Flowers than Prior Years |
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