March Gardening Diary: Propagate perennials

Now that herbaceous perennials are pushing up rapidly, this is an ideal time to propagate them. Inspect the edge of a regenerating clump of geranium, campanula, aster or something of similar habit, and single out a marginal shoot for separation. Using an old carving knife or, for the dexterous, a spade, cut cleanly down, then remove the piece, complete with root and shoot. Take a few more out of the peri-meter without making inroads, then line out the progeny in a piece of cultivated ground and leave them to bulk up.

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