The Great Perennial Divide

October 7th, 2026

Whether you already have clumping perennials sprinkled throughout your garden that could use a little more space, or you’re on the hunt for new perennial pollinators to introduce to your garden, now is a great time to host a Perennial Plant Swap!

Consider hosting a fall perennial swap at your school garden for staff and families. It’s a great way to introduce more people to the school garden space while giving everyone the opportunity to bring home a new plant. Turn the swap into a garden workday, giving everyone a chance to pitch in, clean up the garden for fall, and leave with a new perennial for their own yard!

A few tips to keep in mind for dividing perennials in the fall:

• The best perennials to divide in the fall are clump-forming plants that are not flowering or producing seed right now. You want to focus on plants that bloomed earlier in the season, so they can put their energy into establishing roots now, rather than producing blooms or seeds. 
• Some great perennials to divide in the fall include: hostas, daylilies, yarrow, and irises. 
• The best time to divide and relocate perennials in the fall is when the soil is still warm, and there is rain in the forecast. 

Do you have any other perennials that you no longer want? Or volunteer plants you’d like to have a new home? Now is great time to dig them up and include them in your swap! For the most part, any perennials can be transplanted now. Those to avoid are grasses (they are best transplanted in the spring), or plants that are small.