Hardy perennial plants are easy to grow and require little care. They’re perfect for sharing with friends and family too! I have been hard at work creating my English Garden and the beds are starting to fill up!
Most of the plants in my garden are perennials that friends have shared or plants transferred from a different area in my yard. Today I am sharing 10 perennial plants that are easy to transfer or divide and share with friends!
Once you start to learn what plants can be divided, you can save so much money by sharing with others!
Although I am not there yet, it is fun to watch my little garden grow!
10 Perennial Plants to Share with Friends and Family
1 | Hosta
The hosta plant is extremely hardy and very easy to keep alive. This plant grows bigger and bigger every year and is a great option for dividing into multiple, smaller plants.
My mother-in-law divided her large hosta and sent them all over to our home in garbage bags. With the hosta plants she shared, I added over 50 hosta to our yard.
The best time to split hosta is in the spring when they begin to sprout from the ground. While this is the best practice, I have divided hosta throughout the summer and they all survived. Once you dig up the hosta, take the point of a spade shovel and cut the plant in half. This plant comes in a variety of colors that will add dimension to your garden without a lot of work.
2 | Spirea
There are many types of spirea that bloom a variety of different colors. This is another hardy perennial plant to share with family and friends. Before transplanting the shrub, check that the soil and sunlight are ideal for this particular plant. My neighbor shared about a dozen spirea plants and they are doing really well in our backyard.
3 | Daylily
The daylily comes in a variety of colors and is really hard to kill! This is great for newer gardeners. It is best to split this plant in the early spring. I had clumps of daylily’s growing in the back of my hard, I took a pointed shovel and split the plant in half, and then dug out the remaining root ball.
There are many tutorials that take great care to split and prep the roots to be relocated, but I didn’t do any of that. My process involved digging out the plant and putting it in a new hole and watering it regularly. It’s nothing fancy but they all continue to thrive in their new locations!
4 | Iris
The iris is a tubular root plant that can easily be split and transplanted to other locations. Using a spade shovel, dig up a single flower or group of flowers and break them from the tubular root. Replant the iris in a location with a good amount of sun. If you are planting more than one, space them at least 18 inches apart for best results.
5 | Rose Bush
A rose bush can easily hold up if you decide to move its location. In our new yard, we had two rose bushes that flanked the gate of our fence. The gate is right by our pool and I really disliked the kids running past them in their swimsuits. I transplanted both bushes to my English garden and they are continuing to grow well. It is best to transplant rose bushes in the early spring.
Cut back all of the old stems and dig a large hole around the bush. You want to take as much of the roots with the plant as you can. In the new location, dig a hole that is 2x as wide as the size of the root ball and place the bush in the hole. Fill the hole with dirt & water well.
6 | Sedum
Like most plants, the best time to divide sedum is in the early spring. Sedum comes from the succulent family and can either be low to the ground or upright plants. I added the upright plant to my gardens where the stems will flower this summer. This is a really easy plant to keep alive and attracts butterflies and bees.
7 | Peony Bush
Peonies are one of my favorite flowering bushes. The best time to transplant them is in the fall, but I moved mine in the early spring and they seem to be doing just fine. I found a small peony bush growing right next to our AC unit outside and so I dug it up and replanted it in my garden. Whenever I dig a hole to move a plant, I add a few scoops of compost to make sure the soil has enough nutrients for the new plant.
8 | Lambs Ear
This groundcover plant is another great addition to your garden. It is low maintenance and does not grow very tall. The beautiful fuzzy, silvery leaf looks nice around the border of your garden so it can be seen. If you have kids, this is a fun plant to incorporate because they love to touch the soft leaves that feel like a lamb’s ear.
9 | Sage (Salvia)
Sage bushes have silvery leaves and flowers in a variety of colors, depending on each type. I transplanted two different kinds of sage from my neighbor’s yard and can’t wait to see what they look like when they begin to bloom in the summer! This is another great plant to attract butterflies and bees.
10 | Bee Balm
This plant does great in the Ohio climate. It is a good option if you want to create a pollinators garden to attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. I transplanted a few of these plants in early spring and they have continued to grow and thrive since being transplanted.
11 | Phlox
Phlox is a ground cover plant and blooms in different colors. Our garden has a pink flower and it looks so pretty at the edges of the garden.
All of the plants above are native to Ohio and will require less maintenance and watering than other plants. As I continue to add native plants to my garden, I am focused on choosing a variety that encourages pollinators to visit.
