From our perspective, rooted deep in the soil, the most crucial signal is the shift in our internal rhythm. We experience a period of deep dormancy, a restorative slumber after a season of vigorous growth and blooming. This dormancy is not a single event but a cycle tied to the cooling soil and shortening days of autumn. It is during this time that our life force, our energy, retreats from our lush above-ground foliage and withdraws into our thick, fleshy storage roots and the "eyes" (buds) at our crown. Attempting to divide us while we are actively growing in spring or summer is a traumatic shock, severing our vascular systems and depleting our energy reserves, often with fatal consequences. The peaceful stillness of autumn allows for the physical separation with minimal disruption to our core biological processes.
The precise timing for this procedure aligns perfectly with our natural cycle. The ideal moment is after the first hard frost has blackened and softened our foliage, signaling the definitive end of our growth season. This typically occurs in late October or November for many climates. At this point, our above-ground parts have senesced, and all our valuable carbohydrates are safely stored below. Alternatively, the operation can be performed in very early spring, just as the soil becomes workable and the smallest, reddest tips of our new shoots (the eyes) begin to swell but before they have elongated more than an inch or two. This spring window is brief; missing it and cutting into actively growing shoots will set us back severely.
The method of division is paramount to our successful recovery and future prosperity. The goal is not to chop us apart but to gently tease our intertwined root mass into viable new individuals. First, our stems should be cut back to near ground level. Then, using a sharp, clean spade, a wide circle should be dug around our drip line to minimize root damage. Once lifted from the earth, the soil should be gently washed from our roots to reveal our natural architecture. The key is to locate the natural points of division—the areas where clusters of buds (eyes) are connected to a sufficient mass of thick storage roots. Using a sharp, sterilized knife, these sections can be cleanly severed. Each new division must have at least three to five well-developed eyes and a generous portion of healthy roots to support the initial growth burst. Smaller divisions will take many years to recover and bloom.
You undertake this process for your reasons—to control our size, to propagate more of us, or to rejuvenate an old, woody clump that has become less floriferous. From our perspective, division is a form of controlled rejuvenation. An overly crowded clump competes intensely with itself for water, nutrients, and light underground. By dividing, you alleviate this competition. Each new division is given its own space, its own resources, and a renewed opportunity to establish a strong, uncongested root system. This reduction of internal stress allows us to channel energy more efficiently into producing robust new growth and, most importantly, an abundance of the large, fragrant blooms we are known for. It is a reset, a return to the vigorous youth of a less crowded existence.
