Is it too late to divide monbretia? And other spreading perennials, come to that?

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

I've got a quite a few spaces left in our back garden after having a clearout and I was thinking of nicking some monbretia from our overgrown monbretia patch in the front garden (which I don't think has been divided in 7 years and is now growing into the lawn!)

There are also some other perennials in the front which have spread and are looking like they need dividing, but I'm worried I've left the dividing thing too late.

Neither have flowered yet and haven't even got buds forming as far as I know but they are all fully formed apart from that - is it too late to divide them now?

I think you are in time. Give them all a good watering, dig them up, cut them up at the roots (trim them) and replant with plenty of organic matter/compost. Keep them well watered and prune them to let the energy go into making roots so they establish.

I meant, divide them up at the roots.

No, not too late - they won't look great this year but they'll be ok.

Thanks. So they may not get many flowers on?

They'll have flowers on - but they'll look a bit ill at ease IYKWIM?

They will look fine, great shrub, look after them now and they will reward you for years to come.

I've been taking advantage of the wet weather and have been dividing plenty of perennials that I know I shouldn't. As Porridge says, they do look a little uncomfortable, but I wanted to do it now to get the colours in a new border right. And frankly, montbretia are unkillable, so it doesn't matter what you do to them.

Ok, thanks all, will go ahead and do it!