November gardening diary: Divide rhubarb

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The red stalks of rhubarb are deserved favourites with custard, but many domestic specimens are left slowly expanding for years in a general fog of neglect. It is, after all, a herbaceous perennial, and is readily propagated by division. Get a spade and fork and lift the whole plant out of the ground on a damp day. With the retired carving knife that resides in every shed, cut through the tissue to excise a chunk incorporating shoot and root. Replant the mother, and find a spot for the offspring in a bit of ground enriched with organic matter.

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