November is a good time to lift and divide chunky herbaceous perennials. Take a clump and remove it bodily from the ground by working all the way round it with a spade, then lifting it whole onto the surface with a fork. Cut out groups of three or more shoots-with-roots by cutting through with an old carving knife, or with a spade or two forks back to back. Then, space them out in groups to form new clumps or line them out nursery-style to grow on for another year.
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Alan Titchmarsh: 'It’s all too easy to become swamped by the ‘to-do’ list, but give yourself a little time to savour the moment'Easter is a turning point in the calendar, says Alan Titchmarsh, a 'clarion call' to 'get out there and sow and plant'.
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Rodel House: The Georgian marvel in the heart of the Outer HebridesAn improving landlord in the Outer Hebrides created a remote Georgian house that has just undergone a stylish, but unpretentious remodelling, as Mary Miers reports. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
