Published: 16 January 2026 - Watch on YouTube
It is the second day of January and the weather is perfect for some gentle winter gardening. Today I am lifting perennials from my flower border and potting them up, ready to take to the allotment later. No rush, just calm, thoughtful work with the plants.
The verbena plants along the wall do not have enough space to spread sideways. I mentioned this in a previous video and now it is time to do something about it.
The plan is to dig them out, pot them up, and eventually plant them at the allotment where they will have more room to grow properly.
I have four verbena plants in this border. Lifting them is much easier than yesterday's raspberry mission.
Each plant goes into a pot with fresh compost. They can sit and wait for their turn to be taken to the allotment.
While I am digging in this border, I decide to lift the diascia as well. It has grown so big that I want to divide it and take half to the allotment.
This plant was a bargain from the garden centre, bought on sale because it looked sad. But it is a vigorous perennial and has grown beautifully in its second year.
Dividing diascia is not as simple as I thought. I use an old kitchen knife and a fork to work through the roots.
In the end I manage to get four separate plants from one. Even the smaller divisions with tiny roots might grow into individual plants.
I have two rose campions in this border and the area was quite cramped at the peak of summer. Moving one to the allotment will give me more space for dahlias - I have ordered new tubers.
I grew these rose campions from seed. It was straightforward but they took until the second season to flower.
When tidying verbena, I cut just above the new shoots. It is easy to spot them even on long stems.
You do not have to keep the height of the plant. You can trim it really well if you want to maintain the size. New stems will come out from where you cut.
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Tags: #JanuaryGarden #WinterGardening #LiftingPerennials #Verbena #Diascia #RoseCampion #Allotment #MyWindyGarden #UKGarden