You know that strange, quiet stretch in winter when the world feels like it’s holding its breath? The holiday rush is over, the decorations are packed away, and the garden is tucked under a blanket of frost. It’s a bit of a temporal no-man’s land. You want to be productive, but you aren’t quite sure where to start.
As a gardener, I get that itch every year. My bulbs are already in the ground, my borders are mulched, and the perennials were cut back weeks ago. Yet, I still find myself staring out the window, wanting an excuse to get my hands back into the soil—even if the weather is damp, grey, and biting.
Sounds fancy, right? Like plant cloning for wizards. But really, it’s just a clever way to multiply your garden without spending a dime—or waiting for the ground to thaw. Here’s the secret: January and February is actually the perfect time to divide perennials or take cuttings. Why? Because while your plants look like they’re doing absolutely nothing, they’re actually in deep dormancy—aka nap mode.
When we take cuttings or divide these plants now, we’re catching them while they’re “under anesthesia.” They won’t feel the stress of being moved or cut, and they have months to develop massive, healthy root systems before the spring sun wakes them up. It’s a low-maintenance, “set it and forget it” way to get a head start on the season.
So if you’re feeling that familiar January restlessness, this is your excuse. Below are some of the easiest perennials to propagate from cuttings and division right now.
1. Heucheras (Coral Bells)
Heucheras, or Coral Bells, are honestly one of the easiest perennials to propagate, and doing it in January is a great way to stay busy in the garden! You can actually take stem cuttings right now to get a whole batch of free plants for spring. Just snip off those woody bases right above the soil line—don’t be afraid to give them a good haircut. Once you have your cutting, strip off the lower leaves so you have a clean stem, and then dip the cut end into some rooting hormone. I really like using Garden Safe TakeRoot for this because it helps speed things up.
Next, stick those stalks right into a tray of gritty compost. You can actually fit quite a few cuttings into one tray, which is awesome for saving space! Once they are potted up, find a bright windowsill or a spot in your greenhouse where they’ll get at least six hours of indirect light a day. To keep them happy and hydrated, put a plastic cover over the tray to create a little humidity dome. You should start seeing roots in about 4 to 6 weeks. It’s so satisfying to see those colorful evergreen leaves perking up while it’s still cold outside!
2. Sedums (Stonecrop)
I have to tell you, Sedums are one of my absolute favorites—not just because they are practically unkillable, but because the bees and butterflies just go crazy for them late in the season! If you want to multiply your stock for free, the timing really depends on your zone. If you live in a warmer climate (Zone 7+) or have a “Autumn Joy” sitting in a garage or greenhouse that has some green growth, you can start right now. But, if you are up north and your plants are buried under snow or dormant, just bookmark this for the moment you see those little green cabbage-looking heads pop up in early spring.
The process is super simple. Snip a 3-to-4-inch stem and strip the bottom leaves off. Because Sedums are succulents, the “secret sauce” here is patience: let that cut stem sit out on the counter for a day or two so the end callouses over and dries out. This stops it from rotting. Once it’s dry, pop it into some gritty cactus mix, put it in a bright window, and barely water it. By the time the weather warms up, you’ll have robust, rooted plants ready to feed the pollinators!
3. Daylilies (Hemerocallis)
Daylilies are basically the workhorses of the perennial garden, and believe it or not, you can propagate them right in the middle of winter! This is a perfect project for January if your ground isn’t frozen solid, or if you have some clumps growing in containers. If you are in a super cold zone and the ground is like concrete, just wait for a thaw or hold off until very early spring.
The goal here is to divide the clump into individual “fans.” Dig up the whole root ball—don’t worry, these guys are tough! You might have to really work to untangle the roots, but you want to pull the fans apart until you have singles or triples. Once you have them separated, give the long roots a trim and cut the foliage back to about 6 inches. This reduces stress on the plant. Pot these fans up shallowly—keep the crown right just below the soil surface—and stick them in a sheltered spot like an unheated porch or a cold frame. Keep them lightly watered, and by the time spring hits, you’ll have strong, healthy plants ready to go into full sun!
4. Astilbes (False Goat’s Beard)
If you have a shady spot in your garden, you probably already know how magical Astilbes are with those feathery plumes! Propagating them is actually really satisfying, but timing is key. If you are in a cold zone where the ground is currently a block of ice, you’ll need to wait until the ground thaws in early spring. But, if you have milder winters or have some Astilbes in pots that are dormant, January is a fantastic time to divide them before they wake up.
The root system on these guys is different from a lot of other perennials—it’s a thick, woody rhizome. You’ll want to lift the plant and wash off the soil so you can see what you’re doing. Then, use a clean, sharp knife to cut the rhizome into chunks.
Just make sure every piece has at least one or two “eyes” (buds) and some roots attached. It feels a bit aggressive cutting through that woody crown, but don’t worry, they are tough! Pot them up shallowly in a mix that is slightly acidic—they love that lower pH—and keep them in a cool, shaded spot. Never let them dry out; Astilbes are thirsty plants, and keeping them moist is the secret to getting them established!
5. Oriental Poppies (Papaver orientale)
Okay, we are going to try something completely different here! Instead of taking cuttings from the stems or dividing the clump, with Oriental Poppies, we are actually going to use the roots. This is called “root cutting,” and January is the absolute best time to do it because the plant is dormant.
You’ll want to dig up a clump—or just dig down on one side of the plant—and find some thick, fleshy roots, about the size of a pencil. Snip a few off (the mother plant will be fine!) and wash them so you can see. Now, cut those roots into 2-inch sections. Here is the most important part: you have to plant them the right way up! To make it easy, I always make a straight cut on the end that was closest to the plant (the top) and a slanted cut on the bottom end. That way, you never get them mixed up.
Take a pot with sandy, well-draining soil and push the cuttings in vertically—flat side up—until the top is just flush with the soil surface. Sprinkle a little grit over the top, give it a splash of water, and place the pot in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse. You don’t want these too warm! In a few weeks, you’ll see tiny little leaves sprouting right out of the top of those roots. It feels like magic every time!
6. Japanese Anemone (Anemone hupehensis)
If you want that gorgeous late-summer color when everything else is fading, Japanese Anemones are a must-have, and January is actually the perfect time to make more of them! Just like the Oriental Poppies, we are going to use root cuttings for these because the plants are dormant right now. If your ground isn’t frozen solid, you can gently lift a clump—or just dig around the edge of an established plant—to find those dark, fleshy roots that look a bit like thick wires or shoelaces.
Take a few of those roots and wash the dirt off so you can see what you are working with. Cut them into sections about 2 to 3 inches long. I always use that same trick: make a flat cut on the end closest to the crown (the top) and a slanted cut on the bottom end, so you don’t plant them upside down! Stick them vertically into a pot of gritty compost so the top flat cut is flush with the surface, and cover it with a thin layer of grit or vermiculite. Place the pot in a cold frame or a cool, sheltered spot. You don’t need heat for this—they actually prefer it cool to get established. By spring, you’ll see little crinkled leaves popping up, and you’ll have plenty of new plants to fill in your fall garden!
7. Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum)
If you want a plant that basically propagates itself, you have to look at the Shasta Daisy, specifically the ‘Becky’ variety. Instead of fussing with delicate stems, we are going to do a “smash and grab” division here! Okay, maybe be a little gentle, but these plants are incredibly tough. In January, if the soil is workable, you can lift the entire heavy clump out of the ground. You will see that the center often gets woody and dead after a few years, but the outside edges are teeming with fresh, white-green life.
Take a sharp spade or a soil knife and literally slice those fresh outer sections right off the old mother plant. You want nice, chunky divisions that have both healthy roots and green shoots. Discard that dead, woody center—it’s done its job. Replant your new vigorous chunks immediately into your garden beds or into pots if you want to baby them until spring. They settle in fast, and because you used substantial divisions, you aren’t waiting years for blooms; you will have a full, waving drift of white flowers this very summer.
8. Lamb’s Ears (Stachys byzantina)
Now for something completely different! Lamb’s Ears don’t really form a tight clump like a daisy; they creep and crawl across the ground, sending out “runners” almost like strawberries. This makes propagation less about cutting and more about guiding. If you look closely at a patch in January, even under a bit of snow, you might see these little plantlets hovering above the soil on long stems, looking for a place to touch down.
We can help them out! Snip off those wandering runners that have formed little baby rosettes at the ends. You don’t need to bury these deep. In fact, burying the fuzzy, velvet leaves is a recipe for rot because they hold onto water like a sponge. Instead, fill a tray with gritty, dry-ish soil, lay the runner on top, and use a bent paperclip or a floral pin to pin the stem down so it makes firm contact with the dirt. Mist it occasionally—don’t soak it! The contact alone signals the plant to send roots down. It’s a fun, low-stress method that yields a ton of soft, silver groundcover for your pathways.
9. Salvia (Perennial Sage)
If you have Salvia planted in your garden beds, you don’t actually have to dig up the entire massive clump to make new plants. That is back-breaking work! Instead, try a “lazy” propagation method right there in the dirt called an “Irishman’s cutting.” If you head out to the garden now and clear away some of the dead brown stems from last year, you will likely see tiny, fresh green shoots emerging right at the perimeter of the plant, slightly separate from the hard, woody center.
Take a sharp knife—I use a hori-hori soil knife for this—and slice straight down into the ground between that little side shoot and the main mother plant. You are basically carving off a baby plant that already has its own tiny root system attached. Lever that little piece out of the dirt, trim off any old dead leaves, and pot it up immediately into fresh soil. It is way less shock to the main plant than digging the whole thing up, and you can easily harvest 5 or 6 free plants in just a few minutes without wrecking your garden bed!
10. Hostas (Plantain Lily)
I love propagating Hostas in January because you can see exactly what you are doing without worrying about crushing those beautiful big leaves! Since the plants are completely dormant right now, this is the safest time to divide them if your ground isn’t frozen solid. If you can get a shovel in the dirt, go ahead and dig up the entire clump. It will look like a muddy tangle of fleshy roots, but if you brush the soil away, you will see pointed little buds—we call these “eyes”—poking up from the crown.
You don’t need to be gentle here. Hostas are incredibly tough. Take a sharp spade, a soil knife, or even an old serrated bread knife (my secret weapon!) and slice straight down through the root ball. You want to cut the clump into chunks, making sure every single piece has at least one or two of those pointed “eyes” and a nice mass of roots attached. It feels like cutting through a dense turnip! Once you have your divisions, replant them immediately or pot them up. Since they are asleep, they won’t even know they’ve been moved, and they will wake up in spring as perfectly independent plants.
11. Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica)
Let’s be honest, dividing Siberian Iris can feel like a total wrestling match. If you are used to Bearded Irises where you just snap those crisp rhizomes apart in the summer, these are going to be a shock. Siberian Irises grow these incredibly dense, fibrous root mats that are practically bulletproof. Trying to pull them apart by hand? Don’t even bother. You’ll just hurt your hands.
That is exactly why I like doing this in January. Since the plants are totally dormant and there’s no fragile new growth to snap off yet, you can get a little rough with them. You literally just dig up the clump—or a piece of it—and take a sharp spade or a soil knife and chop right through the root ball. It feels kind of wrong, like you are hurting the plant, but it’s the only way to get through that tough mat! Just chop them into fist-sized blocks and get them back into the dirt immediately. Unlike other irises that like to dry out, these guys are thirsty; if those roots dry out, they are toast.
Written By
Amber Noyes
Amber Noyes was born and raised in a suburban California town, San Mateo. She holds a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of California as well as a BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco. With experience working on an organic farm, water conservation research, farmers’ markets, and plant nursery, she understands what makes plants thrive and how we can better understand the connection between microclimate and plant health. When she’s not on the land, Amber loves informing people of new ideas/things related to gardening, especially organic gardening, houseplants, and growing plants in a small space.