Dividing Creeping Phlox and Fiddle Leaf Ferns: Best Times for Zone 4 Gardens

When to Divide Phlox and Ferns in Minnesota

Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)

After flowering in late spring/early summer. Trim back the foliage by half, then divide the mat into sections with roots and replant immediately.

Fiddle Leaf Fern (likely Dryopteris or Athyrium)

Early spring just as new fronds emerge (fiddleheads), or early fall as growth slows. Both times allow roots to establish before temperature extremes.

Water divisions well and mulch to retain moisture.