Real estate agent and HOA manager opinions notwithstanding, there is no rule that you must leave an overcrowded, overgrown landscape to the person who buys your home.
The trick to taking a bit of a beloved landscape along with you is to pick the things that divide and fill back in easily and that are hardy enough to survive the trip to a new garden and the period of neglect that inevitably follows a move:
Day lilies: These are tough plants, so they can be divided and transplanted whenever you’re ready, even if they’re in bloom. Water the bed heavily the day before you plan to divide. Lift your clumps using a garden fork. Shake off the dirt, and gently divide the roots, which will look like a spider with fat legs suspended from a fan of green leaves. Take some for the new place, and replace the others, nicely spaced, in your beds.
Bearded iris: Also tough, bearded iris need to be divided every three or four years to keep blooming. Bearded iris propagate on bulblike structures called rhizomes. Lift clumps of iris using a garden fork. Gently shake off the soil. Break apart the rhizomes, which will have fans of greenery shooting out of them. Throw away any that are rotted or dried out. Put some back in the beds, being careful not to plant them too deep. If you can’t plant yours quickly, they’ll keep nicely in a cool, dry place.
Siberian iris: For best results, split yours up early in spring, just as new shoots are beginning to emerge. Dig the clump whole, then divide it into pieces that have at least six fans of foliage poking out.
Peonies: Peonies that have become too crowded don’t bloom so well. They are best transplanted or divided in early fall. Cut the stems nearly to the ground and lift the clump gently using a garden fork. Shake off the dirt gently so you can see the natural crown cleavage, which is where the plant can be divided. Each division should have three to five healthy eyes (buds) attached to three or four thick roots. Amend the soil — some people recommend bone meal or well-rotted manure — and replant so the eyes at the top of the tuber are no more than 2 inches below the soil surface.
Oriental poppies: Poppies need to be divided only every five years. Depending on who you consult, poppies may be lifted in spring after the bloom is over or in late summer after they have gone dormant. Dig the clump carefully, going deeply enough to loosen the fat taproots, which will separate naturally once you shake off the dirt. Divide and replant. Plant the root sections 3 inches deep in well-drained soil. It may take a season before the plants bloom again.
Sentimental faves: Many gardens contain a sentimental favorite perennial food, like rhubarb or horseradish.
Rhubarb is tough. It may be propagated in spring or early fall. Dig the plants, being careful not to damage the crown. Cut the clump into pieces, between large buds or eyes, leaving at least a 2-inch chunk of storage root with each bud.
Horseradish is vigorous and may be divided by breaking apart a crown in early spring, or by planting a root cutting 5 to 8 inches long in spring or fall. Amend the soil with compost, and plant the root at a downward angle, with the portion of the root taken from close to the crown no more than 2 inches below the soil.
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