Spring is often a great time to grab your shovel  and dig up perennials and shrubs that are not thriving in their current locations. Disease, pests, amount of sunlight, and overgrowth all contribute to a plant’s success. Digging up your perennials and shrubs can offer benefits to the plants and your overall garden. Here are some solutions for plants that are underperforming.

Divide it

Your plant might not be thriving because it needs division. Spring is a wonderful time to divide many perennials (including daylilies and most ornamental grasses). Research each plant you’re considering dividing to determine the optimal time for division. Some plants do better when they’re divided after blooming or in the fall. The “new” plants can be replanted within your garden. They also make great gifts.

Re-pot it

Re-potting the plant gives you time to decide where to put it back in the garden, if at all. Ailing plants can be nursed back to health and easily moved into and out of the sun. Another benefit to having the plant in a pot is the ability to see how it looks in another spot before replanting it.

Move it

This is a great solution if that shrub you frantically planted last fall looks out of place with your color scheme. Or, if you planted a perennial that usually requires full sun under a shady tree and it’s not doing well, move it to a sunny location to see if it perks up. It helps to read up on each plant to see if it’s best transplanted in the fall or spring.

Toss it

If the plant is truly dead or diseased, the best recourse may be to toss it. Your local extension agent can be a great resource on plant diseases. Don’t throw a diseased plant on your compost pile. Dispose of it in another manner that won’t contaminate the rest of your garden.

If your window of transplanting this spring has already passed, make a note on your calendar to examine your plants this fall instead. Once you tend to these underperformers, you may find them quite impressive.