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Also known more properly as Nippon Daisies, I have a planting of this stuff. I hadn't noticed it flowering last year and had planned on ripping it out this fall not knowing what it was other than being an undesirable (for me at the time), but it bloomed this fall and I rather like it and learned a bit more about it.

I know that this plant is recommended to be divided in the spring, and also that the plant does well from being pruned apparently around June in the northern hemisphere, but I don't really know the proper way to handle this for this plant.

The question is how do I properly divide this plant?

In the answer I am interested in information about cutting back when I am doing so, and to how thinly I can divide this plant without weakening it.

Thank you

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Properly known as Nipponanthemum nipponicum these days, though it was once classifed as Leucanthemum and prior to that, Chrysanthemum. Its the usual method employed with other herbaceous perennials - you dig up the clump, split the rootball and replant the sections, watering in well afterwards. Sometimes, the central area of the plant, if it's a large clump, has died out, so when you dig it up, you split the rootball, taking out the dead area in the middle. You need each section you split into to be viable, so you shouldn't really make divisions less than 6 inches square; this sometimes means, depending on the size of the clump you have, you can only split it in half. However, this procedure is best done in spring in the northern hemisphere anyway, and then you can see where new growth is beginning to appear, which makes it easier to decide where to cut the rootball. You might find you get less flowering in the first year after splitting, and you will need to keep the replanted sections well watered if the weather is not damp. Cutting back isn't usually an issue in spring, it's cut to the ground by the weather over winter anyway, and if any tough, woody stems survive, cut those down as new growth begins. If you want lots of new plants, you can take herbaceous stem cuttings

More info here, although its a British link, but does describe pinching out to keep the plants bushy as they grow, if you're interested in that:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3315067/How-to-grow-Nipponanthemum.html

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