Anyone who thinks autumn is easy in the garden never met a tenacious daylily that needs dividing.

Some daylilies, particularly older varieties, can get as large (or larger) around as a bushel basket. These clumps start to look tired and worn because all those fans are battling for nutrients in a compacted space. There are fewer and smaller flowers, too.

Digging and dividing daylilies can spread the wealth throughout the garden (or be given as gifts to gardening friends). The rule of thumb, generally, is that daylilies should be divided every three to five years. However, it can take three or four years from planting a young daylily until it reaches good size in the garden, so dividing it any earlier is unnecessary, unless you simply want more plants.

Some daylilies can look good for up to 10 years before blooming falls off. If the daylily doesn't respond to annual fertilizing and watering, it may be time to dig and divide.

But don't kid yourself. Digging up some of these puppies is a lot like work. Real sweat-of-the-brow stuff.

First, you'll need a sharp garden spade. The straight blade cuts through the soil with more force than a shovel and I find it easier to wield for lifting. A dutch fork also is an effective tool.

Remember to sharpen your spade. A sharp spade will do much of the work for you; a dull spade makes it more laborious.

Start spading about 8 to 12 inches from the daylily clump. Spade all around the clump. You want to lift the clump without doing too much damage to the roots. If it's hard to cut through the soil, you may be hitting roots, so move out a bit more.

Lift the clump with the spade or fork, getting as many of the roots as possible. Move the clump to a location where you can do the dividing. You can hose off the soil with water for a better look at where to start the surgery.

If you've got two garden forks you can place them back to back in the center of the clump and rock the forks back and forth to divide the clump into sections. Frankly, this takes some dexterity and strength. I prefer to use the spade to slice cleanly through the clump, creating several smaller clumps. Then I use a knife or the spade to divide the smaller clumps into fan divisions. Or you can replant the smaller clumps without further division.

Plant daylilies in full sun. Cut the foliage back to 5 or 6 inches and plant so the crown is an inch below the soil line. Water well and mulch for winter protection. In spring, fertilize and water before and during the blooming season. Mulch to reduce weeds and preserve moisture.