Judy, Wait until they are fully dormant then put a spade under and around the clump and lift them en bloc. Then just wash the soil off and carefully pull them apart - keeping as many of the thong-like roots as possible attached to the basal plate of the bulbs. Don't worry if you snap some of the roots half way down - they go deep and it is almost impossible not to. You won't do any harm, and bulbs with no roots at all will regrow them. I lift and divide mine on a three year cycle - they can indeed rot out if you leave them too long. The old foliage hangs around for quite a while once they are dormant so you'll have no trouble seeing where they are. J. Dr John T Lonsdale 407 Edgewood Drive, Exton, Pennsylvania 19341, USA Phone: 610 594 9232 Fax: 801 327 1266 Visit "Edgewood" - The Lonsdale Garden at http://www.edgewoodgardens.net/ Zone 6b