I hate to say it, but there IS no "good" time to dig 'em - it's rough going, esp. with old clumps, any time of the year! Now's probably a great time, as far as the plants are concerned, but hot, sticky, and mosquito-ridden here, and probably where you are, too. I've been putting off doing this all summer and am going to have to bite the bullet and go for it pretty soon.

Anyway, I've not had good success with just digging offsets - most times they're attached so far under the original bulb that it's impossible to separate them without either losing the bulb plate (where the roots attach) or severing part of the parent bulb. The best method I've found is to dig a trench all the way around the clump so that you can see where the base is, then going underneath with the shovel and lifting the whole clump; sometimes you can tilt it sideways and remove offsets at this point, rather than lifting it entirely. Sorry (for both of us)that I don't have an easier answer!

It helps to know what I am up against, at least. My clumps are only about five years old, and I am thinking maybe I should thin them before they get so big that it's beyond me. Do you think that makes sense? Thanks for the response. I would not have known how the offsets are attached. I will be very careful of them and the mamas too. They really are some of my most cherished plants.

Hey Donna - I'm not sure thinning is ever necessary with Crinums, as it is with Iris and other perennials. I think the only reasons worth digging the clumps are propagation, soil amendment (and even this I'd accomplish by shoveling compost into a side trench, rather than replanting), or maintaining size. The best clumps of Crinums you'll see are those in front of old homes (or the remains thereof), and you know they haven't been touched in decades! Remember also that they'll sulk for a year or two after being divided, so you have to take this into account as well.

My reason for needing to dig a couple of clumps (I still haven't done it, and the clock is ticking...) is that they're being shaded out by tree growth; it's either move the crinums, or cut down the trees. I'd suggest leaving well enough alone, in this case; if you have time on your hands and are itching to dig crinums (or repot about 500 hellebores, or weed hundreds of pots of Zephyranthes seedlings, or rebuild a greenhouse...), come see me - I'll put you to work!

Well, then. Thanks, bubba. I may just leave well enough alone, other than lifting a couple of clumps that I no longer have room for. I always have friends begging for starts, so I thought I'd take care of that at the same time. Not now.
Five HUNDRED hellebores? What on earth will you do with them all? Do you have a nursery? Actually, I bet I'd learn an awful lot working at your place, but I manage to stay mighty busy with mine. :)

I thought it was a long shot - good, knowledgeable help is so hard to find! As for the hellebores, that's an obsession (one among many) that has very few outlets - I give away a lot once they're blooming (nobody wants them unless they are), especially the ones that don't further the breeding goals toward which I'm aiming, but mostly it stems from an inability to discard seeds or cuttings of any kind (hence the hundreds of rain lilies languishing in pots as we speak as well). It's a healthier addiction than many, at least.

If I lived just a wee bit closer, I'd be tempted to pull out my "Will Work for Bulbs" (or Hellebores, for that matter) sign! :)