Lilac-splitting?

I have a fancy lilac, from Harry & David, but it's been having problems for the last few years, and now the big pot it grows in is choked with grass - not to mention a maple tree that's sprouted up in the midst of it all. I took it out of the pot and set it on the lawn, hoping to figure out how to separate the roots from the soil to the extent that it would let me get at the grass. Now I think the best bet is to divide it into multiple plants. Too bad it's already leafing out; we'll see.

J. is in North Carolina to meet his new nephew. I just finished rereading Stardust and rewatching the first episode of Wolf Hall.