I just cut mine down today. The voles ate the roots on over half the big 'Black Knight', and those stalks were blown out of the ground (it's in a very windy spot). I cut the remaining half down to the usual height, about 12 inches. I want it to balance out with the new growth. Also this one gets pretty tall, about 6-7 feet, and I deadhead it regularly so I've got to reach the flowers heads. The Pink Delight is much less vigorous, but has lots of green shoots and a better form, so I cut that one down to about 2 feet, so it will hopefully grow taller this season.

nhbabs, when I've seen them in my gardens doing the thrashing, it's more of a display.....'look at me, I'm bigger, tougher, stronger, and have the best genes'...in other words, beginning of mating season. I don't know if the does are impressed or not, we did have many fawns running through here, and still do now this month ;) I had just told DH earlier in the week that I hoped the bigger, heavier males weren't going to be hanging out here so much this year, we've taken out some larger things that gave them protection and some of their favorite foods too, like the ivy, laurel, blackberry. A three point walked across the front and through the island bed just yesterday, up the stairs (they do use the stairs) of the hillside, crossed the street to the neighbors apple tree.

I'd advise not cutting it back. Just wrap the netting around the Fothergilla and attach to the Buddleia as well. The deer are not going to duck under the Buddleia to get to the fothergilla. They can't see the black netting, and feeling it but not knowing exactly where it is is very unpleasant to them since they can't tell whether they might get caught up in it.

Hi, Mary and Diann- When I said I "dig' a hole, I must admit that I use my trusted Mantis to do a lot of the work. I don't dig what I would call a "trench". It really is a big hole - this year about 5 foot square...just make it however big you need to get all the pots inside. I DO dig it quite deep - usually 2.5 to 3' in depth and try to make sure the bottom is flat. Also, if you have a slight incline, that is nice, too, as it helps make sure nothing is sitting in water if the ground doesn't take the water quick enough - not a good idea to have things sitting with wet roots, so place the pots so the low end has fewer pots or raise the pots a bit in that area with rocks or something. The perimeter of the hole is mounded with the dirt from the hole, so it provides an extra bit of protection from the wind. I put like-sized pots beside each other as closely as I can get them, and then shovel dirt in between the pots. (The first year I did this to discourage voles, mice, etc. from nesting in the hole over the winter, but I also feel it helps insulate the pots better.) Then, after all the pots are in place with dirt between them - as if they are just planted in the ground, but a few feet lower, I await the first hard frost. When that has hit, I then pile in dry leaves, along with large sticks and branches that may have falled from trees, so as to not compact the leaves too much. When the top of the hole is level (not the top of the sides of piled dirt), I place a few more branches over the top of the leaves, or anchor a tarp that will allow air flow, but not allow the leaves to blow away. One doesn't really need a tarp unless blowing leaves are a problem. And, yes, the two feet is the space ABOVE the top of the pots. Its a lot of digging, but it provides the perfect place in the spring to amend dirt with peat moss, sand, and compost, before putting it into places in the garden, once the pots have been removed. When I finish doing that, I put the leaves back into the hole between layers of dirt and other compost. By the time summer comes around, I have a nice "bed" of good dirt to dig into if I need it, however since I got the Mantis Compost Twin, I haven't needed much additional mulch. That thing works great as long as I get the moisture balance right. Hope this clarifies what I do. Now, if you don't have time to get those plants into the ground where you want them to stay, put them in a temporary location, settle them in for the winter, and enjoy planning next year's gardens! A final "tip". Make sure all the pots have markers in them to identify the plant, AND, make a list of what is in the hole so you can plan over the winter as to where you want them to be placed. Its great if you can get them into the ground before they really start growing. Sometimes I put a bit of fertilizer on the top of the pots and allow it to work itself through the dirt over the winter. I think it makes the spring growth a bit...