cutting down 'spent' perennials
garden_for_life
15 years ago
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mmqchdygg
15 years agoanitamo
15 years agoRelated Discussions
cutting down perennials for fall clean-up
Comments (15)I usually leave everything until the spring, but last spring, I promised myself that I would cut down as much as possible in the fall. I find that I had too much to do in the spring and it all looks so ugly until I get it cleaned up. I am wanting to try for the best, prettiest spring garden that I have had so far. Plants that I have and will leave until spring, are what has already been mentioned. I have lost Buddleia in a year I cut it back in the fall. Perovskia, lavenders, ornamental grasses and anything that is only hardy to my zone 6. I used to leave plants to overwinter for the birds, but I watch the birds all the time and never see them go near the dead perennials after the fall anyway. I don't think we have that much that interests them. I have no experience with cutting back plants that are still green/growing. I did however purchase a Hardy Hibiscus last year from Mahoney's in the fall and they had already cut them all back to ground level in their pots, before a freeze. pm2...See MoreCutting down perennials
Comments (6)It's not necessary to cut down annabelles in fall. This is a very easy plant to grow. I have one which I grew from a cutting. Also had one at my previous home. This particular shrub will produce more stems from its base in the spring. But some of it's old stems will also produce leaf buds in the spring so best not to cut this plant down completely lest you terminate these buds. It's not the kind of hydrangea that branches out like a limelight (which I also have). Oh and these too bloom on new wood. So leave it be till next spring. -- Marric, your suggestions are right on. Now for general practises on hard pruning perennials... It all depends. For instance herbacious perennials - sure remove the top as close to the ground as possible. These do die out anyway and looks unsightly for some of us. So these are your irises, hostas, astilbes, etc.. For decidious types, I would rather wait till the next spring to do any prunings. And I am very selective on which kinds of perennials to do hard prunings which is what cutting close to the ground means if applied to decidous shrubs. I wait till the following spring because the stems and foliage provide protection and insulation to plants. For instance lavenders benefit from having its stems and foliage intact. as snow falls and form pockets of insulation, it's very core remains protected from the worst of winter. however, I won't do hard pruning on my limelight hydrangeas. I am selective on which stems to cut as I might destroy the seasons buds. I do the same with the lilacs. For roses, I never cut close to the ground unless absolute hard pruning is necessary (like if ramblers went wild) I normally leave a foot or more of the rose stem and wait till the following spring to prune further and only after I spot the stem buds. For clematis, same thing, wait it out till the following spring. So I hope you understand what I am saying, be careful and select your plants carefully before doing any hard pruning. Dying foliage although unsightly actually helps to protect plants. Ianna...See MoreShould I cut off the spent flowers? Advice needed!
Comments (6)You Clematis "Elsa Spath" is a pruning group2 whereas your Clematis "Wisley" has viticella in it's blood and is a pruning group 3..I would stick to planting pruning group 3s with Roses..."Wisley" would be stunning with Climbing Rosa "New Dawn"....and much easier task of pruning every year being a pruning group 3!!..If your weather is still cool and you will stay ontop of keeping them watered..you could plant them now...if not wait till fall...make sure and give both of them a couple handfuls of bonemeal in the planting hole and plant them about 2-4 inches deeper than the pots they come in..You can prune them half way back for good measure...and this will benefit them to help their roots get well established ..when planting..plant them at a slight 45 degree angle towards what you want them to grow on....Jeanne...See Morewhen to cut back perennial flowers?
Comments (7)Thanks very much for each of your responses. mWoods, Loretta5: I checked the dianthus tag (I always keep those things) and they are indeed Telstar. We had torrents of rain in the spring and I watered regularly in the dry spells--maybe the black leaves were from too much water? The other plants in the same bed seemed okay. mWoods, have you ever had the black leaf issue? I love the flowers, but the foliage got so ugly. I was actually rather disappointed when they came back this year and they did the same thing. If they come back again next year, I'll try chopping them way down mid summer as suggested. Loretta5: About the boxwoods, I think frost, or at least freezing temps at night, could come any time in the next few weeks, so I suppose I should leave them alone until spring. If I move them in the spring, do you know if it would it be okay to trim them back at that time, to make them more managable to dig out? I guess I'm wondering, is pruning and transplanting at the same time too many stresses at once? Again thanks....See Moremad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
15 years agojohn_4b
15 years agoduluthinbloomz4
15 years agoKat SE Wisconsin z5
15 years agogarden_for_life
15 years agoDonna
15 years agogottagarden
15 years agoterrene
15 years agolilsprout
15 years agoalia
15 years agoDYH
15 years ago
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