It's wonderful to hear from someone who has acquired a new garden and isn't planning to sod over it - that's a fear we all share when we think about the eventuality of selling our homes. So, welcome to Garden Web - this is a great resource for gardeners; please come visit the New England forum as well. I agree with the recommendation above, the DiSabato-Aust book is a good one, really comprehensive although sometimes a little overwhelming. You should remember that you don't really need to do everything perfectly in order to have a nice garden; I tend to forget that when I read that sort of book. Leaving your perennials standing over winter is mostly a matter of taste; the exceptions are that subshrubs (like your perovskia, lavender, and most herbs) *need* to be left and should not be cut back below the place where new foliage emerges in spring and, at the opposite extreme, plants like peony and phlox, which tend to have problems with fungus, mold, or viruses, should be cut back as soon as the leaves turn brown in fall. Missing a few that should be cut back is not a big deal, next summer you'll get to know these more and the worst that can happen is you'll have some imperfect foliage. Cutting back your subshrubs too early or too severely might mean that you have to replace some plants. Aside from reading up on perennials this winter, consider starting a map of your garden. You can begin by taking measurements and plotting up the beds on graph paper (4 square per inch is best). As you learn the plants that are growing, and as you become more addicted to gardening, you'll be able to use these maps to plan additions and replacements. Congratulations on your new garden - hope you keep us posted as you learn more about what's growing there.

Yes, mine are in a less than optimal spot and that is the reason they are still there..lol. I heard how difficult they were to move and I didn't want to lose a season of bloom because I waited three years actually to see bloom. I would advice anyone considering placing these in the garden to consider doing the best you can to site them right the first time and be willing to leave them there for a long time. They do really want full sun. I have them in afternoon sun from 11:30pm until about 4pm and the blooming has been less than what I am sure it can do. One plant in the same border, evidently gets a little less sun due to trees shading it a little sooner than 4pm and it didn't bloom at all. They also get pretty large and I have had to use support for mine or it is all over the surrounding plants. Maybe due to not enough sun as well? It is very pretty when in bloom and is up against my cream colored siding and that makes it pop too. Maybe next year after it blooms I will move it. [g]

It's a job to keep up with cutting off the flowers of fennel, for sure. Some years I do try to cut them off before they bloom, and other years, I just don't want to put forth the effort because it is a continuous battle. But, they do put out more foliage if you do cut the flowers off. I haven't done that this year, and, of course, I just have stalks now. When the days get a bit shorter and temps cool down a bit, the foliage will begin to grow back. I have had the frothy foliage overwinter in some years, reflecting a startling green against the brown background of the winter garden. I don't think cutting it back will induce much growth for the time being, but you could certainly try it with a couple plants and see how its does for you. Please report back and let us know, if you decide to do that. Susan

Frank, After reading your OP, I think you are definitely talking about daylilies, since you said you already cut down the stems (which are called scapes on the daylily plant.) Since you still have foliage growing, you indeed have daylilies. If you cut true lilies back to the ground you would have no foliage left, since the foliage on a true lily grows from the lily stalk. As was mentioned by daylilydayzed, daylilies do not grow from bulbs - only true lilies do. True lilies should be trimmed (after blooming) so that 2/3 of the stem is still standing. Then the stalks are cut back to the ground in fall, after all foliage turns brown. But your question is about daylily foliage, and I'm getting off subject. It appears to me that different people cut back their foliage at different times, depending on their location/pest problems/disease problems. Here in my zone 5, I leave all daylily foliage on the plant throughout the winter, because it helps insulate against freezing temps. I rarely have pest or disease problems, so I'm not worried about the dying & browned foliage surrounding the crown. In the Spring I try to remove as much of the dead foliage as possible. However, if I don't get around to removing it until the following Fall, (because of my own laziness), the plant doesn't suffer ill effects. the new foliage finds it's way through the old dried up leaves just fine - it just looks unsightly, if located in the front of a border/garden. Julie