Generally the advice is to cut the spikes off at the base on complex hybrids. But seeing this orchid is half violacea the best thing to do is to let the plant do its thing. You will know when to cut the spike down to the base when the spikes become unsightly with many flower scars and are no longer things of beauty. Just wondering how this orchid will turn out because the parents of Cassandra are equestris and stuartiana. I cut the spikes down to the base on equestris and do not cut the stalled spikes on violacea because the plant will flower again from stalled spikes in my conditions when summer arrives. Do not know anything about stuartiana. No doubt someone will come up will the usual if its brown cut it down stuff which probably applies in this case but doesn't apply to many hybrids.

I can comment on the Columbine. After the blooms fall, seed pods will form. If you want to start collecting seeds, Columbine is a super easy plant to start with. When the seed pods dry, they turn brown and open at the top. If you look closely, you can see the tiny black seeds inside, but you will know for sure they are dry and ready to collect when you gently shake them and you hear a rattling sound. Have an envelope handy and snip off the entire stalk with the dry pods, being sure to hold them upright. Then hold them over your envelope and turn them upside down and watch all the seeds fall out. Or if you want to direct sow them, just shake them over the area where you want more Columbine. My Columbines have been prolific self seeders. This year I have not been harvesting the seeds but rather just cutting off the stalks when the flowering is done and on a few have cut back the foliage to about 3-4" and a week later new growth has filled in the plant again. Of course in the winter after a few killing frosts, most all your perennials will "disappear" for their winters nap. That's why it's important to either map your garden, or at least mark what you have planted where, so you'll know to watch those areas come springtime and don't plant anything else on top of something. Welcome to the wonderful world of gardening! You're off to a great start! Janet

This is a great thread, even for those of us who just grow our own cutting flowers. What do you think of chives? Their color is subtle, but they are prolific perennials. I have yet to get garlic chives started, but they are white, and must be pretty. The chive flowers don't give off an onion-y smell that I have noticed. Oh, I see you do have them listed. This one is a bit informal, and draws up a lot of water when cut, but it is also prolific: lunaria aka silver dollar plant. It comes in white and, most commonly, a rich pink-purple shade. I have seen in a a very dark magenta, in other gardens. It is biennial, which means you need to start them two years in a row, and then you will have them forever, if you let even a few go to seed. Bridal veil spirea is coming in to bloom now, as the very last daffodils are fading. I second the wood hyacinth and bleeding heart suggestions. Interesting, how most of the suggestions for now generally have subtle colors. Doronicum breaks that pattern, as do many of the tulips, if you decide to go that route. I have some burgundy and yellow bi-color primroses, as well as a few solid yellow double primroses that have 6-7 inch stems, and last up to a week in water. They have a nice long bloom season too. These started almost three weeks ago here in mid-atlantic 7a and they will continue another few weeks, depending on the heat. They look nice in small bouquets with buttercups and japanese maple sprigs with baby leaves. A lush, long-lasting green that I discovered this year comes from my overwintered parsnips! Siberian irises look like they are coming soon. I wonder if a clear plastic cage over each plant would hurry them along. That said, I do not find that they last well at all as cuts, though some catalogs say they do. I started growing camassia last year. I see they are starting to bloom now. Not very impressive, I must say, but maybe there are showier varieties. I bought the cheapest, species type. Apparently they naturalize well where they are happy. Good luck! Hepatica

Here is an article from the American Horticultural Society journal, The American Gardener, from autumn 2005 on fall cleanup. It includes a sidebar on Debbie Hillman, a professional gardener in the northern suburbs of Chicago. ---------- EVERY FALL, most gardeners engage in the annual ritual of raking, mowing, pruning, and generally hauling off yards of garden trimmings and grass clippingsall in the name of fall cleanup. But this last-ditch effort to tidy up the garden wastes a precious amount of resources in the process. In fact, overzealous cleaning actually can be more damaging to the ecological landscape and less fruitful to the outcome of next yearÂs garden than not doing anything at all. Making a few changes in your autumn routine benefits the soil and, ultimately, the health of your plants. Keeping fallen leaves and trimmings in the garden adds essential organic matter to the soil. This, in turn, provides food for worms and a host of other beneficial soil-dwelling creatures that break down the material, improving soil structure and delivering valuable nutrients to plants. In addition, leaving a few things undoneÂallowing spent flowers to remain or leaving a patch of tall grasses to linger in a corner of your yard, for instance creates a hospitable place for wildlife to spend the winter. In regards to removing garden debris or leaving it be, there are a multitude of reasons why gardeners should forego the traditional course of action in favor of a more relaxed approach. For starters, how about conserving resourcesÂincluding your time, energy, and the fuel it takes to haul leaves, sticks, and other yard trimmings away? Rather than sending valuable organic matter to the local landfill, why not recycle it? The leftover organic matter can be turned into nutrient-rich compost, used for mulch, put in piles to provide winter habitat for wildlife, or left to decompose naturally. LEAVE THEM STANDING Removing spent flowers during the growing season will help keep plants blooming longer. However, once fall has arrived and plants near the end of their flowering cycle, the flowers of many plants can be left to mature so they will produce seeds. The attractive seed heads that remain will not only add a dimension of winter interest in the garden, they also serve as an important food source for seed-eating birds like finches, sparrows, grosbeaks, and siskins. And, letting seedpods form on desired self-sowing annualsÂnasturtiums, poppies, nicotianas, and cosmos, for exampleÂprovides a welcome source for next yearÂs blooms. Just be sure to remove the seedpods of any plants that you donÂt want to reseed. Use a light hand with the pruners and leave at least a few dead stalks of diseasefree perennials and vines in the garden to serve as protection for the plantÂs crown and roots. By leaving some garden trimmings in planting beds, youÂll be creating a natural habitat of protective cover for a host of birds as well as a variety of overwintering wildlife, such as adult ladybeetles, pollinating bees, praying mantids, and other insects. Insects, too, need protection from winter cold, and in warmer climates they also Sunflowers left in the garden provide a nutritious food source for a variety of birds. need protection from winter elements, like moisture, as well as their enemies. At summerÂs end, insects take refuge in garden debris and in dry stems. "Insects, whether they be beneficial or pest, need overwinter protection," says Jack Schultz, a professor of entomology at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. "Without it theyÂre sitting ducks for everything from having their blood freeze to being eaten by their enemies." On the flip side, removing all this garden debris in fall can actually upset the balance of nature. Insects are a necessary component to plant pollination, beneficial insects help keep bad bugs under control, and insects and other invertebrates serve as an essential food source for many birds and other animals. ItÂs a natural synergy that makes for a healthy ecosystem and lively garden. LET IT LAY One of the most labor-saving, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly things you can doÂor in this case, not doÂis to leave your grass clippings on the lawn. Since grass clippings are mostly water, they decompose rapidly so there is no thatch buildup. Grasscycling also adds organic matter, stimulates the activity of earthworms, which act as natureÂs soil aerators, and returns a natural source of nitrogen back to the soil. This can add up to two pounds of elemental nitrogen per 1,000 square feet each season. If you have a mulching mower and mow your grass frequently, the clippings should be the perfect size to leave on the lawn. A heavy fall of leaves on the lawn should be raked up to avoid smothering the grass or encouraging fungal diseases. But those that fall into garden beds can be left in place. As long as the layer of leaves isnÂt too thick, it will form an insulating mat around trees and shrubs that conserves soil moisture, modulates soil temperatures, reduces erosion, encourages beneficial soil organisms, and naturally breaks down to improve soil structure. Some leaves may need to be removed from perennial beds where winter moisture can promote crown rot. If you canÂt bear to leave your leaves naturally strewn in beds, then gently rake them out and add them to the compost bin. Consider leaving a few small piles tucked away for hibernating insects as well as lizards, frogs, and toads that seek winter cover. Unless your garden is huge, consider raking your leaves rather than using a blower or vacuum. Raking does not produce the noise or air pollution of machinery, and it is a healthy form of exercise. If you have a leaf shredder, put your leaves through it so they will decompose faster. Those shredded leaves can be added back to beds or put in the compost pile. Even if you donÂt have a shredder, you can chop up leaf piles by running over them several times with a mulching mower. DonÂt know what to do with your branches and other yard trimmings? Use them as a base layer to start a compost pile and cover them with grass clippings or leaves. You can also create loosely stacked brush piles in out-of-the-way spots in your yard. Use a mix of thinner and thicker branches and twigs to create differentsized spaces that will accommodate a variety of backyard creatures from reptiles and amphibians to birds, bees, and other winged wildlife. Top it off with a layer of evergreen branches for added protection in colder climates. Fall cleanup neednÂt be a complicated chore. Just remember that less is more in the grand scheme of thingsÂour environment, our resources, and our day-today lives as well as the ecosystem of our garden. After all, wouldnÂt you rather spend a little less time working in your garden and more time enjoying it? Kris Wetherbee and her husband, Rick, a photographer, are regular contributors to The American Gardener. Their most recent book is Attracting Birds, Butterflies & Other Wonders to Your Backyard (Lark Books, 2005). Sidebars: SIMPLE FALL TASKS Prune out or rake up any diseased plant stems or leaves. Discard these in the trash or burn them if your community allows it. Apply a two- to four-inch-thick layer of organic mulch to tender shrubs and perennials, leaving a mulch-free zone of a foot or so around the base of deciduous trees, and several inches away from hardy shrubs and crowns of herbaceous perennial plants. If you live in a cold winter region, horticulturists advise waiting till the first frost before applying mulch. If you have a chipper, convert your yard trimmings into wood chips that can be used as mulch. Chips made from freshly trimmed branches should be allowed to decompose for a few months before they are spread on planted beds because they would otherwise use up soil nitrogen as they break down. Instead of focusing on clearing things out of the garden, think of early fall as a time to add plants and other elements that support winter wildlife. Consider trees and shrubs that offer winter berries for birds; cover crops that shelter amphibians, nourish soil microorganisms, and reduce erosion; add bird feeders and baths for resident songbirds. Divide and replant mature ornamental grasses and herbaceous perennials that have developed vigorous clumps, show barren and dead centers, or whose flowers have become less abundant. ÂK.W. BREAKING AN UNHEALTHY CYCLE Debbie Hillman, a professional gardener in the northern suburbs of Chicago, says the ritual of fall cleanupÂpart of what she calls an overall "neatness aesthetic" in landscape care has led many American homeowners to unwittingly support "scraped earth" tactics. "Every fall, homeowners rake up every leaf from their yardsÂlawnservice crews cut down every seed stalk and vacuum up every last crumb of loose organic matter, serving more as outdoor cleaning services than as horticultural stewards," she says. "In the name of neatness, we pay to throw this resource away, compounding this folly by the injurious techniques we use," she adds. "By using leafblowers, weÂve given ourselves excruciating noise and air pollution. By having to truck this Âwaste material ever further away, we use up nonrenewable fuels and create more air pollution." Hillman urges homeowners who hire landscape crews to carefully monitor how they do the fall cleanup. "For several years, I tried making suggestions to clients or their lawn crews about how to deal with fallen leaves (leave some in ground cover or rake them from the lawn into the shrub beds), but it didnÂt work," says Hillman. "If I was successful in getting the leaves left in the fall, at the first sign of spring they would be vacuumed up. Now I make it simple for homeowners and landscape crews alike: I tell them to stay out of the beds!" The benefit to retaining organic debris, says Hillman, is both environmental and economic. Those gardens where fallen leaves were allowed to remain, she says, "were the ones that survived the last two dry Chicago winters with little or no plant loss; the yards scraped clean lost mature trees, shrubs, ground covers, etc. on an enormous scale, with equally enormous replacement costs." HillmanÂs strong feelings on this topic led her to write an essay that was originally published in HortIdeas, an informative gardening newsletter published by Greg and Pat Williams of Gravel Switch, Kentucky (for information on HortIdeas, visit www.users.mis.net/~gwill). You can read HillmanÂs full essay by clicking on the special link to this article on the AHS Web site (www.ahs.org). ÂK.W.