oops...forgot to ask about Knautia (mixed colors). Same question as above :)

You might want to remove the spent blooms on the buddleia and agastache's to prevent heavy reseeding. I keep my buddleia's deadheaded throughout the season, and always whack my 7'er back to about 4' now, then as far back as I can in the spring. It's over 10 years old and has a huge trunk, so it can't be pruned back lower than 2' anyway. I've pruned it both in winter & in spring, and it always comes back. If you're a bird person, the goldfinches would probably love you for leaving the heads on the agastaches, but come spring time, you'll probably have loads of seedlings (all in the wrong place, like me!). As for the daylilies, I don't think it matters when you whack them back, but like most bulbs, you shouldn't cut them back if they're still green. Considering it's hard to kill a daylily (IMO), you should be okay. Same with hostas; I can't kill mine. I tend to leave my few ornamental grasses up; I like to see them poking up through the snow. Azaleas should be pruned right after they bloom; never much later (see rhizo's reply).

Stothet, please forgive me. I don't mean to steal your thread but I couldn't help ask the opinion of others who have already commented. I have had the pictured plant for more years than I care to count! Every couple of years I do some "pruning" to keep its shape and remove some of the etiolated branches, which I toss because there are so many and I have nothing to do with them. During the Michigan summers (from late April to mid October) I drag it out in the sun and by this time of year it abounds with bunches of white flowers. Because of its size, I winter it in the door wall, because I have no other area in my home; I know there isn't sufficient light but this is the best I can do. This past summer it received less sun so no flowers this year... that's OK because, as you know, when they dry out they are a mess to clean up! Anyway, getting back to the question: I've never cut my plant back as much as yours because I'm fearful it won't grow back. Is this fear unwarranted? Should I take the plunge and next spring get out the machete? What do you all think?

"I've been eyeing his books. Primarily I'm interested in recipes. I watch his show ad nauseam when it's on and am not sure the books would contain additional information I would have to know. I think he is an excellent doctor and right on the mark." snookums, we love the recipes. One favorite is black bean "burgers" made with, among other things, mashed sweet potatoes. Another, which we're eating now and we make in a crock pot, is a fantastic mushroom chile. There are so many others. We use mostly the latest book at this point - or, to be technical about it, someone else here does, since I don't cook much :) - I think it's the first book that has a section of non-vegan recipes. That book is intended for people making a gradual transition to his diet/way of eating regimen. "I would love to get addicted to something healthy! After tasting some unsalted sunflower seeds, I picked up some that were roasted and salted in the All Naturals aisle. Wow. No need for so much salt!! Same with the organic granola bars. Sickening sweet and gummy. Ridiculous." We were at an art opening last night, and I was STARVING! We'd arrived late, and much of the food was gone. I took some carrot sticks, broccoli, cauliflower. I then made the mistake of taking some unidentified but interesting looking little something. Turns out it was a macaroon, and it was so sweet that I almost spit it out in front of everyone. I took a little wrapped sandwich but could not abide the taste of the turkey. It was so very, very salty. In fact, I couldn't even eat the wrap because of its own salt. Someone on the Fuhrman website made the very interesting observation that you come to like what you eat. What a seemingly simple observation! If you eat fast food every day, you will like it. If you drink diet soda regularly, you will like it. If you eat large salads with nut-based dressing or plain cooked kale, you will like those things. The key is to force yourself (if necessary) to eat things you don't like for a couple of weeks. After that, hard as it may be to believe, you will like those things, and you won't like the things you used to eat any more.