Not sure what the answer is, we have a lot of plant debris too, but we for sure were very lucky to not be in the path of the numerous tornadoes that tore through SE and mid Michigan. We moved a kid back to college and saw much devastation on our drive.

My hydrangeas took the worst hit, and I already clipped off many of the waterlogged blooms so my tree forms wouldn’t have their main branching structure cracking under the weight. I guess I don’t care as much about my perennials, as they’ll grow back fresh and new next spring. I’ll probably prune off what’s laying on the ground and leave the rest.

What a weird summer it’s been in SE Michigan. 🥴

Weird definitely describes it...

I was looking at the tree hydrangeas, too. I think I might have to clip off some blooms for the reason you cited, but I may wait a couple more days to see if they dry out and bounce back up -- they're in full glory right now, it would be a shame to sacrifice the show if waiting a couple days might resolve the situation.

Depends how irritated you feel. If it annoys you every time you glance outdoors, then maybe a bit of determined hacking would restore your equilibrium. If you can either ignore it or have managed the trick of unseeing, a bit of shambolic dishevelment can look charming rather than just knackered. Personally, I find a set- to with the loppers can be quite liberating, and it does give you armfuls of greenery to gather up and fill every available vessel.

Glad you are both okay. mxk are the stems broken or just plastered to the ground from water weight? I would make the pollinators happy but I don't have to look at it. Perhaps you can prop some of them back up. Sorry for the mess.

how about a mixed approach, cut back where it irks you the most, in the direkt view from your windows leave it in places in the back ( or something like this)

Reminds me of a robert mccloskey kids book where the sunflowers lift their heads back up after a hurricane in maine. great illustrations. im a messy gardener and would leave it, but what linaria and others said sounds helpful.

my 84 yearold mom spent a half hour in her damp basement in genesee county on thursday. she is pretty casual about it after a lifetime in michigan and at least her power stayed on! im asking her now about her garden.

mkx3, my Limelight Hydrangea Tree has taken a real beating too. Between the huge downpours last week and the 100+ temperatures this week, the branches are drooping and many of the flowers brown from burning. 😞

debra

mxk3, my Limelight tree looks awful with drooping branches all around. Unfortunately, when the blooms dried out the branches did not pop up like I thought they would. I can’t bring myself to cut them back…

debra

djacob, that has been my experience too with storm-bent paniculata branches…they don’t pop back up unless you cut the water-logged blooms off quickly; otherwise they just stay bent downward.

mxk3, what kind of supports are you ordering? I’ve found that many aren’t tall enough for these taller plants. For culver’s root, I had to used plant stakes for each individual stem; just wondering if there’s something better out there.

Gardener's supply has really sturdy grow-through hoops -- I'm planning on ordering more from them.

"I did have a note to self to order supports for next spring "

Also, you can 'Chelsea Chop' perennials like the Joe Pye.

My Joe Pye 'Gateway' get over eight feet tall but if I hack them back about halfway in late May they stay under six feet and don't flop. It will delay flowering for a week or two but no more than that. The tallest supports I've found available are 36" and the grow through hoops are far shorter than that even in the widest diameter- the side stakes are simply too short. The tallest ring support system I've found is isn't even tall enough to do a good job on my peonies, so IMO would be next to useless for an 8 foot top heavy perennial. So chopping works much better for me.

Sorry to hear! I do a combination of staking and cutting back. I'm partial to those stakes with the loop at the top to just stick one or two stems inside (and save an otherwise lovely flower for a few more days).