Courtesy of Bluestone Perennials:
Leaves beginning to fall signal that it’s time to get your garden ready for its winter nap. Most of your perennials will die back to the ground (herbaceous plants). They will overwinter at or below the soil line, so you’ll want to get rid of the old foliage to make way for the new growth come spring.
The number one nemesis to perennials is being smothered over the winter and rotting. You’ll want to get the old spent foliage out of the way, and remove any reason for autumn’s leaves to drift in and be trapped around the base of your plants. Here are a few things to consider:
• Look around and see if any flowers would add winter interest to your garden, like upright Sedum,Baptisia, Ornamental Grasses, Achillea and Astilbe. If you like their look, just wait and cut them back in the spring. It is also a good time to make wonderful dried bouquets for indoors – and they will last all winter!
• In most cases you’ll be cutting back the plants to 4-6” in height. In a windswept spot you can leave them taller to help trap insulating snow.
• You don’t want to cut back plants that regenerate on last year’s growth, like shrubs and evergreen plants. There are some woody perennials that fall into that category too, like Perovskia, Lavender, andIberis.
• You’ll find gloves, hand pruners and hedge shears handy to have. As you cut down the spent foliage be careful not to crack or split into the crown of the plant. A lot of flower stems are very brittle and will snap right off, but if they are woody like an Echinacea, you’ll need to snip them back to prevent accidental damage. If in doubt, grab your shears and have at it.
• This is also a good time to pull out any dead annuals from the border so there is no question in the spring whether a dead looking clump is really dead or is actually a valuable perennial, not yet awake. Most perennials will show signs of life at the crown early in the spring, and with the annual tops gone the fall before, spring cleanup can be delayed quite a while. No plants need to be lost to an overzealous worker!
Once your garden is cut back, most leaves will blow in and back out of your borders. On one of the last days before winter tightens her grip do one final quick rake to remove any leaves that stuck around. Then put away your tools and start daydreaming of spring.
