Don’t Cut Back Everything! Which Perennials Need Overwintering & What To Leave Alone, by Rosy Hardy Gardening on YouTube. 17 min 48 s.
- Video length
- 17 min 48 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Walk the border first and sort plants into two groups: those to tidy lightly and those to leave standing all winter. Leave most seed heads and stems in place.
Leave the bulk of top growth on most perennials. Fallen leaves and stems protect the crown and roots, feed birds and shelter insects.
Avoid cutting plants right down to ground level in autumn. Hard cutting removes that protection and exposes the crown to cold and wet.
Tidy salvias by trimming only the spent flower stems and any broken or floppy growth. Keep the main framework of stems on the plant.
Shorten gaura stems to about half their height so wind cannot rock the plant and loosen the roots. Do not cut it to the ground.
For bronze fennel and other prolific self-seeders, cut off the seed heads before they scatter if you do not want hundreds of seedlings. Leave a few heads if you want some self-sown plants.
Move any tender plants you plan to overwinter indoors before the first hard frost. Pot them up and check for pests first.
Trim penstemons lightly, taking out thin or damaged stems and shortening tall growth by about a third. Leave the rest for winter cover.
Tips and common mistakes
Make sure your pruners are sharp and clean so cuts are clean and disease does not spread.
Do not tidy everything on the same day. Leave most stems standing until spring, then cut back as new growth starts.
If a plant is in an exposed, windy spot, shorten it a little more to stop wind rock, but keep some stems.
Check pots and root balls for slugs and vine weevil before bringing plants indoors.
Questions
Should I cut all my perennials back in autumn?
No. Leave most of them standing. The old stems and fallen leaves protect the crown and roots and give birds and insects food and shelter. Tidy only what is floppy, broken or likely to cause wind rock.
When should I cut back the stems I leave over winter?
Wait until spring, when you see new growth starting at the base. Then cut the old stems down to just above that new shoots.
How do I stop bronze fennel self-seeding everywhere?
Cut off the flower heads as they finish and before the seeds drop. If you want a few new plants, leave one or two heads and pull out the seedlings you do not want.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
