Perennials: Cut back ALL perennials?

My neighbor told me that you are supposed to cut back all perennials in the fall. I didn't know that, so thought I'd double check with the experts here? Even those that the tag said were 'evergreen'...like foxglove (I think it was...)? Thanks for any help!

Abi :)

Some of them give good winter interest,I only cut down the ones that look terrible....

Some need the left over foliage to survive. It's like a blanket for them. NEVER cut back ferns in the fall, guess how I know? I leave everything except the daylily foliage and peony foliage/stems. I cut them back to prevent disease. When you leave the stems, it makes the plants easier to find in the spring too.

The Russian Sage should remain. Beaautiful winter interest!

I live hibiscus so i know where they are-thye come up late! I leave everything to be cut back in the spring-gives my winter(yuck)garden more character!

Don't forget our feathered friends, we leave most perennials alone until the spring cleanup, so the birds can feast on the seeds. I suppose if you were a tidy person, then you would have to have everything in order for winter.

Debby, glad you mentioned that. The finches love the seeds from the rudbeckias and echinaceas.

I do some clean up in the fall but most in the spring. The old flower stalks help trap snow and that helps protect the plants, nature's way is best I think.

Like crestedchik, I cut back what looks terrible and leave the rest till spring. I cut my tall grasses back on March 1 and they come back double in size. Russian sage should be left alone or you won't have any next year (experience). All the other foliage looks nice in the garden with a little snow on them.

Thanks for the help everyone....I'll get this gardening stuff sooner or later! ;)

Abi :)

yeah...i was living things for the birds too....now you should see all the seedlings that have taken over and i dont have the heart to yank them out - rudbeckias and buddleiias have taken over. this year I am going to cut them down before they set seed.....I have heard that either Oregon or Washington has put buddleiias (butterfly bush) on the noxious weed list....I can believe it, and I know why....
why do you think i keep offering butterfly bushes for trade/sase? cause I have amillion of them, and dont have the heart to just yank them and compost them....I am going to have to though, they are getting too big, i have some growing out of pavers that are about 2 ft tall and blooming. egads huh?

Pebble, I just checked the noxious weed list from OSU and butterfly bush is not there. Do they transplant ok? I would love some of your throwaways. Rudbeckia too, (I'm a 1st class beggar). I think the difference in our climates would limit the spread of them here.

Mary, must be in Washington....

I just e-mailed you - you are welcome to them of course...

Oh boy! Thanks Pebble, you have mail.

What's the deal with euphorbias? Should you cut them back? Ours seem to be getting a bit leggy, yet they are still putting on growth. Thoughts about cutting back?

Pebble, what colors are you throwing away? I have 4 colors now but you might have something I don't have. Ours don't multiply here in Middle Tennessee. I guess it gets too cold in the winter.

Pebble, I have you down for a yellow butterfly bush. Do you still want it. I am waiting for the triple yellow datura seed to dry.

busybee, plant or seed? yes, I actually would like some of that too......
Elena, they will be either/and/or : pink - lavender
What do you mean they dont multiply? you must be deadheading them.....
Mine have been multiplying because they are so tall, I cant get to the top to cut off the spent flowers, then they drop seeds and sprout like crazy - what??? this doesnt happen to you? egads....And here, I was letting them go to seed so the birds could eat them.....well they can fend for themselves....(same with the rudbeckias)
I'm going to cut the butterfly bushes down to 2-3 feet off the ground.
they are taller than our 2 story house right now.

It is a plant, the seed are from the triple Datura.

cut back butterfly bush April1. I left my entire peony bushes this year. cut them back in April1 too. They had theee best flowers ever. I used to cut them back ...My farmer cousin says NO! leave them. So. I did.!. I always used to cover my roses. Everyone told me to get those rose cones. Well. after a few years of doing that. ....then everyone says..We don;t have harsh enough winters anymore for that.
Best rule Of thumb I can figure out....If you are too worn out in the Fall. do it in the Spring. I have done things both ways. have had good and bad luck both ways. Some years things make it and some they don;t . Seems. like you can do everything right. and they croak. Or do nothing and they thrive. Same with children. lol.
If it lives. you have a plant.! If not. you have an excuse to go get s special something at the greenhouse. I would hate it if EVERYTHING lived. What would I do>> Who would I bring home to live at my house? I did everything by the book this year for my hydranges. Blue wave. Not one blossom. Not a one. On 2 bushes. So. when all else fails /....wing it!

Pebble, yes I do deadhead some of them but not all. The only way I get new plants is to root the cuttings. It must be because we are in a colder region than you are. I have always let the really dried up blooms drop to the ground when I cut them just in case they might want to take root. No luck. I have lots of neighbors with them and no one has volunteer plants and they don't trim theirs or deadhead them. I have pink and pink lavender but probably not exactly what you have. One of these days I will learn to post my pictures and then I can actually compare plant colors with people. LOL I do cut my bushes way back in the spring. It makes them more compact and easier to deal with. Two in the front yard are deadheaded because they balance better in the beds when they are a certain height. My Black knight up there is allowed to grow much taller and wider. Speaking of them, I watched butterflies flitting around in them all day today. I couldn't get over how many there were. What a delight.

This message was edited Saturday, Apr 12th 11:44 PM

I was really hoping to just wack them off in a couple of weeks, you all think this is a bad thing? if not, I am going to have volunteers all over the place. I'm serious, the spent flowers are way too tall even with a ladder for me to cut off.....but if I cut it back to about 4 ft or so....it would be more manageable

I live just north of Pebble, and a buddleia we planted just last summer is probably 12' tall! We are definitely going to move it! They grow exceedingly quickly around here. When I move it to a bed that is more of a "native" bed, then I don't care how big it gets. But next to the house, we didn't plan for it to be quite that big behind a lavatera.

Bill, isnt it amazing?

Ir ia amazing, actually. Kind of like "little shop of horrors" amazing! Haha We actually like buddleias, have had them get quite large and rangy before, but nothing quite like this. It must REALLY like where it is!

speaking of "little shop of horrors" you should see my passion vines. One has taken over the gazebo, and another one taking over my front window, which I have to cut down, cause my hubby is freaking out. the tendrils of the passionvine are attaching themselves to the screen and my husband thinks that they are going to go thru the siding and into the house.....so this weekend, I am going to cut them off, and root them, since now is the time to take cuttings...

Does one cut back Russian sage in late winter?

I purchased two astibles and planted in the spring beginning of May this year, but I think they're getting to much sun. I would like to move them, would it be better to move them now or wait til spring next year? Thanks, Denise

I have great luck dividing astilbe in early spring, but I just dug one for a friend a couple weeks ago, and she said it still looks fine. I'll be digging at least one more within the next couple weeks too. Just try to disturb the roots as little as possible, give them plenty of water (shouldn't be a problem with all the rain we've had), and I would expect them to be fine.

Thanks Cheryl_IL, they're so pretty when they bloom and I'd really hate to loose them. I notice you are in my area, I'm right by ohare, I'm around the area that Daley wants to replace for airport, just south of green st., off york.