CUTTING BACK PERRENIALS

Should all perennial plants be cut back before they start growing in the spring? I have several, including rose bushes, russian sage, coreopsis, and pinks to name a few. Thanks so much for your imput

Russian sage and Coreopsis I typically cut back the stalks when I start to see new growth. You don't have to cut them back though, they'll put out new growth regardless but they'll probably look nicer if you trim them up.

I prune all my rose bushes back by 1/3 to 2/3 (depending on the type) in late winter or very early spring to keep them from getting out of control.

I just planted a rosa rugosa last summer. I am not sure if i should do any pruning or just leave it alone this first year. I put it in for wildlife purposes so i do want it to take on a 'wild' look but I also want lots of blooms. if i don't prune it will i sacrafice blooms?

There are some perennials that only flower on last year's new growth. Most perennials can be cut back every year, but if you trim one down and don't see a lot of flowers this year, check up on it and see if it has special requirements for pruning.

I don't know what zone you're in. I'm in 5b. I have hybrid tea roses and I cut them back after April 1st, depending on the weather. If it looks like we're going to be cold for a while yet, I wait a little longer. I cut them down to 6 to 8 inches, and about a half inch above an outside bud. I remove all of the dead canes. I slowly remove the winter mulch from them being careful not to damage the buds. I give a small amount of fertilizer at this time also.

Cutting back and removing mulch will spur new growth. If I know that the weather is going to get bad again, I wait. Most times, waiting is tough to do.

Do you know the kind or names of your roses? Different roses require different care.

HELLO.... CAN YOU STILL TRIM CREPE MYRTLES AFTER THEY START TO BLOOM. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN CUT BACK IN MANY YEARS. VERY THIN BRANCHES. THANKS I NEED HELP HERE. i understand i'm yelling by using caps.. sorry won't do it again joanna

This message was edited Mar 28, 2009 6:51 AM

This message was edited Mar 28, 2009 8:07 AM

Joanna- Opposed to common practice, crape myrtles should only be pruned for form or removal of dead or broken branches. They should not be cut back to nubs. If you do cut off any blooms, they will likely not rebloom this year, although mine do have a small rebloom later in the summer, but I do not cut or trim mine until the blossom-laden branches hang down so low we can no longer mow beneath them, then I just give it a "bowl" type "haircut" - and only trim the branches that hang down. Many people believe that they need to be severely cut back to increase bloom, but this is not true. Ample water & full sun will produce overwhelming amounts of blossoms. I do fertilize mine 1x per year in spring after they begin to leaf out. When left to grow naturally, they are gracefull, but get much larger than most folks realize or plan for - they are often placed too close to the house, or in other places they quickly outgrow. The branches should thicken with time & maturity. If it still concerns you, maybe you could post a picture. Hope this helps! Samantha

Maybe if you could post a picture someone could comment on whether your tree does look in need of pruning or not. I agree with graceful_garden about not severely chopping them back (which I've seen referred to as "crape murder"). My thoughts on pruning anything are if it's really badly in need of pruning then you need to forget about what it does to the flowers and prune it, but I think there's a good chance yours isn't that badly in need of pruning--just because it hasn't been pruned in a while doesn't mean it needs to be.