A novice question, as it's my first winter since owning my first garden. With the perennials that have now died back because of winter, do I just leave them? Or do I need to cut them back, and when's the best time to do it?
In the photos there are a couple of examples. One is a black eyed susan, and the other a sedum.
by Re_thinking
8 Comments
No,you dont have to cut them back,it leaves you with some sort of structural interest and potential hibernation sites for the insect population too.
I trim mine back. I put the trimmings in the compost pile rather than the bin or burning them because there will be overwintering insects (like ladybirds) sheltering in them. Birds can also eat the seeds depending on the perennials.
I leave all mine until spring when the first new growth starts, the seeds provide food for the birds and the stalks provide shelter and accommodation for wildlife. If you don’t want anything to self seed then cut the seed heads off.
You can cut them back now but it’s very beneficial to wildlife to leave them.
The wildlife will thank you for leaving their shelter alone until spring when the new growth appears.
Traditional gardening = cutting back
Modern gardening = leaving until spring
One of these is better for biodiversity so to me there is really only one valid option.
I usually leave rudbeckia as it’s quite weather resistant, I have cut back some people’s eryngiums others I have left just depending on the state. I would cut back yours tbh as a bit messy. I would make sure to spread your seed heads around if you do cut them off! You can always move the seedlings to a more preferred spot!!
Agree with what a lot of people are already saying, leave to allow winter protection, food for animals and some structure in your garden, if you do cut them back I’d recommend leaving the cut offs on the plants as a natural guard from frost and let it decompose on the ground
Rhs website advice varies from one perennial to another. Some should/can be left, others should be cut back. Not sure what the differences are, or if cutting some plants back promotes better health for next year.
Plants have evolved, often over hundreds/thousands of years, without human intervention. So I’d have to guess that leaving them isn’t going to kill them. And as others have pointed out, benefits insects etc. Too late for my plants this year, but next year will be leaving them.