Stop your perennials from becoming ‘leggy’ and out of control with a quick job (Image: Getty)
Spring is just around the corner, so your plants and flowers are not far away from blooming, meaning gardens will be looking spectacular. If you’ve got some perennials among your plant collection, there’s a small and simple task you can do now to ensure that when they grow, they don’t become too out of control.
Gardening expert and TikTok creator Ish encouraged fellow gardeners to take care of their salvias and penstemons now, giving them a decent cut back before the blooming season begins. This, he explained, will stop them from becoming leggy and out of control. Ish wrote in the video’s caption: “Get a much more fuller and in control salvia, penstemon or hardy perennial by giving it a bit of a chop back.
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“By doing this in spring you’ll encourage thicker side shoots which will bring on more flowers too.”
He added that this simple job will help produce a “happy garden border” for the coming spring and summer seasons. It may seem counterintuitive as the temperatures begin to rise, but if the plants are left alone, they can grow out of control and become unruly.
Ish said: “If you’ve got an abundance of life in your hardy perennials, such as salvia, your penstemons, and other varieties, you can start to see that life is coming back on them, and that’s absolutely fantastic.
“But as the weather’s getting warmer, the best thing you can do is actually really, really cut it back. And it may feel a little bit barbaric but actually it’s one of the best things you can do, ‘cause at the moment it’ll grow back with fantastic foliage, and that’s great, but this will get massive and out of control, and whilst that’ll be lovely, it’s not very aesthetically pleasing.
“Whereas, if I actually cut this quite far back. So take about a third of it straight off, what I’m doing is that I’m encouraging this to develop more side shoots and have a much more bushier plant.”
Giving the perennials a trim will help them be nice and thick come the flowering season. Ish explained that this quick job can actually help the perennials appear fuller, while also being under control.
The encouragement of side shoots will help more flowers to bloom and develop a denser growth. Gardeners World explained there are a few times throughout the year where you can cut back salvias, including February, March, May and June.
The plants may look sparse for a while, but this will help encourage a fuller growth later on (Image: Getty)
It warned to not cut back salvias in autumn, as the foliage will help protect the plants from winter frost. Cutting off the top growth of the plant so it’s quite low down, but above where the fresh shoots are growing.
To help the perennials to grow, the experts at Gardeners World recommend feeding them in late spring as well, with a high-potash feed such as tomato food.
Ish said that the plants may look “sparse and rubbish” for around a month, but will grow back to its former glory not long after that. Ish said: “I promise you, it’s worth it.”
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