hey

most plants.. that can be cut way down .. are at this moment .. growing what i call rosettes at the soil level.. [there must be a better term.. because googling that term failed]

they are developing next years buds ... and those buds remain dormant.. until next spring.. and most things that can be cut down.. are cut down to within a few inches of such ....

so if you look at any given plant .... and you 'see' what looks like next years growth sitting down there.. you can ... either.. cut it down.. or leave it.. your choice ...

a lot of what is cut down in fall.. are those things that seed freely .. and if left there all winter.. can cause you to have a couple million of something you want a few of ...

i do know .. that i got lazy one year on some un-recalled type of daisy.. and 5 years later.. i am still trying to kill the sprouting seeds .. lol ... i now hate them so much.. i think i blocked out the name.. lol ...

anyway.. i know this isnt specific to those you asked about.. but i am trying to provide a general rule.. so you come to understand.. you wont need to know a specific rule.. for a specific plant ...

ken

Just cut off whatever is ugly. New growth will come from the base of the plant. Most rudbeckias will reseed, sometimes to the point of being a nuisance, which is another good reason to cut them back. On the other hand, finches like the seed.

I second anitaz6--just cut away whatever you consider unsightly. The plants are going dormant for the winter so you won't do them any harm by cutting them back. Chances are good the important parts--the roots--are no longer drawing nutrients from the dead/dying foliage. I leave mine if I can stand how ugly they are because the birds do eat the seeds. It's more like I leave some for the birds and cut the rest down for me.

What is the best way to prune them now? Just cut them down with hedge trimmers. There's no need to be technical or precise--just whack 'em down. I cut all but a few of mine back to about 6 inches last weekend. They're tougher than nails plus they reseed so you should have plants again next spring where these are growing.

Most perennials (I am not talking about woody plants here) can and should be cut down in fall. Exceptions among perennials include those that are western dryland plants that don't handle winter wet well. In order to help them through a wet eastern winter, they should not be cut until spring--Gauras, Western Agastaches, western salvias. Pruning of woody plants is another discussion entirely. And the cutting back of perennials in fall is not usually termed pruning.

The good news is that whatever you decide, you can rationalize it was "the best thing to do."

I think it's a matter of personal preference. In a natural setting, there would be no gardener to "clean up" and the plants don't care what becomes of their dead leaves. Please remove them if they are bringing you unhappiness. If left alone, (and not eaten by worms or pill bugs,) those little piles of dead leaves can help you remember where the plants are, especially when you're out there in the spring, hunched over, looking for signs of something green coming up. I also think the little clumps of dead foliage help hold leaves in place around them.

Thank you all for your very helpful responses. I will definitely do some clean up this weekend. I was more worried about not knowing which plants should be left until the spring since I know some plants (Buddleia in particular) do much better with a spring cutting.

This place has definitely been my best source of information since buying my first home last year.