i used to be anal retentive about it all in suburbia ..... i dont really know how that differs from compulsive ... lol ...

now on 5 acres.. i do what i can or want to do.. and ignore the rest.. sometimes for 5 or 10 years..

and you know what... they all produce the same ....

so.. its just up to you and your compulsion.. or schedule.. do what you can.. and dont worry about the rest ...

this of course.. leaves aside things that must be done .. like trimming back iris for borer control ... etc ... [which i have been trying to forget about.. but you made me remember... unless i can forget again.. lol...]

ken

I cut Sibirian iris leaves as soon as they lay down, as I found out that rodents like to hide under the foliage. I also cut all my phloxes to the ground, as it is easy to damage new shoots in the spring. Peonies are cut to the ground to get rid of the fungi. I prefer to do things in the autumn than in the spring, as I have a little more time in the autumn. I cut tall chrysanthemums halfway down, as heavy snow on long stems can cause them to flop and pull the new shoots out of the ground. If I remember, I put a little soil on new Eryngiums, Amsonias and Echinops, as they can be pulled up above the ground by the frost/thaw cycles. I do not leave things for 'winter interest', as I do not like to go outside in the winter.

What is the consensus on putting a plastic pot (anchored with a weight) over top of more sensitive perennials?

I cut back phlox, peonies, most of the natives that reseed so they don't get invasive, let the leaves drift over the beds and don't disturb them (and the caterpillars, butterfly and moth cocoons and crysalids, lizards and other wildlife that overwinter under Mother Nature's blanket) until spring. Usually late March or early April here. I keep a sharp eye out for praying mantis egg cases, etc when I am pruning back, also so I don't destroy them. I found a cecropia moth cocoon today on a rose bush.

I cut back anything that may have had disease issues, otherwise I leave everything till spring. After a long cold winter I can't wait to get outside and do "something."

I completely agree with the feeling of wanting to be out doing something in spring. Unfortunately the combination of my work schedule, which is heavy in April and May, and the increasingly common Red River flooding makes my spring very tense. The last several years the river has risen high enough that most of our yard and many of my flower beds are under water. Our spring is spent removing debris left by the high water, repairing damage to beds, lawns, fences, etc., and removing the protective barrier we placed around our home. The river is clearly in a "wet cycle" and we can only hope that this doesn't continue. But as it is, I don't have the time to spend in perennial maintenance until plants are well into their growing cycle.

Ken - you say much is left for years untended. Does that mean you do not cut back dead foliage? For example daylilies, you must cut back the foliage at some point? Or are hostas your only plant?

I am still curious as to whether people think the weed whacking and somewhat untidy method is acceptable or if they would, like me, cut everything to a nice uniform and tidy level?

Thanks for the feedback so far, I enjoy hearing what people do differently.

I cover them with leaves falling from the trees.

If you bend the dead foliage and stems from the perennials themselves down so they go under the leaves, they will decompose faster and basically be part of the leaf mold by spring. It makes a good mulch and it saves the effort of having to trim everything.

Rouge21, I do not know what's the consensus about it, but I think it depends on what type of the plants are we talking about.In my opinion it would not be a good solution for chrysanthemums and leucanthemums which have new green shoots. Many chrysanthemums are not afraid of the frost itself, but if you add the strong wind and lack of snow to the equation, the shoots can die from dehydration.I think it would be better to build some kind of 'small walls' to protect them from the prevailing winds.

Thanks for the reply wieslaw. I am thinking for herbaceous perennials planted in the previous couple of months i.e. in September and October....so they haven't had much time to establish prior to winter happening. I am just wondering if a pot placed over top of a plant which has mostly died off above the ground does afford any protection to the plant below the ground. If so it would be much easier to do than setting up small wind breaks.

NEVER ... EVER .. cover anything with plastic ....

maybe.. if you care to define what you mean by plastic ... there might be a different answer ...

plants need air.. plastic implies an impervious cover.. which has the potential to create an anaerobic [no oxygen] condition ... which can cause rots ...

the only issue in covering late plantings is heave .. and all you need is some insulation.. to discourage temp spikes from thawing the soil ...

straw.. mulched leaves.. anything.. that will hold the soil frozen.. in the north.. will do that.. basically you are just putting something that will retard the sun from directly hitting the soil .. and generating heat ...

this would have been a great topic on its own.. instead of buried in this post... its not searchable this way ...

hosta .. leave it all there.. they grow right back thru there own compost ... i wont be walking 500 feet out there i a foot or two of snow.. to see if its clean or not.... and i wont be staring out the windows in winter.. focusing that far out ....

daylily ... by mid summer next year.. the old stalks can easily be pulled out ... usually i do it then .. only if i am taking a pic for some reason ... by late summer last years leaves pull right off also .... and for some reason.. the kids like to pull them out.. and that always baffled me ...

ya know.. i guess i could call it going natural ... not every garden has to look like martha stewarts out there ... or her hired hands ....

i gotta tell you.. on 5 acres.. you just seem to lack the will to care on a lot of stuff.. lol ... no water.. no fert.. no nothing.. except walking by and looking at a flower.. or a conifer...and i really cant say there is much death due to benign neglect ... so the size of the garden did away with my COMPULSION ...

unfortunately.. GUILT is still there.. that i should be doing something.. lol ... seems like you cant win for trying.. lol ...

ken

In our land of little winter snow (usually) I have found that if I clean everything up in the fall, there is no protection for the crowns of the plants in the winter and dry cold is devastating. I've lost legions of plants that way, which is the biggest reason I don't cut back and clean out beds. The chrysanthemums, ferns, hostas, irises, asters, daylilies, etc dead foliages form their own best insulation with the leaves caught in them.

And I still always hope for that foot or two of snow to insulate everything and provide some winter moisture.

No ice, tho. I hate ice.

Sandy

Ken, the plastic pots I am referring to would be pots from nurseries (previously having plants). These containers already have holes (in the bottom) and more could be easily added.

Depends what I have time to do. I prefer to cut down most perennials in the fall (with a few exceptions, such as ornamental grasses, which add winter interest, and mums, which seem to overwinter better when left with foliage), as I prefer a neat and tidy look to the beds. I view the beds from my large picture window, and I enjoy looking at everything cleaned up with winter interest plants/shrubs getting center stage - I think its lovely in a quiet, subtle, peaceful way. :0)

But, the reality is I often lack the time. I take a week off every year in November so I can clean up out there, which includes yanking annuals, storing pottery, spreading leaves over the beds, etc., but it seems I always something else that *NEEDS* to be done on a personal level so don't get it all done.

Used to beat myself up about it, but I don't anymore. The lightbulb went off one spring after I left pretty much everything standing over winter - everything came up JUST FINE in the spring, nothing was worse for wear, I wasn't over-run with insect or disease damage, either. The plants don't care, *I* care...in other words - do whatever the heck you want to do, if you're growing plants that are hardy in your conditions they'll be fine regardless of what you do or don't do. :0)

I would never cut anything down that is still green. The plants are still using those leaves. The deead leaves are usually gone by spring, and valuable mulch if they're still there. Dead stalks pull/twist out easily at that time, showing you exactly where everything is. The bulk of dead stuff (and time) necessary to remove in the spring is so much less than it would be in the fall.

However, when it comes to stuff like bulb foliage dying back mid-season, I do anally trim off each dead leaf, one at a time sometimes, leaving the live ones. I don't understand the rubber-band or buzz cuts but perfectly understand if some people prefer the look of maintained vs. natural. It's all good in somebody else's yard, so do it how you like to do it!

I get a lot of snow cover here,so,I cut everything down and add mulch after the ground freezes.
Last year I was unable to do fall clean up and in spring when the snow melted,the border was filled with black,slimy vegetation. That was a real mess to clean,especially since some early blooming plants were already budding at the base.

For me, I start fall clean up in September and finish early November with the mulch. This year the timing is off a bit because the snow from last weekend hasn't melted on my north facing border and there are some fall plants that still need to be cut down.

well pots are better than a plastic sheet ...

but my caveat there.. is a black pot.. might trap winter sun heat ...

being a chimney and all .. at least the heat can escape ...

i agree ... the plants natural dead canopy.. is the best self protection there is ... its free.. and takes little care from us.. until spring cleanup ...

whatever works .. works.. there is no real definitive answer ... and we usually end up back to your schedule.. when you are able to do it ... and what you feel comfortable looking at all winter ...

whatever you do.. dont feel guilty about it.. your way is probably just as good as my way ...

ken

I have observed that I get less scratches on my hands and arms while cutting stems in the autumn. Especially phlox and lythrum salicaria produce unbelievable numbers of splints in the spring, for some reason they like to come under my nails.

I'm so glad to read this thread. This is the first fall since I've retired, and I have been doing a lot of fall cleanup. Previous to this year, I did zero cleanup. It's a heck of a lot of work! I thought I would wait until next year to see if I notice a difference, but based on the comments in this thread, I probably won't. That's a relief, because even with the extra time I have, it was getting overwhelming. Spring cleanup, after ignoring it in the fall, is a lot easier than fall cleanup.

Digginginthedirt- I totally agree that fall cleanup is more work... Is it that things haven't all dried out completely? Or is it that all the leaves etc are all still in my yard and haven't had all winter to blow over into the neighbors?

In any case I guess my cleanup is working its way over to Ken's philosophy. I take out most of the sad looking frosted annual skeletons, run the mower over whatever leaves are on the lawn, and ignore mostly everything else.

"I do not leave things for winter interest as I do not like to go outside in the winter"
I don't know why I thought this comment by wieslaw was so funny...

I know how you feel, prairie_love - being a neat-freak myself, I do like a "clean cut" look in my garden. Even though it would be more beneficial for the plant's health to keep foliage and messy remnants of blooming intact till spring, I remove the access for a more pleasing view. We do not have snow often, which would have cosmetically cover the mess, so I make it look as neat as possible, especially upfront in order to keep me and my home owners association happy. They are real watch dogs when it comes to a particular look. But then again, so am I :).

I have done both spring and fall cleanup. I prefer fall as we have late springs and plants are often starting to grow before I can get into my gardens making cutting back harder.

As far as leaving plants for winter interest, with most winters having good snow cover there is seldom anything to see except a bump in the snow. Grasses get knocked down and seed heads get covered. I still leave them up as the first heavy thick snow cover can be early or late. Want to enjoy them as long as possible. But I don't count on them for winter interest.

My perennials are in container pots this year. I have monardo, astilbe, columbine, and mums. Also strawberries. I also have a mimosa tree I have been growing for two years ! Last year the mimosa tree came in the house. Should I store these pots uninsulated garage or mulch them.

I tend to push the hardiness boundaries, and plants are usually more hardy if you don't cut back till spring (ie lantana and salvias).
I clean up the bed in early spring, it's not like the weather isn't fine for gardening work almost any given week of the winter, where I live. I try to have things cleaned up by the time bulbs are starting to emerge so I don't injure things accidentally.
And there's really no need to be anal about it for the plant's sake. They grew without gardeners giving them a haircut up till the last 100 years or so...I'm sure they can do a few more.

I like to tidy up my garden as the season progresses. If I get too many seedlings or if anything gets diseased, I just pull or cut them.

I am especially more ruthless this year because I would like to show off my hostas that are getting larger. I also have thousands of bulbs among my perennials, so I need to remove faded leaves or stalks so that the bulbs can push through from early February on instead of them getting buried under leaves/stalks from the previous year.

I attempt a Fall cleanup but haven't finished it all ever because I just get to the point where I don't want to go out in the yard anymore!

The last two years DH and I used an electric hedge trimmer (with a heckuva long cord) and it works wonderfully! I grab/bunch the foliage up at the top (sometimes with rope it it's tall), and he "clear-cuts" it to the ground. Not much muss or fuss. We do the same only use a chainsaw for the tall ornamental grasses. We have a JD gator with a dump box--we just throw it in there--it's quite painless! We just start making our way around the yard. This year I plan to get 'er all cut back all the way around--or die trying!

Over the last few years I've been planting dwarf evergreens throughout the borders so it doesn't look so bare when the garden's asleep. Makes a huge difference. There are so many gorgeous dwarf evergreens/conifers in different colors, shapes, textures, growth habits, etc. I seek them out now almost as much as I do perennials!

I dread cleaning up the mess if I wait till Spring to cut back. Especially if I don't get to a plant before it sends out new shoots--then I have take the nippers and pretend I'm a surgeon--which is a painstaking--PIA!

I'm on a quest to tidy up the property in all manners. Goal is to go to the furthermost part and have it look nice. I've slacked on this for too many years and now I have the time to do something about it. Been on a mission inside the house, too. I'll maintain the look after I'm all done. That's the plan, anyway! LOL

Funny how many different takes there are on this, I love that!