Thanks for posting that Mindy. Very interesting.

Noted that they didn't mention that the attractive seed capsules can make for (often?) undesirable seedlings. As well as the time pressure in the spring when there is so much to do. But still food for thought.

I will probably still do fall cut downs, but I will wait longer for the reasons stated.

I am fortunate that I am surrounded by beautiful woods in the winter to provide winter interest (along with grasses and many evergreens). I hope that we have enough snow cover that winter interest from perennials is a non-issue.

If I didn't clean garden in a fall it will drive me crazy.
Not a neat freak by nature (you should see my office, LOL), but can't stand the dead perennial mess in our showless winters.
I leave only sedums and some astilbes for the winter interest in addition to evergreens and semi-evergreens in every beds.
BTW, astilbes that had been left for the winter never heaved, while cleaned ones heaves sometimes. Coincidence?
While we are on a fall clean up subject, I found interesting suggestion on Hosta forum.
When foliage turns into mush, remove it and pour 10% diluted vinegar onto crown. That will kill slugs/snails eggs that were laid in a fall and will overwinter on hostas crowns. In a several years of such treatment you will almost completely eliminate slugs population or at least substantially reduce it.
Does make sense to me. Have anyone tried it before?

wow, george, i'ma gonna try it!!! wouldn't that just be unbelievable if it worked.thanks so much for passing that along.
best,
mindy

Wendy, several links are below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vinegar + Hosta

There are some things I cut down as soon as a hard frost wipes 'em out. Hosta is one of them. I tend to be do a pretty strict "clean up" in the beds along the front of our home, allowing less immediately visible beds to remain untidied, though an infestation of voles some years ago prompted more assiduous attention to "housekeeping"!

I leave the grasses standing and the more upright perennials (Chelone and Babtisia being noteworthy examples). But anything that gets mushy fast is outtahere. A moist maritime climate breeds fungus, mold, slugs, and snails. I'm not a sissy about any of those, but I see no reason to roll out the welcome mat, either.

Interesting, Mindy ...

Because so many of my perennials are nurseried I had planned to leave many "up" to protect tender neighbors. Buddleia started the train of thought since it is nurseried next to a Tree Peony that won't take strong, cold wind.

Agree that I will take down hosta. That flattened, old-kleenex look does nothing for me in spring :-)

Martie

Mindy definitely an interesting point of view expressed in the article. Like George, I hate to see the disorder out in the garden and plus in spring my gardens are very muddy and take a long time to dry out enough. I am afraid I wouldn't have the time to do everything in the spring also. But one season when illness prevent me from doing the clearing in fall fully I can tell you that the plants overwintered better with the protection of the leaves and the foliage was as you stated dramatically reduced. I can see for your garden and lot having visited it that it would be difficult for you to find a composting spot as your gardens are so lushly planted. Thanks for posting --interesting to debate the merits of each method.

Sue

One consideration that might not be such an issue in MN is ticks. We find areas that get mowed or cleaned out regularly have few ticks than the areas that are brushy or have lots of plants. So unless it's an area where I've not found ticks, I usually clean things out unless I have a specific reason not to, like wanting to catch snow for hardiness protection.

Quick question on cutting back. Voles are taking over my garden, and I am thinking of cutting back several Spirea severely this fall, as that is their main cover, and their route to more delicious plants. Spirea can take it, right?

Spirea SHOULD be cut to 6-8" either in a late winter or in early spring, but could take it in a very late fall- early winter, say late November-early December for z6, when cutting will not force them into new growth production. Not the best practice, but once in a two years you could do it with no ill effect to the plant.

It is a long time since these comments were posted, however I am very interested to know if the vinegar on hosta crowns trick worked against slugs for anyone? Thanks!

Very interesting to see all these GW members who haven't posted in years. Surprising that was only 4 years ago.

Mindy's post was 2006. I figured someone recycled it but I wondered why they didn't identify themselves. Welll, it is a timely 'glitch' if that's what it is. I want to try the vinegar trick too.

BTW, I was visiting friends in the Boston area last weekend just a few minutes from Mindy's and decided to drive by and see if the Arbo Retum was still there. It is! Not sure it's still being maintained and opened to public but the gate was there and gardening seemed to be going on at some level. Does anyone keep in touch with Mindy?