Which Perennials You Should Clean Up This Fall

URL:

http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/newsletter/2020/09/10/how-to-clean-up-your-garden-in-fall/

By: Garden Gate staff

Sometimes it’s best to wait until spring to clean up your garden. But not always. Learn which perennials you should clean up in fall.

Dead peony foliage in fall: Dead peony foliage in fall can be unsightly and also harbor disease if left through winter.

Fall cleanup benefits

In cold climates, leaving foliage standing through winter can help protect their crowns. But some perennials really should be cleaned up in fall. Here are three reasons that your perennials might benefit from being cut back in fall. We’ll tell you why it’s a good idea to get rid of old growth, which plants this advice applies to and the best way trim them back.

Cleaning up dead peony foliage in fall: Keep disease away by removing infected peony foliage in fall.

1. Prevent disease

Some plants harbor pests and disease in their dead foliage over winter. Cut back peonies, above, to keep fungal diseases, such as peony leaf blotch, from spreading. Gather a handful of stems and cut them off 2 to 3 in. above the soil.

Never compost suspicious-looking or infected leaves, stems or flowers. That could spread the problem. Send them away in the trash instead.

Perennials to clean up in fall to prevent disease or insect problems

Bearded iris Iris hybrids
Bee balm Monarda didyma
Blackberry lily Iris domestica
Garden phlox Phlox paniculata
Peony Paeonia lactiflora

You Might Also Like:
Fall Garden Checklist
5 Home Remedies for Fungal Diseases in the Garden
8 Late-Season Flowers

Coneflower seedheads in fall: Prevent coneflower from taking over by cutting off spent blooms.

2. Control reseeding

You can leave plants with seedheads standing for winter interest or to feed the birds. But if you don’t want plants like purple coneflowers to reseed and take over the area, cut them back in fall. Snip spent flowers back just below the mound of foliage for a tidy look.

Perennials to cut back in fall to control reseeding

Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia fulgida
Blanket flower Gaillardia x grandiflora
Purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea
Globe thistle Echinops ritro
Jupiter's beard Centranthus ruber
Solomon's seal Polygonatum spp.
Turtlehead Chelone spp.

Dead hosta leaves in fall: Avoid smothering spring growth by removing large hosta leaves in fall.

3. Make room for spring growth

Cutting back some perennials’ fading foliage in fall helps spring-blooming bulbs and perennials. For example, hosta leaves create a dense mat over the ground, which can deform or prevent new spring growth. Don’t cut the leaves all the way to the ground, though. Instead, leave about 2 to 3 in. of each stem standing to protect the crown during winter.

Perennials to clean up in fall to make way for other plants in spring

Brunnera Brunnera macrophylla
Hosta Hosta hybrids
Ligularia Ligularia dentata

You Might Also Like:
Common Hosta Problems
Dividing Plants in Summer
Fall Flower Arrangements

Published: Sept. 24, 2018

Tags:

Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work in the garden. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.