Many perennials are better left standing over the

winter than cutting them down. There are several

reasons for this. In addition to the visual interest of

many of the perennials that have attractive foliage

and/or seed heads, they offer food resources for

birds. Many birds find the seeds of perennials par-

ticularly tasty. The stems of perennials also offer a

place for some birds to hide during the winter. With

some marginally hardy perennials, leaving the

stems up for the winter aids in overwintering be-

cause the foliage helps to insulate the crowns.

Mums seems to benefit a great deal from this prac-

tice. Another reason to leave stems standing is that

if the perennial is a late riser in the spring, the

stems will help to mark the spot and prevent any

accidental digging in the area that might hard the

underground portions of the plant.

Cutting back perennials in the fall is something you

may want to do if your plants were bothered by fo-

liage diseases. Removing foliage can also be one of

pure aesthetics. Some gardeners like to see stand-

ing perennials in the winter and other don’t. If you

prefer to cut down your perennials, do so after they

have gone dormant. This is usually after the plants

have experienced several hard frosts. Cut the plants

down to within 2-3 inches of the crown. Cutting too

close can result in winter injury on some perennials

due to the fact that the beds for next year’s growth

are right at the surface or higher and not below the

soil line.

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