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8th December: Winter pruning of perennials. Part 2.  (This information is now available as printable guide)

Herbaceous Perennials: Carrying on from the first part of this discussion (21st November) lets deal with herbaceous perennials. The term herbaceous tells us that they grow their stems and leaves fresh each year so it is okay to cut them back to the ground each year. The question of timing remains.  

For tenderish perennials it is sometimes worth leaving the top growth on until late winter as this provides a little protection to the crown (the part where new shoots and leaves appear from) of the plant. The old shoots trap some warmer air around the plant. 

In windy areas it might be worth shortening the stems to avoid too much wind-rock which will disturb the roots. Plants that I leave top growth on include Lobelia tupa, Lobelia laxifolia, Salvia patens, Maclayea and Lepechinia. 

Some plants its best to leave the top growth on to provide winter interest. I'm enjoying Eryngium x.zabelii Jewel (right) dusted with frost today - all Eryngiums have great winter interest so leave cutting them back. Other good subjects include: Agastache, Morina, Phlomis tuberosa, Eupatorium, Francoa, Monarda. 

Other plants do look good but I cut them back to avoid inferior self-seeds - examples include Rudbeckia and Echinacea. On the other hand I leave the stems and heads on Verbena bonariensis to encourage self seeding. Also in a mild winter the stems remain alive and re-sprout from high up the plant resulting in early flowering. 

Another reason to leave old stems in place until March is to provide a home for ladybirds - our Lobelia tupa stems are hollow and ideal hibernating places for them.

When cutting stems down consider the following. If the plants doesn't start into growth early I leave 2 or 3 inches of stem to mark the position of the crown (e.g. Eupatorium). 

If stem is hollow I cut back to the soil level to discourage (but not prevent entirely) earwigs and wood lice burrowing down into the crown.

13th December: More Frosty Treats

Heuchera Chocolate Ruffles looks great all year. I think it is stretching it a bit to describe the colour as "chocolate", more like antique leather to my mind but such a name is unlikely to sell many plants. However the leaves are quite ruffled and this is very effectively highlighted by the patterning of frost this morning. 

On an errand to deliver leaflets to our friends at The Dorothy Clive Garden this morning, we took the opportunity to stroll around the frozen garden enjoying the frost sparkling in the low morning sunlight. The temperature was about -2C.  One plant stood out in the sunlight: the much maligned Pampas Grass. Its white plumes were the stars of the show on this cold and frosty day.

I've just been watching Goldfinches and House Sparrows feeding on the seed heads of Agastache Golden Jubilee. The Goldfinches delicately removing seeds with their narrow, tweezer-like beaks, whereas the Sparrows, whose beaks are too broad, shake the heads and catch the seed before it falls. A Dunnock (Hedge Sparrow) scoured the ground below to find seeds the House Sparrows dropped.  

Leaving the seed heads on this plant is very worthwhile. I've already mentioned that they look great dusted with frost (see 8h December) but also these plants are fairly short lived and best replaced by self seeds every 3 years or so. I just hope the Dunnocks miss a few on the ground!

I also left some windfall apples which are still sound and now providing food for Fieldfares.  Surprisingly I've not seen any of their Scandinavian cousins the Redwings feeding on these apples, but they have completely stripped our Hollies of berries.

Last month (12th November) Janet sowed the seeds that need a period of cold in order to germinate. Already the Malvas are germinating which probably proves they didn't need the cold. Gardening is always a case of experimenting and not always believing what has been written about a plant. It is always worth keeping your own records of what works and doesn't work for you.