Selective Removal. Sounds kind of surgical, but is my favorite method for autumn cut back. Leaving plants up adds fall and winter interest, provides bird forage and shelter, and keeps the soil protected from winter temperature extremes and erosion. Leaving plants up is generally more aesthetically pleasing than the severely chopped and roundy-moundy looks associated with total cut back.
Assess what plants will be in the way of paths, and what will be an eye-sore in the months to come, paying attention to main entryways and focal points, and take those plants back. Leave the rest, and voila......you're finished!
Oh, and don't forget to leave the leaves on the gardens!!!
2 comments:
For me (a truly lazy gardener) only the weedy/seedy get cut down in fall. I love how the dead foliage looks popping out of the snow. It's the only show in town come February.
Christine in Alaska
Thanks for the comment, Christine B! Although not in Alaska, here in Minnesota I can understand the need to see some foliage, dead as it may be, in the depths of winter.
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