The leaves are dying on my perennials. Maximilian Sunflowers, butterfly bushes, wild flowers and grasses are beginning to go to sleep for the winter in my Zone 5 area. We have not had a killing freeze yet, but it is coming.
It gets pretty ugly in my back yard after the freeze. Gangly brown stalks.
So here is what I do:
I trim down the sunflowers to about 4 feet and tuck leaves, grass clippings and other organic type mulch around the roots this fall. In the spring before growth, I will cut it down to about a foot.
The butterfly bushes and Russian Sages are left alone. I do trim back any branches that are drooping down to the ground. I've noticed these plants gathering their own bedding each fall as blowing leaves are caught within their stems. Some manure and/or compost are sprinkled on. I do tuck grass clippings, and straw if I can find it, around their bases to decompose over the winter.
Karl Forester, pampas, big blue stem and little blue stem grasses are left alone. I am taking a few seed heads to save for next year. The grasses provide great shelter and some food for the tiny birds that overwinter here. Tucking extra organic material around the grasses makes me feel like I'm being a little attentive!
The hastas seem to gather their own bed of mulch as their leaves die down and leaves gather in their beds. I have lost two big trees this year though and need to gather some to help insulate them.
The other beds and berms are covered with as much organic material as I can find. I try to find mulch at our local tree dump to add to the berms I am building.
Basically, plants provide their own self-care in the fall to ready themselves for winter. It is up to us to stay out of the way as much as possible! :)
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