Preparing your perennial garden for winter?

November is almost here, and it’s time to get your perennial flower garden ready for winter. Do you cut it down or don’t you?

The traditional approach to preparing herbaceous perennial beds for winter is to remove all of this year's dead plant material from the garden. The idea is that removing all dead material now in the fall removes any diseased plant parts. It also provides a clean slate for new growth in the spring. Tender new growth will less likely be damaged than if you try to remove last year's growth when the plants are actively growing in the spring.

Other gardeners leave all of their plant growth untouched in the fall. The dried plant stems and leaves provide valuable cover for over-wintering beneficial insects. Plus, many perennial stalks will be supporting seed heads provid