It’s that time of year again, winter is just around the corner. Although some people may not want to think about the coming seasons, one does need to think about putting their plants “to sleep” so to speak. Many people like to get their flower beds nice and tidy for the winter.
Many people will clean out their annual flowers and cut back their perennials. Some perennials will need to be cut at the base of the flower. When you clean out everything at the end of fall you don’t have to worry about cleaning all the dead debris in the spring. Also, you will avoid any bugs that like to hang out in that debris during the winter.
But there is an advantage to waiting to clean your flower garden in the fall. Many winter birds love feeding on the plants that have gone to seed. It is wonderful to watch a chickadee feeding on a dried bee balm in the middle of winter.
So whatever you decide, make sure you clean up those plants before the new spring growth.
