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Hello,
Could anyone out there give me some advice about what one should do about a couple of perennials that i have planted in the garden please.
They were planted earlier in the year and they both did very well, now they are well past their best. Should i cut them down just leaving a few inches of stem showing or leave well alone. The plants in question are Helenium Moerhiem Beauty and Echinacea Purpurea ( white swan).
All the best, Tipton.
We generally advise to leave perennials to die back naturally over winter as they will provide food and shelter for wildlife. Some birds may be interested in any seed heads and invertebrates may take shelter in the dying foliage.
We have got some handy management tips on our website advice pages here.
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
Hello Ian H,
Many thanks.
Hi, I have both of the plants mentioned and it's not a great idea to cut them right down before the spring as this can effect how they grow the following year. Dead head them if you don't want them to drop seed everywhere and cut them down about half of the length. You will find that by cutting them down just a little that it should encourage thicker growth the following year, it also leaves hollow stems that smaller bugs can crawl into to hibernate.