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If it's brown, cut it down (except hydrageas)

Written by Doug Oster on .

hgrassseeds
Tall ornamental grasses are beautiful over the winter as they sway in the breeze and provide food and cover for birds. Photos by Doug Oster
viris
The brown leaves of Siberian iris should be removed.
vkale
Flowering kale was wonderful in late winter, but is dead now.
vhosta
These seed heads and stems are from hostas, they should be cut back to the ground.
vwgrass
Ornamental grasses should be cut down to about 12 inches.
hredgrass
It was a surprise to see purple centers in some of the grasses being cut back. That's the wonder of nature I guess.
I love to work in the garden this time of the year. Soft rain fell this morning as I cut back the perennials and annuals left in the garden at the end of the season. It's cool, but if you keep moving it gets comfortable.

The first order of business is using a good sharp pruner. I love my Fleco #2 and always sharpen it before the start of the season with my trusty AccuSharp tool.

I've got lots of tall grasses that benefit from cutting back this time of the year. I like to leave them in the garden all winter. They are beautiful and will provide seeds for the birds and habitat for beneficial insects. Chopping them down to about 12 inches will rejuvenate them as spring arrives.

Lots of flowering kale left out in the garden which bloomed past December, but it finally succumbed to near-zero temperatures.

The perennial bed was left with lots of woody stems left for the birds, now they have to go. Well, they don't have to, but it gives me something to do in the garden.

Usually when things are brown that means dead, but in the case of some spring and summer bloomers that's not true. NEVER cut back hydrangeas until you're absolutely sure the stem is done (late May early June). Those little buds on the tips might just bloom. Just about everything is fair game.

With warmer days, there's lots of winter clean-up to be done and it's fun before we're thrown into the craziness of spring.

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