However, some perennials simply don’t fare well if they are pruned too late in the season. They need the winter protection provided by their fallen leaves to help them survive. These 43 plants are best pruned in spring. Artemisia plants can be aggressive to the point of invasiveness. Make sure to control it if you choose to plant it in your garden.
USDA Growing Zones: 3a-9aColor Varieties: Yellowish-brown or gray (flowers are fairly insignificant)Sun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, well-drained
These fall-blooming asters have generally been pinched and forced several times throughout the growing season. Once they are finally allowed to bloom, they appreciate being left alone to recuperate until spring. Several bloom so late into the fall that the question of fall clean-up becomes moot.
USDA Growing Zones: 4a–8a (varies by species and variety)Color Varieties: Lavender, purple, pink, whiteSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 3b–9aColor Varieties: Pink, red, whiteSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Loamy, slightly acidic
‘Autumn Joy’ in particular holds up very well through the winter. The basal foliage appears very early in spring, so sedum can be one of the first plants you prune after winter.
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–10aColor Varieties: Rosy pink, turning rust redSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, well-drained
Aven plants are clump-forming perennials with dark green leaves with scalloped edges. They bloom on long wiry stems in spring and early summer and sometimes rebloom in fall. The plants can remain semi-evergreen throughout winter, so no fall pruning is necessary, especially if you’ve been deadheading and cleaning up dead leaves during the growing season.
USDA Growing Zones: 5b–7aColor Varieties: White, red, yellow, orange (depends on species and cultivar)Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–7aColor Varieties: YellowSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Dry, sandy to average, well-draining
Three principal species go by the common name bear’s breeches: Acanthus balcanicus, A. mollis, and A. spinosis. They have similar cultural needs.
USDA Growing Zones: 7b-10aColor Varieties: White flowers with purple bractsSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Rich, well-drained
Most campanulas get sheared back at some point during the summer to clean up ugly or damaged foliage and encourage another flush of blooms. The fresh basal foliage that results should be left through winter so as not to encourage more tender growth in the fall.
USDA Growing Zones: 4a–8bColor Varieties: Lavender, blue, whiteSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
Several other members of the Rudbeckia genus also offer winter benefits to birds, including R. fulgida (orange coneflower), R. triloba (brown-eyed Susan), and R. maxima (large coneflower).
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–9aColor Varieties: Yellow with dark brown centersSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 6b-9aColor Varieties: Blue, purple; pink cultivars are also availableSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–9aColor Varieties: BlueSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Moist, loamy
USDA Growing Zones: 5a-9aColor Varieties: Shades of purple; pink, blue, white, yellow cultivars are also availableSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
Butterfly weed is a native to North America that blooms in mid to late summer, immediately luring butterflies and other pollinators with its nectar-rich flowers. It grows to about 2 feet tall.
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–9aColor Varieties: Orange, yellowSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Dry, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–9aColor Varieties: Red; pink, white cultivars are also availableSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Rich, moist
Most garden varieties of coral cells are complicated hybrids derived from H. sanguinea, H. americana, H. micrantha, H. villosa, and H. cylindrica. These hybrids are considerably more tolerant of full sun than most of the original species, which are largely shade-lovers.
USDA Growing Zones: 4a–9aColor Varieties: Red, coral, pink, whiteSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Rich, moist but well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 4a–8aColor Varieties: Yellow bractsSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Dry, well-drained
Garden delphiniums are fairly finicky, short-lived perennials. Gardeners sometimes give up on growing them as perennials, but plant them as annuals for the spectacular blooms that cover tall flower stalks. If you want to successfully grow Delphiniums as perennials, remove the flower stalks in fall but allow the foliage to remain until spring. This will maximize your chances of the plant returning in spring.
USDA Growing Zones: 5a-9aColor Varieties: Blue, purpleSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Evenly moist, well-drained
Most Dianthus plants can remain somewhat evergreen throughout the winter and nothing is gained by cutting back in the fall. In fact, in borderline zones, the extra insulation offered by the dead foliage may allow the plants to return in the spring when they would otherwise be grown as annuals. All Dianthus plants will still need some clean-up in the spring.
USDA Growing Zones: 4a-9aColor Varieties: White, purple, red, pinkSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Rich, well-draining, slightly alkaline
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–8aColor Varieties: White, with pink accentsSun Exposure: Part shade to full shadeSoil Needs: Rich, loamy
USDA Growing Zones: 4a-9aColor Varieties: Yellow, pink, orangeSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–9aColor Varieties: Rosy pink to purplish-redSun Exposure: Part shadeSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–8aColor Varieties: White, pink, lavender, redSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–8aColor Varieties: Reddish purpleSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
Much like coneflowers, Echinops will respond well to pruning in July, producing more flowers and sturdier plants that will stand for the winter and feed the birds. The plant’s winter survival seems improved if not cut back hard in the fall.
USDA Growing Zones: 2a-8aColor Varieties: BlueSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 3b–8aColor Varieties: Deep pinkSun Exposure: Part shade to full shadeSoil Needs: Humusy, well-drained
Anchusa plants look better and self-seed less if sheared back after flowering. Anchusa can be sheared back to the crown since its foliage declines rapidly after flowering. But after this, allow the plant to recover and don’t cut again until spring.
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–8aColor Varieties: Blue to violetSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 3b-8aColor Varieties: Mauve pinkSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Moist, humusy
USDA Growing Zones: 3b–8bColor Varieties: ChartreuseSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 4a–9aColor Varieties: Light purple (flowers are not showy)Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Medium moisture to dry soil, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 5a–9aColor Varieties: PurpleSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, alkaline
Lavender cotton plants need time to harden before winter. Don’t prune at all after mid-August and wait until new growth appears in the spring before pruning.
USDA Growing Zones: 6b-9aColor Varieties: YellowSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Dry, with very good drainage
This plant is an aggressive grower, however, and pulling unwanted plants out if fall may be advised if you want to limit its spread.
USDA Growing Zones: 5a–9aColor Varieties: BlueSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Moist, well-drained, acidic (fairly good tolerance for dry soils)
Garden lupines are generally short-lived perennials that are somewhat temperamental to grow. The flower stalks can be trimmed back after the blooms fade (this may prompt a second fall bloom), but leave the foliage in place to protect the root crown. This will improve the chances for the plant to survive the winter, especially in colder climates.
USDA Growing Zones: 4a-8aColor Varieties: White, pink, red, yellow, blue, purple, bicolorsSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Rich, evenly moist, slightly acidic
USDA Growing Zones: 4a-8aColor Varieties: Gold, white, off-white, yellow, bronze (rust), red, burgundy, pink, lavender, purpleSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Rich, moist, well-draining
USDA Growing Zones: 5a–9aColor Varieties: White, pink, blue, purpleSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Loamy, evenly moist, well-draining
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–8aColor Varieties: Purplish pinkSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, well-drained
You can trim back the foliage on red hot poker plants as it begins to decline, but don’t cut it back entirely. The crown is very sensitive to cold and leaving a clump of foliage will help protect it through the winter. Trimming by half will keep the foliage from completely flopping over and retaining too much moisture around the crown.
USDA Growing Zones: 5a–9aColor Varieties: Combinations of red, yellow, orangeSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
Cutting valerian back to about 6 or 8 inches in late summer and then leaving that new growth over winter increases the plant’s chance of survival, but the spent flowers should be deadheaded if you want to control the rampant self-seeding.
USDA Growing Zones: 5b–8aColor Varieties: Pale to dark redSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Sandy, well-drained; does not like wet soils
USDA Growing Zones: 3a-9aColor Varieties: BlueSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture to dry, well-drained
The flowers are held so high on this airy plant that it’s easy to forget the cluster of leaves at the base. Go ahead and forget them. Let them be for the winter and clean up any die-back in the spring.
USDA Growing Zones: 4a-9aColor Varieties: Lavender blueSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
All species of coreopsis seem to fare better if allowed to stand during the winter and cleaned up in the spring.
USDA Growing Zones: 4a–9aColor Varieties: Yellow to orange; some pink varieties availableSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Varies by species; most prefer dry to medium moisture, well-draining soil
USDA Growing Zones: 3a–8aColor Varieties: Pink, purple, or whiteSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Rich, moist
USDA Growing Zones: 5a-9aColor Varieties: White, pinkSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Sandy loam, well-drained
