Cutting Back Perennial and Herbaceous Plants

With the current spell of cold weather in the UK, now is the perfect time to focus on essential maintenance for your perennial plants. This includes cutting back species such as phlox, salvia, goldenrod, and other perennials that benefit from regular cutting back in the winter. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure your plants thrive come spring.

Step 1: Cutting Back Perennial Plants

Start by cutting back any dead or spent growth on your perennial plants. This not only tidies up your garden but also encourages healthy regrowth. Once trimmed, add the material to your compost heap to recycle nutrients back into your garden.

Step 2: Dividing Perennials

After cutting back, evaluate whether any of your perennials need dividing. Dividing is a crucial task that rejuvenates plants, encourages better flowering, and prevents overcrowding. As a general rule, perennials should be divided every three to four years. For a detailed guide on dividing perennials, click here for further details

When dividing:

1. Dig up the plant carefully to avoid damaging the roots.
2. Use a spade or sharp knife to split the plant into smaller sections, ensuring each section has healthy roots and shoots.
3. Replant the divided sections in well-prepared soil using eco compost or garden compost.

Step 3: Mulching the Bed

Once your plants are cut back and divided, it’s time to mulch. Mulching suppresses weeds, retains moisture, and improves soil fertility. Follow these steps:

1. Weed Removal: Clear the area around your plants, ensuring it’s free from weeds.
2. Cardboard Layering: Lay cardboard around your plants to cover the soil. It’s easy to rip and lay in sections to cover the bed. Cardboard from supermarkets, chemists, or delivery boxes like Amazon works well and is usually free.
3. Compost or Bark Covering: Cover the cardboard with eco compost, garden compost, or bark to weigh it down. This not only improves aesthetics but also helps the cardboard break down over the year, enriching the soil in the process.

For areas with invasive weeds like bindweed or ground elder, consider upgrading to a landscape ground sheeting (a plastic woven material) instead of cardboard, then cover it with bark or mulch.

Step 4: Feeding the Soil

As the cardboard breaks down, soil organisms use a significant amount of nutrients in the soil. To support your plants, apply a balanced fertilizer such as GrowMore at a rate of one handful per square metre. This will replenish nutrients and promote healthy growth and flowering for your perennials.

By following these steps, you’ll ensure your perennial plants remain healthy and productive, ready to put on a vibrant display in the growing season. Maintenance tasks like cutting back, dividing, mulching, and feeding are simple but highly effective ways to keep your garden thriving year after year.