Pruning Daylilies

Herbaceous pruning (cutting the foliage of perennial plants) has a few uses. Often, it is used to delay the bloom of a plant, or to make it have better branching instead of just one main stem. This is known across the pond as the "Chelsea Chop", because gardeners in the UK can plan on cutting their perennials around time of the Chelsea Flower Show. (The show is usually held at the end of May.)

Another good reason for pruning perennial foliage occurs later in the season. During the hot months of July and August, perennial foliage often starts to look old and tattered. For many years, I sighed and assumed that yellowing leaves meant my garden was passing into its fall foliage already.

Before: Hemerocallis waiting for their trim in the Front Woodland

The Potager

Dill flowering in our kitchen garden this summer.

We enjoyed mixing in some flowers among the veg and fruit this summer. It creates such a beautiful atmosphere in this productive garden and attracts beneficial insects too.

Purple Coneflower and Mugwort

Echinacea purpurea and white-flowering mugwort (Artemisia lactiflora 'Gutzhou')

A lovely combination for late summer/autumn. This combination was one that we spotted at Stan Hywet house and gardens in Akron, Ohio in their Great Garden. See more about this garden in my series on Stan Hywet... here. 

The Rose Garden

Cosmos 'Sweet Sixteen' and blue Agastache in the Rose garden this week at Havenwood.

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