Why I Don't Cut Back My Garden for Winter

Good advice about not relying on the AI summary— check your sources!

Foxgloves "incredibly good about planting themselves where they look best" 😄Wouldn't it be wonderful if all plants did that. With regard to grasses, let me mention the grass "chasmanthium". The seedheads are fantastic for flower arrangements as they are so elegant. Apparently it is "Robust and Spreading", so there is that to bear in mind but I love it. I don't grow it but I am considering trying it out in a pot on a patio. I think AI is great but it is best to pay attention to the links it provides rather than what AI concludes. It can bring up some excellent and well respected websites, like the RHS.

I feed migratory birds on the US Eastern seaboard from November to March, bc I'm in the deep south (US growing zone 9b). They absolutely love the seed heads of my reed and switchgrasses for food! As you recommended, I do not cut these down until the danger of spring frost has gone the following year. Then, when the cardinals, house wrens and house finches local to my area, begin building their nests, they use the grasses for nest building. 😊. So be sure to leave a few grasses (don't chop them), for several more months. They return with a vengeance even when trimmed off in the month of May. ❤

Another wonderful video. Thanks, Alexandra. I am absolutely enamoured with seedheads and plants that have gone over for autumn/Winter. Interesting that the Acanthus you have is not invasive. I will look out for that.
Frances

Great video🌝👍 I do not cut my garden back for winter ❄️ as well.

My late sister hated yarrow, because it was invasive in her garden in the mid west ((US) . But I grew Coranation Gold yarrow and it was very well behaved in my Southern garden.

Your videos are always so helpful and I appreciate them very much! I grow nigella throughout several of my flower beds. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! I’ve read it’s a great companion to foxglove. I typically have to buy foxglove plants every spring and they usually reseed but not so this year. I think it was too dry. I’d like to know what the fields of foxgloves are that grow so prolifically in England. I saw them everywhere when I visited from the States last year.

So which plants did very poorly in the dry spring and summer? I didn’t see any aquilegia which normally comes up all over the garden. Or did I see any alliums or wild geraniums. Sedums, calendula and echinacea have done very well

Yes! Based on your advice I left my garden uncut during winter last year. It is so nice to hear you reinforce this as I am amazed at how much wildlife I am seeing during the winter months. Thank you for inviting us back into your garden!

Verbena Bonariensis is a problem plant in my garden. It seeds around prolifically and although I like to keep a little bit here and there it does require maintenance to stop it going mad. Definitely worth thinking about if you are going to plant some.

Whether to tidy away or leave plants over winter depends on you but also the kind of garden you have. Generally works well in large open gardens but not so much in small more curated ones.

I congratulate you on advising not to rely on AI generated results on the web. Reliable, verified information can get lost in search results but is so necessary to avoid voodoo science or myths that are repeated giving way to disappointed gardeners when we fall for such garbage.

Wonderful way to appreciate seed heads.

when you say “America” in your subtitles do you mean central america like the tropics or do you mean south america like Brazil? Those plants grow fine, are sometiems considered native to, and perennialize in the further northern growing zones of North America.

Hello Alexandra! I planted some Verbena bonariensis plants this year. I think they may have been mislabelled, though – they grew no taller than two feet so I suspect they're the 'lollipop' version. Not at all the effect I was after, so they'll unfortunately have to go before they start seeding themselves all over the place! Everything else will be left to die down naturally, except for the shrubby salvias – I'll be pruning those back by half or so, to protect the roots from the effects of windrock. 🙂

Such a great advice, thank you!
Best regards from Vienna 💚

Your frosty garden photos are divine! It's always so interesting to share and compare with folks around the world. My neighbor has acanthus by our property line and it doesn't get watered unless I give it a squirt. By the end of July the leaves are brown and flat, and the flower stalks are dying. It doesn't come up again until our (Southern California) rainy season starts in late November. On the other hand, there is a horrible ornamental grass that grows five feet tall, and forms a root ball you have to dig out with a garden fork. It's taken me years to eradicate it. My happy re-seeders are white alyssum, cilantro, and red nasturtiums, and my freesia leaves are already up. We have pecan trees on our street, and in the last week the crows and wild parrots have been having a turf war over the nuts. Unfortunately, because of our mild winters, dead leaves, stalks, and seed heads grow mold and promote other fungal growth as soon as the rain starts. I have to strip all of the leaves off every rose bush when I prune in January and scrape up dead material to forestall powdery mildew because temperatures can rise unexpectedly in March and April. I guess I should be grateful I don't have to bury my roses under straw like they do in the northern states. I definitely agree with your advice against 'just trusting' the first AI answer that pops up.

Gracias por traducirlo. Suscrita desde Chile. ☺️🇨🇱

I’ve been watching your videos for years, and they’ve become a cornerstone of my gardening education. Your calm, thoughtful approach makes learning such a pleasure, thank you for sharing so much wisdom and joy with all of us.

I quite like the idea of cutting the tall seed heads and then tying them in a bunch and standing them somewhere (unobtrusive), like stooks. Or stuffing them into an obelisk. More places for creature over wintering.

Hello from the USA. Our pollinators bees and wasps loved my Quick Fire Hydrangeas. There was at least a week where the bees covered it. Even my Snowballs and Limelights were visited quite often here in Michigan. Possibly they like them because there are native Hydrangeas in the US?

❤❤❤ thanks 🙏🙏🙏

Good afternoon from NZ …

The red-twig dogwoods are very colorful in winter. There are many new varieties now.

Hello, I loved this post. I live in San Diego, California, USA. I am working on rewilding my garden too! I love your garden and would love to see clover in your back yard, it is hard to grow where I live! 🙂

I really enjoy your videos here in Maryland US.

Milkweed and dogbane have seeds like puff of cotton, and dogbane leaves are bright yellow this time of year. But dogbane spreads vigorously! Milkweed reseeds itself and pops up where it likes.

Good video! I learned and enjoyed and I am inspired to go outside. Thank you!

Love your late autumn garden and your tips are marvelous. I bet it will look stunning with the frost. Thank you Alexandra.

I 💜 Teasels

Excellent work, thank you for this.

Appreciate you making the comment about the top AI search results! And these great videos.

Mullen is considered invasive in my town. I'd really like to grow it for medicinal purposes. There are so many seeds. If I cut it down before it goes to seed will that prevent invasion?

I'm tired. I'll do it later

thank you