"Pam" wrote in message

Cory Lechner wrote:

We have a great deal of perennials throughout our property (Regina,
Saskatchewan).

1) Should we cut off the season's growth to the ground before winter
comes?

2) Does the answer to #1 vary with species of perennial?

3) Does leaving the top on promote fungus growth?

Cory
Regina. Saskatchewan, Canada

There is really no right or wrong answer to this question - it depends on
your
climate and preference. Many folks do a routine clean-up of their garden
each
fall to ready it for winter that includes cutting back all herbaceous
perennials. Others leave selected plants as is over winter, either because
they
offer late season attraction (sedum seedheads look great dusted with frost
or
snow) or because they offer fodder to local wildlife. If you live in a
hard
winter climate (I'm pretty sure Saskatchewan would qualify :-)), there is
the
likelihood that leaving foliage intact over the winter will offer
additional
winter protection to the root crown. This can lead to hiding places for
overwintering insects and diseases - depends on whether or not they are a
big
problem in your area. You can always cut back and then mulch to get the
same or
even superior winter protection.

pam - gardengal

Excellent advice - been there, done that. As an ammendment to your
suggestions, I found it usually paid to cut back and remove/destroy dead
plant material from perennials and replace its winter protection with red
pine or white pine needles (pine straw) in zone 3. It really cut down on
over-wintering diseases and bugs. I used plant stakes to identify where
perennials "should" sprout in the spring. They didn't always survive open
winters.

John

John