" Jeanne Stockdale" wrote in message
...
We moved to our present house some 2 years ago and from a garden the
size of
a postage stamp to one which takes up about half an acre - . I am
having a
wonderful time gardening but there is an awful lot I don't know.

My particular problem at the moment is what to do with all the
perennials.
Last year I didn't cut the dead growth back until the spring - in
the belief
that I was protecting the new shoots from winter frosts and snow. It
does
mean however that the garden looks very untidy throughout the winter
and I
realise that I am possibly providing ideal conditions for slugs to
hide.

So when is the correct time to cut everything back?
Jeanne Stockdale

Either cut back sometime soon when things start to look tatty
OR fold the dead foliage over the crown of the plant to protect it
from the worst of the weather. It will also provide a refuge for
insects etc. You can then remove it in spring when stuff start to grow
again.

Jenny