"Steve" wrote in message
...
I am looking for preferrably an online resource that covers the care of
perennials and shrubs and such in terms of pruning and cutting back
following or prior to the grow season. I have a variety of plants and I am
a
novice on the best care during the non-growing season so I'm looking for a
good resource to look up my plants. In absence of an online resource if
anyone can suggested PC based guides or books that may cover a variety of
plants and this care that would be great!

Many of the books, sites, and resources I've run into really don't go into
much details at all around the non-growing season care. I've paged through
a
bunch that say "cut back and shape during dormant season" - great, but for
the novice, what does that mean and when is that for the particular plant!
I
understand what it means in general, but what it specifically means for
each
plant I am looking up is what I am after.

thanks for any help!

I assume that plants survived for millions of years without any intervention
from people cutting them back. Therefore, my approach to the issue is to
leave things alone as much as possible. I will clean out my perennial beds
in the spring when new growth starts to appear for housekeeping purposes.
The exception would be to remove dead leaves in late fall from plants that
tend to get fungal disease so spores aren't carried over to the next year.
The internet is a wealth of information. If I have specific questions on
specific plants, I do a google search.