Report From An Opinionated Gardener – June 26
The last week in June is the time to cut many early-flowering perennials down to the ground. Nepeta, oxeye daisies, Salvia, and occasionally lady’s mantle get a Marine Corps haircut. I’m less strict with peonies and Baptisia, since their foliage remains attractive without such drastic pruning. I’m going to try scalping the Lysimachia puncata, aka circle flower, this year as well as the Persicaria polymorpha.
Most early flowering herbaceous perennials will respond to such treatment with new, attractive foliage. A few, such as bleeding heart, remain dormant but that is preferable to yellowing, floppy foliage so who’s complaining? The goal is to have the garden looking good from now until hard frost.
The side of the drive is filled with oxeye daisies in early June...
and a couple of days ago they were all cut down. They'll produce new, attractive foliage in July and be a lovely ground cover for this part of the garden into fall.
