If you want your irises (Iridaceae spp.) to put on a real show next spring, don't reach for the clippers too soon. It's easy to get impatient when the flower stalks start to flop in midsummer, but ...

To cut or not to cut? That is the perennial question—pardon the pun—when it comes to cutting back plants in fall. With perennials, there is no one perfect time to cut back plants as a group. Some ...

The flowers are fading, leaves are falling, and the lawn has lost its summer beauty as we inch into autumn. Drought and intense heat have left many plants struggling, and what was once a beautiful ...

There’s an old saying in pruning: “Prune until it hurts, and then prune some more.” The advice helps overcome our fear of cutting away too many branches. Other pruning adages are less useful. “When in ...

Welcome to fall, where most of your gardening to-do list involves chopping back the flowers, shrubs, trees and other growing things in your yard. Pruning is such a big part of fall cleanup that it may ...