mflewis’s Question

I have a number of dahlia plants. Every year, in the middle of October, a frost has turned the leaves to mush, at which point, I’ve cut the plants back a few inches above the ground, covering them with the cut stems for protection. (I then remove the cut stems in the spring.) Here we are in November, and we’ve still had no such frost. A couple of the bushes have only a few green leaves remaining, but the others not only have leaves, they still have blossoms! Do I just wait patiently? By the way, I always leave the tubers / corms in the ground all year long; the only time I ever dug them up for the winter, I lost them all.

I have the same question with regards my 3 hydrangeas. They really need pruning, but they still have green leaves! (Except for 1, which turned brown, mysteriously, in early September.)

Thanks!
Mary Fran

Posted by Mary Fran Lewis on November 3, 2016