Wait until fall frost kills tall phlox before pruning to the ground; fall pruning is keeps powdery mildew at bay. Regular deadheading and light trimming encourage bushier growth, extend blooming, and ...

Q: I have planted quite a few phlox plants in my border this year, and they are flowering beautifully. When the blooms fade, is it a good idea to deadhead them? And if so, what's the best approach to ...

A: Tracy DiSabato-Aust, a well-regarded author and horticulturist from central Ohio, recommends cutting Phlox paniculata back by one-half before it flowers, when the plant reaches 16 to 24 inches in ...

Most people think of pruning as a late winter or early spring chore, but cutting back some of your perennials in fall can have major benefits for the plant—and your garden. And as it turns out, you ...

Flowers are the ephemerals of the garden. They vanish without a trace at the end of each season, so you would hardly think them worth pruning during their brief stay. Yet pruning can help make more ...

Prune at the right time, and garden phlox typically rewards you with stronger regrowth and cleaner foliage in spring. It's also a pollinator favorite -- so keeping it healthy doesn't just benefit your ...

Shear sections of bee balm once or twice in the spring, and the plant will flower in layers and bloom for weeks longer than usual. But prune perennials? Isn’t pruning just for woody plants? Not at all ...

During the height of summer, plant growth is in full force. And while it's tempting to hold onto as many blooms as possible for as long as you can, it’s sometimes helpful to trim away sections of ...

When it comes to pruning, I am a minimalist. I will shave a bit from my shrubs and roses, but I never even considered pruning perennials until I heard Tracy DiSabato-Aust describe how -- and why -- it ...