So glad you wrote about NOT cutting back. I have seen countless posts showing people cutting with abandon but I have hesitated because it seemed ridiculous to leave the old stems all winter just to fall at the last hurdle and risk it all. it's definitely not looking attractive though...
I rarely see them. I've noticed ladybirds in stalks in the middle of the winter as I pass but that's it. I think a lot have moved by the time I start cutting back. I noticed some great emerging stems this weekend but the temperatures have been so low that the leaves would have been scorched if they'd been exposed. I think insects would have died too.
Yes you are right. I was trying to find some definitive research but a of course nothing covers them all. Either way, it’s always good to leave something there. But then bare earth is very good in other spots.
Always glad for the excuse to not cut back early. Yes agree it looks messy but then I noticed quite a few ladybirds so I know I have to be patient.
I’ll crack on with seeds :)
Surrendering to this. A great lesson!
So glad you wrote about NOT cutting back. I have seen countless posts showing people cutting with abandon but I have hesitated because it seemed ridiculous to leave the old stems all winter just to fall at the last hurdle and risk it all. it's definitely not looking attractive though...
Yes! You are so right. It does look grotty though. We are conditioned to enjoy it ‘tidy’ aren’t we? It’s tidy for insects!
Do you check to see if insects are still in the standing foliage?
I rarely see them. I've noticed ladybirds in stalks in the middle of the winter as I pass but that's it. I think a lot have moved by the time I start cutting back. I noticed some great emerging stems this weekend but the temperatures have been so low that the leaves would have been scorched if they'd been exposed. I think insects would have died too.
Very hard to get a handle on this one - insects differ, after all. And the effect of different years and different weather complicates it all.
Yes you are right. I was trying to find some definitive research but a of course nothing covers them all. Either way, it’s always good to leave something there. But then bare earth is very good in other spots.
I'm allergic to the sight of bare soil. Unnatural and a weed invitation, I think.