re: pinching
- To: "'perennials'" <perennials@mallorn.com>
- Subject: re: pinching
- From: S* C* <c*@ntx1.cso.uiuc.edu>
- Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 11:18:29 -0600
Jill asks:
Can the following be pinched?
asiatic lilies? oriental lilies? Coreopsis sp? perennial
salvias? Buddleias?Astilbes? Achillea?
Don't pinch your lilies. Lilies need their foliage to build energy and
resources for the bulb to survive for the next year. Even when cutting
lilies for bouquets, it's best to cut a fairly short stem and put them
in a short vase or float in a shallow dish.
I don't think that Astilbes would take to pinching either, although I
have never done it. There are, of course, dwarf varieties if you want
shorter plants. I think that pinching might eliminate flowering, which
would be too bad since they are so beautifully plumed.
For the coreopsis, achilleas, and salvias, pinching shouldn't be a
problem, and pruning a butterfly bush (down to about six inches) in the
spring--not the fall--can be very beneficial.
Hope this helps,
Susan Campanini
in east central Illinois
zone 5b, min temp -15F×
e-mail: campanin@ntx1.cso.uiuc.edu
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