Cut away dead and decaying foliage regularly.


Early summer: Dead-head flowers and remove any stringy bits at the end of flowering season. Dead-heading should be done weekly or fortnightly during summer unless you are looking for seed stock. Removing flowers promotes the growth of fresh leaves and often more flowers in many species of perennials. This should be done in early summer. Perennials suited for deadheading include alchemilla, Aquilegias, nepetas, geraniums, pulmonarias and Symphytums. (Winter: Tidy up and cut down the plants. Use garden shears (hand or electric) or secateurs. Make sure the seed heads are finished first and tidy the plants up so that they appear neat.;
, From time to time, it is important to keep an eye on how they are growing, then be sure that they are conforming to growth standards set for them. If they seem to be lagging behind for a long time, you may need to take remedial action to improve their lot, such as fertilizing or shifting their location in the garden.
 If your perennials are up to being divided (and many of them are), this is an important means for thinning them out and moving extra growth around the garden. For most plants, this can be done wherever you feel it is appropriate, although some of the plants need this to be done regularly, as explained below. To divide perennials, simply:


Insert two gardening forks together into the centre of the plant, back to back and gently ease them apart.
Trim away any rotting, diseased or old growth from the inner part of the plant. Also remove woody parts. Select the best pieces of the plant for replanting (usually around the edges).
Replant the two halves - one back where it came from, and the other somewhere else in the garden.
Note that some perennials need regular dividing or they become scraggly and cease to thrive. Watch for heucheras, asters, monardas, sedums and stachys, which do need annual or biannual division. (, This will help ensure trouble-free existence for years to come. It also means ensuring that soil top-ups or fertilizing are very important to remember and do - add this task to your gardening calendar. If a previously moist but well-drained soil suddenly becomes soggy, you may need to either fix the soil, or shift the affected perennials, or you will notice that the plants no longer cope as well and may suffer from root rot or other waterlogging damage.
 Keep the garden space well mulched and add compost to perennials every spring to give them nutrients to draw from. It is also important to feed perennials with nutrients throughout summer.
 Use eco-friendly garden sprays (see "Relateds" below for examples) on a regular basis to remove such insects as aphids, thrips, whitefly, beetles etc.
Keep them groomed.
Check their growth.
Divide them.
Always use the right soil type for the perennial.
Add compost every spring.
Keep the insects at bay.
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