The mindset of many gardeners turns to tidying up their space in the fall. While pruning and cutting back can make a difference, there are some plants I advise not trimming this month, as they are best left until spring.
In a nutshell, October is not the month to prune spring-flowering shrubs or cut back some of the best perennials for providing food for birds throughout the winter months. Pruning shrubs that flower on wood developed the previous year means you miss out on spring blooms, and cutting back plants like coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and globe thistle impacts wildlife at times when food is scarce.
