Hi Mora, I usually cut the flower stalks off but leave the leaves. They look good and work as a good filler with some annuals planted under and around them........Wayne

I basically do what Wayne does. Just cut the flower stalks - if you do this before the seeds mature, you might get more flowers. I also remove any old leaves from the base, leaving somewhat younger looking ones.

The slugs and or earwigs have more or less chowdered the leaves in a rather long border /hedge garden with rugosa roses at the back and I maybe foolishly planted crocosmia amoung the lupins thinking they would take over when the lupins were finished... I am now worried that the crocosmia haven't had much chance for sun (what sun ?)until this weekend. How much cutting back will lupins take? Thanks for responding Wayne and Nicole (I'm still reeling from your lily devastation) M

Mora,
They will take quite a bit of cutting back. I've been known to take all the leaves like a ponytail, and shear them to three inches from the ground. But in the last couple of years, what I've done is more or less thin the leaves out. This should give your Crocosmia more sun. I actually have a C behing a couple of stands of Lupins and it is multiplying and showing off it's pretty leaves.
Oh, and in regards to the Lilies... only three plants are left. And after they flower, they are gone. Ah, well, I'm a no-fuss gardener and what needs to be done will be done.

Nicole, have you had success with crocosmia other than lucifer? I've put in a lot of orange and yellow but have since heard they might not be hardy in zone 6, at a dollar per corm from Vessey's I'm a bit concerned !? M

Lucifer is the only one I've tried. But someday I'd like to try the orange one. I'm just crazy about the colour and so is my daughter!
I would certainly give them a try. On the perennial forum, some state that the Lucifer should not be labeled to a zone 5, but I've pointed out to them that under the right circumstances, it will grow.

I dug up some lupins from the side of the road and planted them in my yard. Should i cut them down, they have flowers on them.