Some of what you've mentioned can stay in the ground year round typically in most areas thru-out Canada, but others are dependant on being lifted and stored if you are in less tropical areas in Canada.

If you tell us your zone/where you are in Canada, and list what you've got - you'll get some of the best advice from the seasoned pro's that surf here not only on what to lift and store but how to do it correctly.

Cheers and welcome!

Dana,

Welcome to the forum! Great bunch here, and we can certainly help.

As Sydseeds says, just give us your zone, and what you've planted, and we'll be more than happy to help out!

Welcome. I enjoy a perennial garden too. It's provides a maximum show for such little effort. It does however require a bit of help in the first year but you will be rewarded grandly in the succeeding years.

Perennials as you know return yeear to year. Dahlias aren't classified as perennials because they won't survive winter in this zone (from 6- below). They, like cannas & begonnias require being dug up and stored over winter. So in a way, they are annuals. In warmer zones they can be classified as perennials.

For winter, dahlia roots need to be removed for storing. Wait till the first frost, when the top part of the plant dies off. Remove,clean off the soil, airdry for abit,dust with anti fungal powder, wrap in old newsprints or in a dry peatmoss/soilless mix and keep it stored in dark place in your home. Others here can offer you guidance on their preferred method. I'm always prone to short cuts when it comes to overwintering roots.

As for shasta daisy - the perennial kind. Leave it. It will die to the ground and you can trim off the excess dead leaves or simply leave it where it is for the winter. It will act as a mulch. It will provide you with more shoots/stems next year. My shasta daisy grown from seed has expanded much in it's third year that since then I've had to divide it many times over to keep it a small clump.

Lilies. They will die off and even muliply next year.

In the fall, I normally would prune off some parts of perennials but always keeping in mind to leave some leaves, stems behind for winter protection. I especially do not hard prune my lavenders.

So - list your plants and we will give you specific treatments for each of them.

Welcome to the forum.

Ianna

Welcome to gardening! And a bit more advice... I used to leave everything over the winter but learned that if you have bug problems, cut back and remove foliage in the fall rather than leaving it to catch winter snow. That protection for the plant also protects the insects.
Lilies - I'm no expert but have been told to leave the foliage until it is totally brown. It's providing food to the bulb until then.
If you cut back plants with hollow stems (i.e. peonies, delphiniums), bend the stems. That way rain won't get to the base of the plant to create rot.