I cut back my iris and yarrow yesterday. I thought you were supposed to divide and move iris in August, but you could try it now. I guess.

None of the dianthus I've had ever got black leaves. I have annuals ones blooming now. I hope they will overwinter, as some I've had before have done so.

Sorry, I don't have boxwood.

Sally

I'd leave the Iris and let the leaves die down naturally just as you do with other plants. I don't grow phlox but would treat it the same way. Green leaves meaan photosynthesis is still going on and the leaves are still feeding the plant.

I wouldn't replant the iris until spring. You could lose blooms if you move them before blooming so it's better to move them in August as galsal says, but they can be moved any time during the growing season.

I've never seen the dianthus problem you describe. What kind of dianthus are they? Are you sure they are not browning out because of lack of water?

Boxwood can be moved anytime, however, they need atleast six weeks to establish roots in their new home before the frost. If you don't have six weeks, don't move them until spring. It would have been better to have pruned them earlier but do it now if you are expecting decent weather for a few weeks, i.e., no frost.

When November rolls around,if I haven't already, I cut back all my perennials and don't care if they have green leaves or not. I've been doing this for over 20 years and it hasn't bothered them.The dianthus you are describing sounds like some of the Telstar varieties which are classified as annuals but are hardy enough to come back. Mine have been coming back now for the past 3 years. I always cut them back mid summer and they will sprout new growth and a new batch of flowers. I love these little plants because they are the first and last thing to bloom in the garden..with the exception of some of the roses.

Thanks very much for each of your responses.

mWoods, Loretta5: I checked the dianthus tag (I always keep those things) and they are indeed Telstar. We had torrents of rain in the spring and I watered regularly in the dry spells--maybe the black leaves were from too much water? The other plants in the same bed seemed okay. mWoods, have you ever had the black leaf issue? I love the flowers, but the foliage got so ugly. I was actually rather disappointed when they came back this year and they did the same thing. If they come back again next year, I'll try chopping them way down mid summer as suggested.

Loretta5: About the boxwoods, I think frost, or at least freezing temps at night, could come any time in the next few weeks, so I suppose I should leave them alone until spring. If I move them in the spring, do you know if it would it be okay to trim them back at that time, to make them more managable to dig out? I guess I'm wondering, is pruning and transplanting at the same time too many stresses at once?

Again thanks.

It should be fine to move and prune the boxwood at the same time.
Loretta5

I grow iris as a business. Bearded iris need about six weeks before frost, minimum, to put down roots and be well established. Otherwise they may heave during the winter thaws and freezes (PA is especially tough in that regard.) If you transplant bearded iris in spring, the plants will be okay but you'll probably lose that year's flowers. The optimum time for transplanting bearded iris in PA is about four to six weeks after they bloom - I divide and transplant thousands every year, and the goal is to do it between July 4 and Labor Day.

katie

Loretta5 and katie,
Thanks much for your advise and expertise. Seems now is time (or past time) to mulch everything and put outdoor gardening to rest for the winter.