I remove the foliage of irises and lily of the valley, because they are prone to an air-born virus. Currently I don't have any hostas, but I don't believe they get the virus. The grass and fern should be ok but I'm not experienced with those.

I don't remove the leaves because IMO they will rot down to soil anyhow, and in the meantime they are free mulch and frost protection. :-)

I'm sure there will be others who will offer an alternative point of view. :-)

Should I remove the dead leaves of the perennials or let them be? Quick answer - Yes . Long answer it depends onwhich ones you have - but it will not hurt to cut back.

2. Should I rake the leaves out of it or let them be? Yes. If you rake then chop up with your mower you could reapply around the plants or work into the soil. But it is good to clean up the big wet leaves.

3. What else should I do?
It is ok to transplant, to divide, to mulch
Mike

I agree with both of the above replies. It got too cold here for me to spread my homemade mulch around my perennials so I'm just leaving the leaves that have fallen in the beds there for the winter. I hope they'll be okay.

Sue