21 Perennials You Need To Cut Back This Spring

Spring is the perfect time to refresh your garden by cutting back certain perennials. This simple task promotes healthy growth, vibrant blooms, and extended flowering. This guide shows you 21 perennials to cut back in spring, that will reward you with lush greenery and stunning flowers!

Green Globe Thistle flowers blossoming in a park in nature. Echinops growing and blooming in a field in summer. Beautiful stalwart perennials budding in a garden. Wild plants growing in a meadow.YayImages

Perennials to Cut Back in Spring

Let’s dive straight into the best perennials to cut back in spring, so you can enjoy a thriving, beautiful garden all season long!

1. Lamb’s Ear

Lambs ear plant growing in a rock garden.YayImages

Lamb’s Ear (Stachys byzantina) is loved for its soft, silvery foliage, but winter can leave it looking a bit messy. In early spring, trim the old, soggy leaves back to the base to make room for fresh new growth.

This cleanup prevents mold and helps the plant stay neat and tidy. As the weather warms, you’ll enjoy the sight of fresh velvety leaves spreading throughout your garden.

2. Coneflower

Coneflower care.YayImages

Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) are garden favorites, but they can look scruffy after winter. Cutting the stems back to a few inches above the ground in spring clears the way for strong, healthy growth.

This encourages a full flush of vibrant blooms that will last all season. Plus, pollinators like bees and butterflies will flock to your garden to enjoy the colorful display.

3. Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed susan or Rudbeckia hirta plant, brown betty, gloriosa daisy, golden Jerusalem.YayImages

Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are tough, cheerful perennials that benefit from being cut back in spring. Trimming back the old, woody stems ensures they’ll grow back bushier and healthier.

By removing debris, you’ll also prevent pests and disease from lingering. Soon, your garden will glow with bright, golden blooms that last well into late summer.

4. Butterfly Bush

Buddleja plant with purple flowers growing in a garden.YayImages

The Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) thrives on a good, hard pruning in spring. Cut it back to about 12–18 inches to promote vigorous new growth and a more compact shape.

This keeps the plant from getting leggy and ensures it’s loaded with blooms. Before you know it, butterflies and hummingbirds will be fluttering around the fragrant flowers.

5. Coreopsis

Coreopsis flowers growing in a small flower bed in the front yard.YayImages

Coreopsis is a low-maintenance perennial that thrives with a spring trim. Snip back the dead stems to a few inches above the soil to encourage fresh, leafy shoots.

This helps the plant stay bushy and keeps it covered in cheerful yellow or pink flowers. You’ll be rewarded with bright, daisy-like blooms from early summer through fall.

6. Penstemon

Penstemon plant with purple flowers growing in a field.YayImages

Penstemon, or Beardtongue, benefits from being pruned back by about one-third in spring. This prevents the plant from getting woody and encourages fresh, lush growth.

The pruning also boosts the production of its beautiful tubular flowers. Hummingbirds and bees will be buzzing around your garden, drawn to these vibrant blooms.

7. Russian Sage

Russian sage perennial that bloom spring to fallYayImages

Russian Sage is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant that loves a spring haircut. Trim it back to about 6–12 inches to stimulate fresh, silvery foliage.

This keeps the plant from becoming too woody and ensures a tidy, compact shape. By summer, tall spikes of lavender-blue flowers will be swaying in the breeze.

8. Sedum

Sedum autumn joy in the garden with pink flowers.YayImages

Sedum, especially varieties like ‘Autumn Joy,’ looks best when cut back in early spring. Trim the old, dried stems down to the ground to allow fresh, succulent growth to emerge.

This ensures a tidy appearance and prepares the plant for its late-summer flower show. Expect clusters of pink blooms that mature to a beautiful coppery hue.

9. Globe Thistle

Globe Thistle flowers. Blue Globe Thistle Flowers, known as Echinops and stalwart perennial.YayImages

Globe Thistle (Echinops) can look rough after winter, but a spring trim works wonders. Cut the dead stems back to the base to encourage fresh, vibrant growth.

This ensures the plant produces its signature spiky, globe-shaped blooms. Bees and butterflies will soon flock to these unique, textured flowers.

10. Lavender

French lavender (Lavandula dentata) growing in a garden.YayImages

Lavender appreciates a light trim in spring to remove older, woody growth. Prune back about one-third of the plant to encourage new, fragrant shoots.

This helps maintain a compact, bushy shape and stimulates flower production. By summer, your garden will be filled with soothing scent and lovely purple blooms.

11. Chrysanthemums

Pink perennial chrysanthemum flowers.YayImages

Chrysanthemums, or mums, can look leggy if left untrimmed, so cutting them back in spring is essential. Prune the dead stems to the ground, encouraging a fresh flush of leaves.

This keeps the plant compact and ensures it won’t flop over later in the season. By fall, you’ll enjoy vibrant, long-lasting blooms that brighten up your garden.

12. Japanese Anemone

Pink flowers of Japanese anemon growing in the garden or parkYayImages

Japanese Anemones thrive when their old, woody stems are removed in early spring. Cutting them back to the ground clears the way for fresh, healthy growth.

This helps the plant produce more elegant, cup-shaped blooms later in the season. With the right care, these flowers will grace your garden with soft pink and white hues in late summer.

13. Fountain Grass

Clump of ornamental fountain grass Pennisetum alopecuroides in flower.YayImages

Fountain Grass (Pennisetum) should be cut back to just a few inches above the soil in early spring. This allows the plant to produce fresh, green blades and keeps it looking tidy.

The new growth will soon form graceful, arching clumps topped with soft, feathery plumes. By mid-summer, you’ll have a stunning ornamental grass swaying in the breeze.

14. Coral Bells

Heuchera coral bells in a pot with other winter container plants.YayImages

Coral Bells (Heuchera) benefit from a light pruning in spring to remove dead or damaged leaves. Snip back old growth to make way for fresh, colorful foliage.

This helps the plant maintain its vibrant appearance and supports healthy growth. Soon, delicate flower stalks will emerge, adding even more charm to your garden.

15. Red-hot Poker

Beautiful orange tropical flower of kniphofia red hot poker.YayImages

Red-hot Poker (Kniphofia) needs a good trim in early spring to remove last year’s spent foliage. Cut back the leaves to the base to encourage vigorous new shoots.

This ensures a clean start for the plant and promotes more flower spikes. By summer, you’ll be rewarded with bold, fiery blooms that attract hummingbirds.

16. Pincushion Flower

Butterfly blue scabiosa flower.YayImages

Pincushion Flowers (Scabiosa) appreciate being cut back in spring to clear away old growth. Trim the dead stems to a few inches above the ground for fresh, new shoots.

This keeps the plant tidy and encourages a long season of bloom. Soon, you’ll enjoy delicate, lavender-blue flowers that attract butterflies to your garden.

17. Shasta Daisy

Daisy flowers growing in a field or botanical garden on a sunny day outdoors. Shasta or max chrysanthemum daisies from the asteraceae species with white petals and yellow pistil blooming in spring.YayImages

Shasta Daisies (Leucanthemum) look their best when pruned in early spring. Cut back the old, brown stems to the base to allow for lush, green growth.

This encourages fuller plants and ensures a long blooming period. By early summer, cheerful white daisies with sunny yellow centers will brighten up your garden.

18. Aster

Large bush of fragrant purple blue asters October skies and warm sunYayImages

Asters thrive with a good spring trim to remove last year’s spent stems. Cut them back to a few inches above the ground to promote fresh, healthy growth.

This ensures a bushier plant and abundant flowers later in the season. By fall, your garden will be filled with vibrant purple and blue blooms.

19. Verbena

Verbena flowers growing in a pot in front of a white background.YayImages

Verbena benefits from a spring pruning to stimulate new growth. Trim back the old stems to about half their height for a more compact, bushy plant.

This encourages continuous blooming throughout the season. Soon, clusters of small, colorful flowers will cover the plant, attracting bees and butterflies.

20. Joe Pye Weed

Joe Pye Weed.YayImages

Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium) should be cut back in spring to clear away old stems. Prune it down to a few inches above the ground to encourage strong, fresh shoots.

This promotes healthy growth and abundant flower clusters. By late summer, your garden will be adorned with tall, fragrant blooms that attract pollinators.

21. Fuchsia

Image of beautiful fuchsia magellanica flower, hummingbird fuchsia or hardy fuchsia, Hanging fuchsia flowers in the garden.YayImages

Fuchsias benefit from a good pruning in spring to remove any dead or weak stems. Cut the plant back by about one-third to stimulate fresh, bushy growth.

This ensures the plant stays compact and produces an abundance of flowers. By summer, you’ll enjoy a cascade of colorful, bell-shaped blooms that brighten up containers and borders.

Conclusion

Pruning your perennials in spring is a simple but powerful way to ensure a healthy, vibrant garden. By giving these plants a fresh start, you’ll enjoy lush foliage, abundant blooms, and a more attractive landscape throughout the growing season.

Knowing the right perennials to cut back in spring is essential for setting your garden up for success. With a little care and attention, your garden will thrive and flourish, bringing joy all season long.

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