Prune here perennials

Wouldn’t it be nice if gardening was easy and plants actually told you what they wanted? Some of them do. When it comes to pruning there are some that I call “prune here perennials”.  These are perennials, like nepeta, that flop open after their first bloom. New growth makes a neat mound inside the plant and the area between is basically where to cut. By doing this after the first flush of bloom you can get a second round of beautiful purple flowers. I also have had success with this method with salvia. Threadleaf coreopsis and lamium also benefit from pruning back. Yarrow is another candidate, although it does not always re-bloom, it puts out fresh, good-looking new growth.