Q: When should I prune daylilies--in the fall or spring?

A: In general you may trim away any browned and dead portions of perennials once frost has killed back the tops. On daylilies, as with many other perennials, this would certainly include old and dried up flowering stems. Evergreen crowns or foliage on perennials should be left as is over the winter, with any tidying done in the spring. Some daylilies are evergreen and some are semi-evergreen; on these plants the evergreen foliage should not be disturbed. However, most daylilies are deciduous--their leaves turn brown and die off over the winter. Many gardeners leave the collapsed and faded foliage in place over the winter as a natural protection for the crown, then remove all discolored foliage the following spring. Other gardeners remove any frost-killed foliage in late fall and mulch around the crowns. Removal of the faded foliage in fall might be preferred if there have been pest or disease problems during the past season, the intent being to reduce the chance of the problem wintering over and recurring next year.