What do you do after bulbs/plants have flowered?Updated 8 months ago

Spring-flowering bulbs can either be left planted where they are, or you can lift them once they have fully died back and store them in a cool, dry place over summer and replant them the following autumn. After they have finished flowering, it is a good idea to snip off the seedhead but to leave the stem and leaves to die back fully before you remove them—this will help replenish the bulb for future years. If you have bulbs growing in pots which you want to free-up for summer plants, you can transfer them directly into another part of the garden once they have finished flowering. You can transfer them while they are still green, taking care not to damage the roots—and let them die back in their new position.

Some summer-flowering bulbs, including dahlias and begonias, tend to flower continuously through summer and into autumn until the first frost. They are frost tender and the first frost will make the plant die back, you should at that point, or anytime between October and November before the first frost, lift the tubers/bulbs, cut back the stems close to the bulb, clean, dry and store them in frost-free conditions. Some summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and lilies don't produce flowers continuously and have a more limited flowering window. They should be deadheaded after flowering, but the stems and leaves should remain intact to die back/turn yellow before they are cut back at ground level. Hardy summer bulbs like crocosmia and lilies can be left in place outdoors over winter. 

Hardy perennial plants should be cut back to around 2-5cm in autumn every year. You can deadhead them after flowering to keep them looking tidier, or allow the flowers to turn to seed. Some seedheads remain attractive in a border through autumn and winter, including echinops and eryngium. Seeds of some varieties, such as aquilegia and hollyhocks, can be collected when ready and sown.