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Hi all!Last year I started a perennial garden,and planted amongst other things Rudbeckia.It grew very fast and was bursting with flowers mid summer onwards.I was advised to cut it back come late Autumn,which I did.I've noticed now,that most of my perennials are up and back growing strongly but not the Rudbeckia.It just looks like dead twigs?Shall I leave it in?Or did I kill it by cutting it back last year?I've also got a Salvia,which same as the Rudbeckia started off strongly last year,got bushy,flowered loads,cut that back end of Autumn and it also looks dead.So what do I do?Dig them out for the compost or leave them in?Will they re grow and are they later re growing than other perennials?Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thankyou!

HH I always grow rudbeckia but always as an annual. I think some are advertised as perennials but tbh I have never sucessfully overwintered one!

I would cut your losses and get a quick sowing in.

I think that on the whole Salvias are not very hardy plants, but perennial Rudbeckias are (in my experience). I only have two different kinds and they don't have a problem with cold winters and they don't disappear under the soil surface in winter - I mean there are always leaves on show, albeit small. Maybe it depends on the kind you have - I don't know the names of mine, although I think that one is 'Goldsturm'.

I don't think that cutting the stems in autumn should kill the plant although I wait until late winter to cut stems back as the seed heads are attractive and birds may eat the seed - not sure of that as I've never seen them on it but who knows?

I'd wait a little bit longer to see if there is any life but it doesn't sound very hopeful. I have lost two papillon French lavendars - I've waited and waited but they seem dead as dodos so sadly out they will come.

Thanks for the advice,although I'm a little confused!I had kept the plastic identification/care tag thingy,and it definately says it is a perennial?I was always led to believe that perennials grew back each year???Ok I think what I'll do is leave it in the ground for another month,and if I see no life appearing,I will dig it out.

There are both perennial and annual Rudbeckias, so if yours had a label saying it's a perennial then that's what it should be. It may be that the cold snap harmed it - I think having a mild winter with one rather cold spell can do more damage than a normal cold winter.

Hi we have a beautiful perennial Rudbeckia which has survived Lincolnshire winters which have been pretty severe of late.

We grow a lot of perennials, when we lived further South I used to cut back the majority of the plants in the Autumn. However, here I do the cutting back in early Spring as soon as I see the new growth appearing as I find the old growth seems to protect the plants from the worst of the winter weather.

If I were you I think I would leave it a bit longer just to see if it is still alive.

SUE

Thankyou all for your thoughts,much appreciated.I just hope it comes back to life because even though it was only planted last year,it looked really fabulous,and produced loads of lovely flowers.Yes I will definately leave it a while longer,with fingers crossed!