From our perspective, the event you call "dying" after blooming is, in most cases, a perfectly normal and planned part of our annual life cycle. We are herbaceous perennials, which means our above-ground growth is not meant to last forever. Our survival strategy is centered on our underground storage structures, the rhizomes. The process of producing those intricate, heart-shaped flowers and subsequent seed pods is incredibly energy-intensive. We divert a massive amount of stored resources from our rhizomes into this reproductive effort. Once this primary goal is achieved, the logical step is to begin conserving energy for the next growing season.
The yellowing and browning of our leaves, which you perceive as dying, is a process known as senescence. This is not a failure but a deliberate retreat. We are actively breaking down chlorophyll and other compounds in the foliage, pulling valuable nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus back down into our rhizomes for storage. By sacrificing the above-ground parts, which would be vulnerable to frost and desiccation, we ensure the survival of the most critical part of us underground. This allows us to enter a dormant state, safely protected from the harsh conditions of winter, ready to use those stored energies to sprout anew when temperatures and light levels become favorable again in spring.
However, sometimes what you see is an accelerated or premature decline that indicates a problem from our point of view. If conditions become unfavorable during or immediately after our blooming period, it can cause undue stress, forcing us to retreat earlier and more harshly than ideal. The primary stressors we experience are related to water and temperature. A sudden heatwave or intense, direct sunlight after a cool spring can scorch our delicate foliage, drastically speeding up the senescence process before we have fully replenished our rhizomes. Conversely, if our roots are sitting in waterlogged, poorly drained soil, they can begin to rot, severing the connection between the rhizome and the foliage and causing a true, problematic die-back.
You can distinguish our planned retreat from a problematic one by its timing and progression. A natural die-back typically begins in mid to late summer, after the blooming period is completely finished and the weather naturally becomes warmer and drier. The yellowing starts with the older, outer leaves and progresses inward and upward in a relatively gradual, even manner. A problematic decline is often signaled by an onset that is too early (right during peak bloom), a sudden wilting or blackening of stems, or yellowing that is patchy and affects new, young growth equally. This, combined with signs of environmental stress like sodden soil or extreme heat, indicates that our survival mechanism is being triggered by adverse conditions rather than our natural rhythm.
