From our perspective, winter is not a time of death, but a period of deep, essential rest. We are herbaceous perennials, meaning our visible foliage dies back completely after the first hard frost. However, our life force retreats underground into our crown—the dense, compressed cluster of stem tissue and growth points at our base—and into our thick, storage-rich roots. To initiate healthy growth and proper flowering in the spring, we absolutely require this period of cold dormancy. The chilling vernalization process signals our biological clock that it is safe to break dormancy and send up new shoots when consistent warmth returns. Without this cold period, our growth would be weak and our flowering sparse.
Our primary vulnerability during your cold winters is not the air temperature itself, but excess moisture around our crown and root system. While we appreciate consistent moisture during the growing season, sitting in cold, soggy soil during dormancy is a death sentence. It causes our crown to rot, a condition from which we cannot recover. This is a far greater danger than the dry, cold air. Well-draining soil is our best friend, as it allows water to percolate away from our sensitive parts, preventing the icy, waterlogged conditions that lead to decay.
After the first frost blackens and withers our leaves and stems, you can assist us. Please do not cut our stems down to the ground in the fall. Instead, trim the stalks back to approximately 6 inches above the crown. These hollow stems act as a natural conduit, drawing water away from our center and helping to keep the crown dry. You may then apply a loose, airy mulch, such as straw, pine boughs, or shredded leaves, over and around our base. The goal is not to smother us for warmth, but to provide a protective layer that insulates the soil, prevents damaging freeze-thaw cycles, and keeps the ground consistently cold.
As the sun strengthens and the soil temperature gradually warms in mid to late spring, you will see the first signs of our reemergence. Tiny, reddish-green shoots will cautiously push up from the center of our crown. This is the critical time to carefully remove the winter mulch to allow these new shoots access to sunlight and air, preventing them from becoming pale and weak. Be patient; we often are one of the last perennials to reappear. Once the danger of a hard freeze has passed and our new growth is several inches tall, you can gently clear away the remaining dead foliage from the previous year to make way for our majestic new spires.
