09/02/2025
Leave the seeds for the birds and the stems for our native pollinators!!
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🐦 9 Plants Not To Cut in Fall: Birds Need Them for Winter
1) Coneflowers (Echinacea)
• Leave seed heads standing through winter.
• Cut back only in early spring.
2) Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia)
• Keep dark seed heads until late winter.
• Goldfinches & chickadees feed on them.
3) Sunflowers (Helianthus)
• Large seed heads = natural bird feeders.
• If stalks flop, lay them down or prop up.
4) Joe-Pye W**d (Eutrochium)
• Tall seed heads feed small birds.
• Foliage adds snow-cover shelter.
5) Goldenrod (Solidago)
• Keep stems and seeds all winter.
• Sparrows & juncos rely on them.
6) Ornamental Grasses (Miscanthus, Panicum, etc.)
• Don’t cut back until spring.
• Provide seeds, shelter, & winter interest.
7) Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
• Leave dried flower heads intact.
• Birds love seeds; adds frosty texture.
8) Asters
• Leave uncut until spring.
• Birds feed on their small seeds.
9) Native Shrubs with Berries (Viburnum, Dogwood, Elderberry)
• Keep berries for winter food.
• Only prune weak or diseased branches.
