How to prune milkweed in fall

Cutting back your perennial milkweed plants in the late fall, after the leaves and top foliage has died off for the year is a good way to ensure the long term health of your pollinator plants. Pruning your perennial milkweed keeps your plants cleanly, healthy, and if done right will give wintertime shelter to beneficial insects and wildlife. All you need is a pair of gardening shears and a few minutes at your milkweed plant or pollinator garden, and this autumnal task is complete for the year.

As walked through by Save our Monarchs, “cut back milkweed stalks in the late fall or winter, after they have produced seed pods and these seeds have had time to mature. Leave at least 6 inches of stalks to provide habitat for insects throughout the winter. Leaving stalks also gives you a marker so you know where your milkweed patch is. Birds such as Baltimore orioles can also strip fibers for nest material. When Spring arrives, you will have an abundance of new shoots and you won't have to do a thing!”

Furthered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, “pollinators are in decline worldwide. Habitat loss, pesticide use, competition from nonnative species and diseases are killing pollinators. We can help pollinators by providing habitat in pollinator gardens. Native milkweeds are important components of pollinator habitats.”

Cutting back your plants gives less surface area for disease and gives next year’s growth a clear path to flourish. It also keeps your landscape clean for the following season. While pruning back most perennials in some way during autumn is recommended, it is possible to keep some plants as is, to create visual winter interest in snow. Milkweed is one of these plants that can be left alone for the next year, especially if the plant is wildly occurring.