Cut back spent flowering shoots to the point where they meet the main plant (where new shoots will usually be forming). This is the technique for the shrubby evergreen types, such as characias, x martinii, and mellifera.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
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Beware the sap.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I like to leave the flowers as long as possible - they still have an architectural quality when they fade!
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border